Maybe I’m a bit obtuse, so please clarify this for me. If a car is originally spec’d to be built as a Turbo S, how does it not become a Turbo S model? This is a concundrum that I’m not following. It’s technically a standard 993 TT that has all of the options of a Turbo S, but it’s not a Turbo S? How confusing if so. That’s a new one to me. I don’t get it. Someone educate me please.

Porsche has a department called Special Wishes or Exclusive. For VIP’s. The option codes 09990 and/or 09991 designate that a car has been to the Special Wishes department. A car is pulled off the production line and can be customized by the factory to a customers specifications. This car was on the production line as a regular twin turbo. It was sent to Special Wishes where the customer wanted to make it as you see it. It has most of what a turbo S has, but more, and it has the regular twin turbo tail, not the turbo S tail. In person, it is perhaps the most beautiful Porsche I’ve ever seen. Absolutely spectacular.

Which is the exact same process that the Turbo S goes through, none of them are made at the factory. Special Wishes became the Exclusive Department way before 1997. Unless they decided not to designate it a Turbo S model simply because it lacked having the complete package because it lacked the proper “S” tail, I still don’t folllow it at all. When you’ve selected enough of the components that make up the Turbo S package, that’s the model name it should’ve been given. That’s what common sense would tell you. Just because it had additional extra parts ordered with it are inconsequential as to whether this should’ve been designated an “S” or not, it simply would’ve been an “S” with additional Exclusive options.

I tend to think that this lacked the proper Turbo S monicker based on Porsche’s ordering process. The Turbo S was a full package spec’d out by Porsche, it allowed the buyer to check just one box when ordering it. If this buyer did that they would’ve had a Turbo S. Instead, the original buyer got ‘cute’ with the ordering process and checked every individual option’s box that was offered within the Turbo S package except for the tail, and then also proceeded to check several other boxes as well, but left the Turbo S model box unchecked. At the end of all of this a la carte ordering, they had checked every individual box that makes up the Turbo S package but one, while also checking many others, but the option box for the entire Turbo S package itself was still left unchecked. As rigid as this might sound, and this is just my interpretation of what happened, but this never got the designation of a Turbo S model simply because they didn’t order it as the full check one box here package. It’s being very rigid, if you don’t check this box then you don’t get it’s model designation. I would say Porsche royally screwed up on this car when it came to properly labeling it.

I am very familiar with this process. I own a very early 1984 porsche 930 WLS, which was before they even offered the “S” package. The WLS package eventually became the Turbo S model in 1986. They offered all of the same parts for it that were later offered on the Turbo S model when it allowed you to order it by checking just one box, but there was no specific model designation for it as of yet in 1984 (other than WLS which isn’t really a model name), so everything was offered a la carte. As in check each box that you want. Kind of like how the original owner for this car ordered theirs, they wanted to individually select each option. That’s why there’s no specific consistency to the very early WLS cars, because each option was a la carte, not check this box here and you’ll get this full package comprised of all of these different parts.

That’s my hypothesis on it, I think Porsche messed up by being so rigid as to not designate it an “S” simply because the “S” box was left unmarked. Which means it’s probably not quite worth “S” money unfortunately. To Porsche’s and the original owner’s credit though, they didn’t realize these cars would be worth so much fast forward all these years later. That an “S” here or there has any real impact on value wasn’t a contemplation in any of their minds back then. With all of the options on this car it should’ve been designated a Turbo S, and thus would bring Turbo S money and then some for the additional Exclusive options it also has on it. Instead, even with having more options on it than most Turbo S’, I doubt it’ll ever bring full Turbo S money. Because the rarified crowd that collects these cars will only spend the $ when it comes with the “S” on it.

That’s the only way I can make sense of this...Take it for what it’s worth, as it’s just one guy’s opinion. It’s a great car though either way, with or without the “S” I absolutely love it.