1985 Porsche 911 Carrera

Description

When the Carrera hit the streets in 1984, it did everything better than its predecessor, the SC. In 1985, Porsche continued the evolution of the breed, making this 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera the fastest naturally-aspirated Porsche you could buy. Today, with 911 values skyrocketing, it represents something of a bargain that still delivers a thrilling performance without costing a fortune.

We'll be straight with you: the bright Guards Red paint on this car is a combination of original and repainted stuff, and to get it right, you'll need to spend some time and money on the finish. It looks great blasting down the highway at supra-legal speeds, and for local work it's decent, but given how valuable this car is going to be in a few years, it might be a wise investment to throw some high-quality duds on the curvy 911 sheetmetal. The body-colored bumpers, "whale tail" spoiler, deeper chin spoiler, and other tweaks give it the Turbo look without the Turbo price tag and maintenance headaches, and for anyone who has loved cars, there has been a moment when something like this 911 was the ultimate dream car. Things like the black window surrounds and trim are in good condition and not baked by the sun and this is one of only a handful of cars that can pull off tinted windows without looking like it has something to hide.

The black leather interior is original and now that it's 30 years old, you can see that some things never change at Porsche. The buckets are deeply sculpted and power-actuated, with their leather surfaces showing wear commensurate with its age and mileage. There's some light fading on the leather, but no major splits or tears, so condition them and carry on, and the rear seats look to be almost completely unused over the decades. A fat leather-wrapped steering wheel is an awesome upgrade over the clunky original and all the big, round gauges are laid out sensibly, with the tach front and center. Things like factory A/C (fully functional, thank you very much), power windows, and a decent AM/FM/CD stereo make this a car you can drive regularly without complaints. There's a sunroof overhead and this car was built long before Porsche even thought of introducing an automatic transmission, so there are four gears that fall right to hand. Up front, the trunk compartment is neatly tailored with no signs of trouble underneath.

The Carrera got an extra 200 cc displacement thanks to a longer stroke, for a total of 3.2 liters and a nice, round 200 horsepower. With only about 2700 pounds to lug around and with all the weight over the rear wheels, acceleration is far more impressive than the numbers would suggest and the joy of an early 911 is that you can use more of its performance without getting in over your head. And despite being incredibly modification-friendly, this boxer is almost totally stock, so maintenance and reliability are uncompromised. The transmission shifts with that typical 911 precision and the floor-hinged pedals invite you to dance. The burly six roars through a great-sounding exhaust system and the suspension is supple enough to use daily if that's your choice. Big 17-inch BBS LM alloys are an expensive upgrade and carry 205/40/17 front and 225/45/17 rear Kumho performance radials.

For many, this is a dream car and it's now within reach. The bright red finish and 69k original miles is only icing on the cake. Call today!