Over the years, the car evolved at an incredibly slow rate. The design was often viewed as flawed due to it's rear weight biased chassis with engine hanging over the rear. Thanks to stubborn engineers in Stuttgart, they stuck with the flawed design. But it was this design and iconic noise from the flat 6 air cooled engine which create a driving experience which words can do no justice. If you haven't driven a 911, whether it be an early car or modern one, do it. If automobilia courses through your veins, you'll be in heaven.
After 40 years, the silhouette remains the same. And while governing bodies have dictated the cars bumpers and belt-line over the years, the overall car looks remarkably unchanged. But I'm not here to bore you with the history of the Porsche 911. A billion websites will already do that: "911 History"
I'm here to talk about a 911 which has been somewhat forgotten over the years. People remember the first cars from the 1960's. The 1970's which brought us bigger engines, a turbo and galvanized bodies resulting in cars which didn't crumble with rust at the thought of precipitation. The 1980's era cars started becoming linked to stardom and a very good car with excellent fuel injection. The mid 1990's brought the end of the air-cooled cars and so the 993 has remained extremely popular since the day it was new. Porsche fanatics felt the water cooled cars were quite literally the end of the world. Prices never really dropped on these cars in the way that almost every automobile succumbs to depreciation. But just before the 993, the 964 briefly lived and it has been overlooked much of it's life.
Despite the 911 evolving at snail's pace over the first 25 years of it's life, the 964 brought some astonishing changes in 1989. The car suddenly received modern suspension as opposed to the torsion beam setup often associated with horse drawn carriages. For the first time, the car was offered with motion provided in all 4 wheels, a design that would quiet critics who had spun out into ditches. Because of it's stardom, luxury items were now optional and California residents were happy to finally receive a car with an automatic transmission and a variety of power features including the cars steering. Visually, the car finally received attractive looking painted bumpers without the obvious black 5 mph crumple zones from the 1980's. And when you reached nearly 50 mph (or pressed a button), you could raise the rear spoiler and let cool air into the engine compartment. This was also an impressive way to show off. The car was offered in coupe,
If you've observed values of the 964 for the past 20 years you've seen the cars steadily drop to rock bottom prices. For the past several years we've been able to find a decent example for $20-$25 grand. That's all about to change.
The 1980's era cars dropped into the low teen's for pricing but in the past couple years we've seen a resurgence in values. Suddenly good examples are selling for well north of $20,000. The 964 seems to be lingering in that position but it's about to change. The 964 has been overlooked but the truth is the car is far better to drive than the SC's of the 1980's and it's far more stylish too. And if you look at the other side of the 964 you have that 993 which still requires a hefty sum. Because the 964 was the first car to offer AWD it's certain to become a true classic in the 911 circle.
A company in California, called Singer, has made a truly astonishing car based on the 964 and it outlines some strengths the car possesses: Singer on Jay Leno's Garage
I, in no way, enlighten based on what's sitting in my garage. In fact, I've never owned any 911, only a 944 Turbo and 912 from the 1960's. But I'm certain that if you have the means to purchase this car, spend a little money on insurance and drive it regularly, the value in the next 5 years will increase dramatically.
Happy Motoring.
