1998 911 Carrera S Coupe

A lot of comments but not a lot of bidding action ended Jerry’s old 1998 911 Carrera S Coupe. Buried in the chatter was the age-old debate on whether this truly was the last air-cooled Porsche to leave the factory bound for North America. Yes, there are VIN numbers that are higher than the VIN on this one, but chances are it was pulled from production to install the Special Wishes options as well as the plaque indicating this car “was built on December 19, 1997 for Jerry Seinfeld and is the last air-cooled Porsche that left the factory for North America.”

This 6,000-mile 1998 911 Carrera S Coupe is finished in Black with a Black Full Leather interior and features with 18” Hollow-Spoke Technology wheels, Motor Sound Package, a four-speed Tiptronic transmission, and Xenon headlights. From the Special Wishes department, the car has Yellow Seatbelts, Yellow Calipers, “911” Rear Emblem, Carbon-fiber on the inside, and of course, the plaque in the frunk.

The Black paint is in fairly good condition. Pictures in the gallery look like there are a few small burn marks in the paint from buffing and the front bumper doesn’t completely line up. The interior is spotless as is the engine bay and undercarriage, but the car does not come with service records. Still, a very historic car with low mileages and ownership by Jerry.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this car for sale, or the second. The first record I can find of this car is when it was offered by Road Scholars long ago, although I don’t have a price. But we do know that this car was sold by Issimi in August 2021 for $225,000. Since then, the closest comp I have is a 17,000-mile ‘98 Tiptronic 2S that brought $158,000 in December of the same year.

Our Spotlight car failed to sell this time around at a final bid of $178,000. Quite the difference from when we last saw it. The seller probably should have flipped it during the peak of the market in the Summer of 2022. I’m sure we’ll see this one again, though.

Two things that go hand-in-hand? Porsche and watches. Every Porschephile I know is also a watch nerd. And like Porsches, watches can be enjoyed at all price points. 

On a recent visit to Pittsburgh, SML subscriber Allan S. tossed me his new Sheffield Allsport watch. Sheffield Watches is a reboot of an old dive watch brand founded in New York in the ‘50s that was synonymous with producing low-price point, quality watches. The weight of the stainless steel case felt robust, as did the feel of the screw-down crown and unidirectional bezel—definitely quality. As for price point, the Sheffield diver punches way above its weight at $108. You can’t buy more watch for the money, period. 

And that’s what Sheffield Watches’ founder Jay Turkbas set out to accomplish, reviving the brand's ethos and creating a watch synonymous with quality, technology, and affordability. Taking inspiration from his original Sheffield watch from the ’70s and his 30-plus years of experience in product development and innovation, he knocked it out of the park with a durable watch capable of exploring the depths of the ocean one day and cars & coffee the next. And all at a price point equivalent to the $13 the watch originally cost back then. Take a moment to give Sheffield Watches a look. I know you’ll be just as impressed as I am.

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