Porsche 911 Carrera Targa 3.2

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Every schoolboy’s dream of what a proper 911 should look like, the 3.2 Carrera is perhaps the most popular of the air-cooled models thanks to its blend of classic good looks, scintillating performance and relatively low cost of ownership – all subsequent models being more complex machines that need deeper pockets to maintain.

Produced from 1984 to 1989 and visually similar to the outgoing SC, the Carrera was much improved under the skin with bigger brakes and an 80% new flat-six engine that incorporated an effective cam chain tensioner and associated lubrication system that at last addressed a perennial 911 shortcoming.

Driving refinement and reliability were improved with a new Bosch Motronics ignition system, the end result being a power hike to 231bhp and 209lb/ft of torque. Quick revving and torquey, it shot to 60mph in 5.4 seconds on its way to a 152mph maximum, speeds that only the Turbo model could have matched in the past.

Available in coupe, targa and cabriolet guises, it was progressively developed over the course of its six-year production run. The main change came in 1987 with the adoption of a much-improved Getrag five-speed gearbox, the G50, with a smoother change than the notchy 915 transmission that preceded it.

Purchased by the vendor in 2014 to fulfil a lifetime ambition to own a classic air cooled 911, he wisely chose the best example he could find, sourcing this well presented 1988 3.2-litre Targa through the well-known classic Porsche specialist, Williams Crawford of Saltash in Cornwall.

Finished in Guards Red, this late-model Targa has the stronger G50 gearbox, 15” forged Fuchs wheels and although at first glance is an archetypal ‘city boy’ 911 of the late '80s, closer inspection reveals that it is actually much rarer than that.

When this car was in the showroom, city traders would walk into their nearest Porsche dealer and spend their bonuses on a 911 with a whale tail, flares and huge wheels. The first owner of this car made a different choice, opting instead for the more elegant narrow-bodied non-Sport version of the 911 without spoilers or the massive low-profile wheels and tyres, a decision that would have caused a few raised eyebrows on the trading room floor.

It also happens to be a package that works really well, as illustrated in a magazine article in Porsche World dating from May 2014 featuring this actual car. Porsche writer and historian Jonny Tipler, tested three Targa’s of 3.2-litre capacity, two being wide-bodied with 16” wheels alongside this example here. The clear favourite for him was our car, riding better due to its taller sidewalls and handling with more delicacy thanks to its narrow body. A copy of the magazine is included in the documents file.

A comprehensively stamped service book records a speedometer change at 66,994 miles in November 1998. The new unit now reads just over 17,000 miles, the total mileage covered being a shade over 84,000 miles from new. There are 15 old MOTs in the file, the current ticket expiring in March 2017 and the car retains its original handbooks.

A number of bills and invoices show that a new clutch was fitted in August 2010 and a new starter motor just last month. The car has also just had an oil service and will be driven to the sale.

Porsche 911s are such capable machines, that a car with less than 100,000 miles is now deemed to be low-mileage. This fine looking specimen, with its comprehensive service record and just 84,000 miles under its belt is ready for immediate use.