1989 911 Speedster

While we didn’t see production of Porsche’s all-new 911 Speedster until 1989, work had begun back in 1983 to pay homage to the legendary 356 Speedster through a simpler, lighter, and less expensive open model of the 911.

Three years later, then Porsche President, Peter Schutz, green-lit development and the team introduced a second prototype making its debut at the 1987 Frankfurt Auto Show. Originally planned as a limited production model based on the new Type 964 chassis, delays in manufacturing forced the new Speedster to be built on the 3.2-liter Carrera chassis as it neared the end of production.

In all, only 2,104 Speedsters were built in 1989, with 171 of them being narrow-bodied cars and the rest, Turbo-look wide-bodies. Here in the US we received about 823 units of the total production, making the 1989 Speedster a rare and desirable model today.

This 1989 911 Speedster is one such US-market example with a Turbo-look body finished in Guards Red over a Beige leather interior and shows 157,000 miles on the odometer, which was repaired in 2011, so True Mileage is Unknown. Factory options include Preparation For a Cellular Phone (!!!), Limited Slip Differential, Short Shifter, Sport Seats, A/C, and a Radio with CD Player and Amp.

On the outside, the Guards Red paint appears to be in very good condition with paintwork on the front fender and front bumper noted along with corresponding paint meter readings. The Beige leather interior is very nice as well, again considering the mileage, and features a Porsche Classic head unit, but otherwise remains stock.

The engine bay and undercarriage are tidy and the car looks to be well maintained as it comes with a stack of service receipts and an engine rebuild consisting of replacing the valve guides, main and rod bearings, oil lines, timing chain rails, timing chains, piston rings, gaskets, and fuel lines. Overall, a really nice example with higher miles that is begging to add more.

Over the last twelve months average prices for 3.2-liter Speedsters have been around $215,000 with a high of $357,000 for the 605-mile example sold at The White Collection. Low bids have been in the $109-150k range with the highest mileage car on record selling for $109,000 with 135,900 miles on the odometer.

The last time we saw our Spotlight car was in December 2022 when it sold for $141,000. This time it sold at a final bid of $153,000, which would be surprising, if not for two factors. 1. This car looks to be in very good condition for the higher mileage, much nicer than a few we’ve seen sell with 70k miles less. And 2. The high bidder was a former owner of this exact car. There’s nothing like adding emotion into the mix. I’d say well sold, but if I could buy back a few of the ones that I let lose years ago, I’d bid to win as well. Nice buy.

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