1983 Porsche 930 Turbo Review and Buyer's Guide

This Turbo sold for $37,400 at the RM Amelia Island Concours on March 20, 1999. This price is representative either of a strong renewed interest in gray-market Turbos or of two people who both wanted this car, regardless of the final price. The first two years of the 930, (‘76-‘77) were 3.0 liter cars with 245 snappy horses in USA trim. In 1978 major improvements included increased size to 3.3 liters, an intercooler to keep the intake air colder, and bigger brakes. Horsepower from 1978 to 1989 was 282 hp for the USA model. Other than the bigger whale tail in 1978 to house the intercooler, the body remained unchanged through 1989. All cars were 4-speeds until 1989, when a 5-speed was finally made available. Turbos were not officially imported into the USA from 1980 to 1985, and the value of gray-market cars usually suffers by about 25 percent or more against their USA counterparts. We don’t know if this is one of the 35 factory slantnoses made in 1983, or a car converted by an after-market supplier. This, of course, has a big effect on value.

There are many unknows with this car, all of which have a direct impact on value. Neither mileage, rebuild history nor maintenace records are mentioned in the catalog description. Turbos with deferred maintenance can be financial black holes, even if purchased right.

The price achieved by this car appears high. However, in my opinion, someday the collecting world will realize that Turbos are powerful icons of the Seventies and Eighties and original cars in good condition will begin to appreciate at the head of the market.

On a recent cold and rainy weekend, two Turbos hit the Chicago Tribune classifieds: a ‘76 3.0 with 45K miles and a ‘79 3.3 with 81K miles. Both were clean USA cars with good maintenance records; both were priced at $23,000; both sold by Sunday afternoon.—Jim Schrager