Light Price For A Lightweight

January 28, 2023

Out of all the cars to cross the block in Arizona in the past week, this 1993 Porsche 911 Turbo S ‘Lightweight’ is probably the most interesting example, not just because of its rarity, but because of its journey to this sale over the past few years.

Born from the mind of Porsche Exclusive manager Rolfe Sprenger, the 964 Turbo S Lightweight was conceived as a road-legal version of the 1992 IMSA Championship-winning 964 Turbo. The 86 examples built left the factory some 400 lbs lighter than the standard Turbo S with the deletion of AC, power steering, radio, etc.

Under the hood, the M30/69 SL received new KKK Turbochargers, upgraded fuel injectors, and more aggressive cams producing 381 bhp. The body of the car was seam welded and reinforced with doors, frunk, and rear spoiler in carbon composite.

The suspension sits about 40mm lower thanks to the M030 European Sports Suspension and the struts are braced with a new alloy bar. Visually the most noticeable difference is the addition of two rear-quarter vents as found on the 959, a larger deck spoiler, and treatment to the front to better direct airflow.

Our Spotlight car, rare, special, and in perfect condition, sold at RM Sotheby’s for $962,000. Quite a bit less than where these cars peaked in 2018 at $1.7m, and $8,000 less than what this exact car sold for on Bring a Trailer eleven months ago after a No Sale at RM’s Amelia Island auction a few years ago.

While the price is much less than the peak, that car had less than 100 miles on the odometer while our car has 22,000. But what we find interesting is just how close in proximity the prices for the car were between the online sale and the RM event. I’m sure the Bring a Trailer buyer had high hopes of buying online and flipping at the extravagant Arizona event. But in this day and age, online players are on par with the best auction houses out there. We’ll see if this one was well-bought next time it appears at auction. We suggest they run it online.