This is a different “For Sale” post compared to the ones that I’ve done in the past, as we are going overseas for this one. Also, do note that these types of posts will now be more brief in terms of model information, as I now be saving the high level of detail for the “Retrospect” posts.

The Japanese air-cooled Porsche market has always been significant because it gives buyers a chance to scoop up a car of “unicorn” status. By that, I mean a car that was not only made in limited quantities, but was also specified with colours and options not commonly seen. Due to this, it is no surprise to see rare Porsches at world-renowned auctions like Sotheby’s that were sold new in Japan. To top it up, most of these cars do not see a lot of use given their nature, and when it comes the time to perform the mandatory Shaken inspection on them, some owners would rather sell them off than keep them. It is for this reason that Japan is a good place to look at it you are interested in an air-cooled 911.

Here we have for sale a 1993-registered 964 Turbo 3.6 at Garage911, an independent Porsche dealer in the Tokyo prefecture. The 3.6 964 Turbo on its own is already a rare car, with less than 1500 made between 1993-94. Making this car more special is its colour combination, which is Bluetengelb(not Speed Yellow) over Black interior, with other tasty options such as Yellow Seatbelts. Seeing that most 3.6 Turbos I see for sale in North America are either Black or Red, it is quite a change to see this one in a specification that would certainly make it stand out from the crowd. Showing 58,192km on the odometer, it reflects the status of most Porsches in Japan. Judging from the interior pictures, it is clear that the previous owner(s) did a great job in taking care of this car, though there is visibly an aftermarket radio(as I always see in about 99% of cars in Japan) and a ETC transponder. Priced at 2,500,000¥(approximately $316,000 CAD), it is reflective of the market on 3.6 Turbos, but since cars with higher mileage in very common specifications command prices higher than that, this car can be considered somewhat a bargain. Do note that if you live outside Japan, there will unavoidably be additional costs in addition to the car’s price.

With the high demand of air-cooled Porsches in recent years, it is no surprise that this market is on a never-ending uptrend. As these cars get older, particularly in the context of North American buyers, it opens up the option of importing foreign examples from other countries. Due to this, it is likely that buyers interested in buying let’s say an air-cooled 911 will look into Japan as a last resort for these cars, should they find the cars in North America at unjustifiable price points. As someone who likes cars that stand out from the crowd, it is the first market I would be looking at, rather than the last. You can expect me to write a lot about the Japanese air-cooled market as I do find a lot of interesting cars for sale, so you can say this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Best Regards,
Juan Reyes-Abreu

Credit goes to:
Garage911 for the photographs and information of the 964 for sale.