Porsche 911 Turbo (996)

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So good it hurt, the Porsche 996 Turbo is widely regarded as the finest all-round sportscar of its era (better even than the Ferrari F355 according to Top Gear).

Launched in 2000 with all-wheel drive as standard, it was powered by a development of the legendary twin-turbo ‘Mezger’ engine that was originally designed for the 600bhp 911 GT1 Le Mans race car and also went on to power the hardcore GT3 RS. Completely different to the regular 996 engine (which had a reputation for catastrophic failure) the 3.6-litre Mezger unit has proved virtually bulletproof and the standard 420bhp can be readily tuned to well over 500bhp if the fancy takes you.

With a six-speed manual box, it could sprint to 60 in 4.2 seconds with a top speed of 189mph. By the end of production 22,062 996 Turbo models of all types had been sold worldwide. A blue-chip classic of the future, prices are already rising fast.

Supplied new by AFN Porsche Chiswick in March 2001, this Seal Grey 996 Turbo has covered only 38,762 miles in the hands of five owners, the current since 2010. It has an excellent service history comprising 10 services to date, the last in July 2017 at 38,600 miles, plus supporting invoices. The service book also contains a further three stamps for brake fluid changes plus two for long life condition reports.

Equipment includes heated electric leather sports seats with Porsche embossed headrests, Alcantara headlining, PSM (Porsche Stability Management), electric sunroof, air conditioning and standard 18” alloys painted black shod with a set of ‘N-rated’ Pirelli P-Zero tyres. The car was recently treated to a new a/c condenser ensuring reliable ice cold air.

Said to be in very good unmodified condition throughout with an MOT until August 2019 with no advisories recorded, it is guaranteed to put a massive grin on the fortunate new owner's face and, given the way that all 911 Turbo prices seem to be going at present, it could well prove a shrewd investment at the tempting guide price suggested. Already widely tipped for greatness, this is yet another car to put on that 'buy now while you can still afford to' list...