All Photos: Gooding & Co.
This week famed auction Gooding & Co. is launching an online listing to coincide with the incredible Amelia Island Concours. While Gooding traditionally has a physical presence at the concours weekend, it decided that it would be best to avoid indoor in-person shouting while the coronavirus pandemic still rages around the world. Aside from the fact that many of the company’s traditional customers wouldn’t be able to travel to the U.S. for the auction, I’m sure they want to avoid the bad press of potentially being a super spreader event among upper-crust bidders. Better, then, to push these auction listings to an online bidding process where people are able to keep their distance and still get access to the cool cars they want to buy. So here we go, the May edition of Gooding’s Geared Online auction. There are seven incredible Porsche lots available at this auction, but one in particular stands out as next-level rare. Let’s check them out.
Lot 38 — 1993 Porsche 968 Turbo S — Est. $1,000,000 — 1,250,000
Among the most rare of all Porsche models in the company’s history, only fourteen examples of the 968 Turbo S were built to homologate the Turbo RS for ADAC competition. The turbocharged 8-valve 3-liter four-cylinder engine in this car delivered 305 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque way back in 1993. Compared to a contemporary naturally-aspirated 968, the car got a lower ride height, stiffer suspension, big four-piston calipers, three-piece Speedline wheels (cribbed from the 964 Turbo S), and a bunch of special bodywork to differentiate it as a Turbo S. The car was basically a 968 Clubsport with a bunch more power, which makes it easily the coolest transaxle car Porsche ever sold.
A run of 100 cars was planned, but Porsche brass cut that short when it feared the hot version of its entry level car would upstage even the 911 Turbo. Considering it had a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds, a top speed of 175 mph, and more predictable balance and handling, there’s no doubt it would have given even the mighty Turbo 3.6 a run for its money. It was a great car then, and remains a great car today. It’ll make a great part of any Porsche collection, and due to its rarity won’t be seen in many other collections.
This particular car, chassis 0064, was built in June of 1993. According to Gooding, it is one of only two cars painted this gorgeous shade of paint-to-sample Blood Orange. The car was sold in Germany to a man named Hans Dieter Wieczorek, who held on to the car until February 2000, when it passed on to Simone Wieczorek. It is assumed that Hans Dieter and Simone are related, but that fact isn’t 100 percent clear. Simone had the car upgraded to 968 Turbo RS engine specifications (350 horsepower), and installed a 968 Turbo RS-style hood. In the 2000s it passed through two German collectors before being acquired by Springbok SportWagen in 2009. While there the car was given a comprehensive restoration, reversing Simone’s modifications. In 2011 the car joined the famed Porsche collection of Christian Wälzholz, who happened to have another 968 Turbo S at the time.
The current seller is an American collector who purchased 0064 from Mr. Wälzholz in 2016. Again the car was given a thorough mechanical overhaul at a cost of more than $40,000. Since it arrived in America, the car has been driven very little, and has been detailed to concours levels basically at all times. The odometer displays 64,000 kilometers, which the owners believe represents the original distance covered by the car since new. Now is your chance to go bid!