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porsche 993 turbo s v 997 turbo s

Porsche only made 345 examples of the ultimate air-cooled 911 Turbo. Until 20 years later, that is, when 993 Turbo S number 346 belatedly left Stuttgart. That car was Project Gold, a one-off by Porsche Classic with golden yellow metallic paint inspired by the 991 Turbo S Exclusive Series.

Sold at auction in 2018, with proceeds going to the Ferry Porsche Foundation, its £2.3 million hammer price owed more to philanthropy than skyrocketing 993 values. Nonetheless, it showed the esteem in which the Turbo S is held.

The book on the water-cooled Turbo is still being written – we’ll profile the new 992 later in this issue – so using the word ‘ultimate’ feels premature. However, we think the 2011-13 997 Turbo S is the high watermark thus far.

A low-volume model like the 993, it boasts ferocious performance, everyday usability and pukka special-edition status. Maybe if we start lobbying now, Porsche Classic will resurrect this former flagship in 2031. If any car is quick enough to turn back time (twice), it’s the Turbo.

You might recognise this eye-popping Speed yellow 993 Turbo S, which is one of just 23 in right-hand drive. It manages to make Project Gold look overpriced and understated. Owned by Anthony Pozner of Hendon Way Motors, it first featured in Total 911 back in 2012 – when it was worth around £80,000.

Today, that figure is more like £300,000, yet that doesn’t dissuade him from adding to its 67,000 miles. “The car won its class at Salon Privé in 2018,” Pozner explains. “Derek Bell, who judged the 911s, liked that it’s still driven and not a trailer queen.”

The S resembles a 993 Turbo after a month on the Insanity workout. There are quad tailpipes and new intakes in the front bumper and behind the doors (the latter diverting air to the brakes, not the intercooler).

The rear wing is a two-piece affair, with shrunken GT2-style inlets at its outer edges (which do feed the intercooler). And the hollow-spoke Technologie-Rad alloys house beefed-up brakes: eight-piston at the front, four at the rear. Note the yellow calipers don’t yet signify PCCB carbon ceramics – these debuted on the 996 GT2 in 2001.

Speaking of carbon fibre, the 993’s interior is positively slathered in the stuff. It covers the dashboard, door cards and handles, along with parts of the steering wheel, gearknob and handbrake. The effect is weight-saving as well as cosmetic, but doubtless looked impressive in 1998 – years before carbon became a supercar staple. Elsewhere, you’ll spot hard-backed leather seats and coloured seatbelts; buyers could opt for black, red or yellow. No prizes for guessing what colour belts this example has…

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