Which are the most overlooked Porsche 911s in the marketplace?

Interest and enthusiasm for owning a 911 of any era has never been greater. Everyone knows and covets an RS, GT3 or Turbo, keenly eyeing values and ads, but aside from those go-tos, which models are currently overlooked by the market?

Sales debate

It’s fair to say our panel struggled to immediately call out a list of forgotten models. In today’s market, there’s a buyer for all 911s. “It is a tough question,” says Jonathan Aucott of Midlands-based Avantgarde Classics, who favours the air-cooled end of the market. “I’m not so sure there’s such a thing, now,” he muses.

“The older stuff is possibly a little undervalued compared to modern GT cars; pre-impact bumper cars haven’t moved on from where they were, but they may have found their value and held firm,” continues Jonathan. “964s have gone bonkers recently, and 993 enquiries are strong,” he reports, while pointing out the 996 has always held attraction for being more affordable, but has a buoyant following today, across all model ranges and specifications.

After some thought Philip Raby, of West Sussex’s Philip Raby Specialist Cars, does offer a few models that stand out for him. “Gen 1 991 Carrera or Carrera S are a bit of a buyer’s market at the moment – there are lots available for below £50k,” he points out. “Glass roof Targas I think are a great buy: a great design and supremely practical, they’re probably overlooked,” says Philip. “So is any Tiptronic too, at the moment,” he adds. “The 964 and 993 are just okay, but the 996 or 997 Tiptronics are really good. You just need to learn to drive them and adapt to it.”

That also translates to earlier Sportomatics, believes Philip. He points out for a classic 911, they’ll be substantially cheaper than a manual, but you still get a car brimming with character, which really is what you’re buying with any model of 911.

It’s been a perennial question over the years, but with such a healthy and wide market interest in the used 911 range, there isn’t such polarisation against certain models or specifications as there perhaps was in the past. All 911s are appreciated now, and buyers are educated. Jonathan neatly sums it up by pointing out that, “The world knows the 911 is the perfect sports car, so all models have their market now.”