UK, US and EU Porsche 930 values are now aligning
John Mayhead Hagerty Price Guide editor, market commentator and concours judge
ACCORDING TO Transport for London, the average speed in our nation’s capital is a heady 9.5mph in the centre of town, a rapid 20.4mph on the outskirts. Drive a little further and, according to the Department for Transport, you’ll hit 17.4mph on urban A-roads and 34.4mph in rural areas, picking your way between the potholes as you go. Speeds on Britain’s roads have almost never been slower since the man waving a red flag was consigned to history.
British roads have never been especially quick. Narrow roads that evolved from Saxon horse tracks, flanked by ditches and blackthorn hedges and populated by horses, Sunday drivers and Lycra-clad cyclist packs, may be fun, but they’re not fast. Now, increased traffic, crumbling Tarmac and the sheer size of modern cars means that driving for pleasure in an old car, especially a performance model, can result in a rise in blood pressure.
This could be the reason behind one of the most unexpected trends that Hagerty has identified over the past year: that UK values of the Porsche 911 (930) Turbo are falling. It’s strange because, on the other side of the Atlantic, the exact opposite is happening, and in Europe prices are fairly static. The changes are reflected in all body styles (except the ultra-rare Flachbau coupé) and in both 3.0- and 3.3-litre engine sizes.
The Porsche Turbo was always an iconic car with the British Gen X demographic who had the Athena poster on their wall and, as kids, stared in disbelief at the enormous whaletail and flared arches when they were fortunate enough to see one on the road. Years later, as they emerged blinking from the Covid lockdown, they set about buying their hero cars and prices soared. Then, last year, things started to slow, and stall, then drop. Hagerty’s UK ‘excellent’ condition values for the early 3.0-litre 930 Coupé are down 16% in a year. In the same period, for the same car, Hagerty’s US Guide shows a 31% increase.
It’s quite possible that prices rose too quickly and are now correcting, but another reason may be the rise of the 930’s little brother, the 3.2 Carrera coupé. With most of the looks and at a third of the price of the Turbo, it is attracting buyers, with UK prices up 9% in the past 12 months. Maybe the Carrera’s performance is the Goldilocks level: just enough for the road conditions. According to Andy Brookes, founder of the lively Porsche enthusiast gr
