Remembering the Awesomeness of the 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo
Posh 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo was peak 930, and this one can be yours.
This is it folks. My dream Porsche. The 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo was the last and best car of the 930 era. When it was new, I was a teenager, and I would drive to the Holbert Porsche dealership and drool all over it. As I write this, I have on the desk next to me my original 911 Turbo brochure that I picked up at the dealership in 1989. This is the car that really got me into Porsche and eventually led me to my purchase of my own 911 Turbo S. The car here is a Grand Prix White example with the optional Grand Prix White wheels. It is peak 1980s and peak 930. And it is up for auction.
Doug DeMuro recently did his typical quirks and features review of the 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo on his YouTube channel. The car that he featured is for sale on his Cars & Bids auction site. As I write this there are about 20 hours left on the auction and the high bid is $72,450. Which is probably a good $100K under what it will eventually sell for.
1989 Porsche 911 Turbo
Why is 1989 so special? It is the final year of the 930 era cars. The next generation was the 964 Turbo and while it is an amazing car itself, there is something extra special about these earlier cars. And in 1989 Porsche made some significant upgrades to the 911 Turbo. The biggest is of course the 5-speed transmission. Prior 930 models had to make do with a 4-speed. The one year only 5-speed in the 1989 car is a major plus. And while DeMuro spends a good deal of time discussing that in the video, the transmission itself was not the only upgrade that year. Porsche also fitted a new short-throw gear lever and revised the clutch for smoother operation at low speeds.
The 1989 car also had a revised suspension which included larger diameter torsion bars at the rear, a matching anti-roll bar, and a firmer shock absorber calibration. The car is simply amazing.
Enter This Example
The car being auctioned here has just over 60K miles on it and appears to be well taken care of. It remains original with a couple exceptions. One is the upgraded Porsche Classic radio that offers Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. The other is a GReddy Profec boost controller. A window tint has also been applied. The color combination is perfect, at least to my eyes. Thirty-four years ago, I lusted after this car, and I still do today.
Doug Score
DeMuro likes this 930 but his traditional “Doug Score’”at the end of the video is interesting. Compared to similar era Porsches, he rates it below the 928 GTS, but above the 944 Turbo and 944 S. I am a Porsche nerd and I love all those models. But for me the 1989 911 Turbo sits at the top of the ladder.
The wide hips, the whale tail, the turbo lag, the lovely analog gauges, it just all comes together to make an ideal vintage sports car.
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