Did a Ship Double the Price of a 1968 Porsche 911 in Scottsdale?

Air-Cooled Porsche sales at the 2023 Scottsdale auctions were strong with only five no-sales out of 46 air-cooled Porsches that crossed the auction block.

$209,000 1968 Porsche 911 featured in Smithsonian Air & Space Museum

Of particular note was a 1968 numbers matching 1968 Porsche base 911 with an 18-year old restoration that should have sold in the range of $63,000 -$107,000 according to the Sports Car Market Price Guide. This little Porsche brought twice that at Barrett-Jackson, hammering in at $209,000.

The unique story with this Porsche is that the owner built and donated a large-scale model of the nuclear aircraft carrier Enterprise to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC. It has been seen by millions since 1982, with an HO-scale model of this very Porsche hidden in different places on the aircraft carrier over decades for children and adults to find.

Barrett-Jackson hit big numbers with another 1968 Porsche 911 that is #18 out of 928 built for this custom Porsche 911 built by Dawson Vintage LLC. It brought $220,000 for this custom coupe with modifications and a new restoration.

The Collector Car Auction season featured three major auctions that were held in Scottsdale, Arizona Friday, January 21, 2023 till Sunday, January 29, 2023. The three auction companies offering air-cooled Porsches included Barrett-Jackson, Bonham’s and RM Sotheby’s.

The review of results showed most other air-cooled Porsches selling in the pre-sale estimates. There were a lot of Turbos for sale in Scottsdale as they favor the buying audience in Scottsdale where American muscle rules the day. A Porsche Turbo appeals to even those who are not hardcore Porsche enthusiasts.

The following is a breakdown of the air-cooled Porsche sales that occurred at the Scottsdale collector car auctions in 2023.

Porsche 356

1960 Porsche 356 Super 90 Outlaw Sold for $335,000 at Bonhams

Porsche 356 Model for Sale Pre-Sale Estimate Sale Price

1952 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500S Cabriolet $220-$250,000 No Sale

Red/Tan Bonham’s

1954 Porsche 356 Pre-A Coupe $275-$325,000 $295,400

Radium Green/Green Bonham’s

1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A Continental $250-$300,000 $221,200

Turkish Red/Acella Bast Leatherette Bonham’s

1956 Porsche 356 Pre-A Super Speedster $350-$400,000 $362,500

Red/black Bonham’s

1956 Porsche 356A Super Speedster $275-$325,000 $335,000

Black/Red. Originally Aquamarine blue RM Sotheby’s

1960 Porsche 356 Super 90 Outlaw Coupe $175-$225,000 $246,400

Blue Gray/Oxblood Bonhams

1963 Porsche 356B 1600 Coupe $90-$120,000 No Sale

Ivory/Black Bonham’s

1963 Porsche 356B 1600 Super Cabriolet $150-$200,000 $217,280

Ruby Red/black Bonham’s

1964 Porsche 356C No reserve/no estimate $77,000

Ruby Red BJ Barrett-Jackson

1964 Porsche 356C GT Outlaw Coupe $130-$160,000 $136,640

Burgundy Red/Tan Bonham’s

1964 Porsche 356SC 1600 Coupe $110-$130,000 $128,800

Ivory/Red Bonham’s

Porsche 911

1968 Porsche 911 Custom Coupe | Photo Courtesy Barrett-Jackson

Porsche 911 for Sale Pre-Sale Estimate Sale Price

1965 Porsche 911 No reserve/no estimate $145,200

Pink Pig Tribute Livery/black Barrett-Jackson

1966 Porsche 911 2.0 $160-$200,000 No Sale

Polo Red/black Bonham’s

1968 Porsche 911 No reserve/no estimate $184,800

Light Cream White/brown Barrett-Jackson

1968 Porsche 911T Custom Coupe No reserve/no estimate $209,000

Silver/Brown Barrett-Jackson

1968 Porsche 911 Urban Outlaw Coupe $175-$225,000 $220,000

White/black Prepared by Magnus Walker Bonham’s

1970 Porsche 911E Targa $120-$140,000 (no reserve) $106,400

Burgundy over black original paint RM Sotheby’s

1972 Porsche 911S 2.4 Targa $200-$250,000 $218,400

Silver/Red Bonham’s

1972 Porsche 911T Targa No reserve/no estimate $112,200

Black/black Barrett-Jackson

Porsche 911 G-Body

1977 Porsche 911 3.0 Targa Turbo Look Sold for $180,00 at RM Sotheby's

Porsche 911 for Sale Pre-Sale Estimate Sale Price

1974 Porsche 911 Targa RS style No reserve/no estimate $57,200

Light Yellow/Tan Barrett-Jackson

1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 Targa No details in catalog $92,400

Details unavailable Bonham’s

1975 Porsche 911 Targa No reserve/no estimate $82,500

Peru Red/Tan Barrett-Jackson

1977 Porsche 911S Targa $80-$120,000 $98,000

Irish Green/Cork Bonham’s

1977 Porsche 911 3.0 Targa “Turbo Look” $200-$250,000 $180,000

Light yellow / black RM Sotheby’s

1982 Porsche 911 SC Convertible No reserve/no estimate $71,500

Silver/black Barrett-Jackson

1987 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Cabriolet $60-$80,000 $61,600

Cassis Red/burgundy Bonhams

1988 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Cabriolet $70-$90,000 (no reserve) $77,500

Black/Light Gray Bonham’s

Porsche 964 and 993

1997 Porsche 993 4S Sold for $165,000 at Barrett-Jackson

Porsche 911 964 and 993 for Sale Pre-Sale Estimate Sale Price

1994 Porsche 964 C4 Turbo Look $160-$200,000 $160,000

Guards Red/black Bonham’s

1996 Porsche 993 C4 $137,500 $137,500

Aventura Green/Cashmere Barrett-Jackson

1997 Porsche 993 911 4S No reserve/no estimate $165,000

Arctic Silver/Black Barrett-Jackson

Porsche 911 930 Turbo, 911 Flat-Nose & Special 911 Models

Milion Dollar 1993 Porsche 964 Turbo Lightweight | Photo courtesy RM Sotheby's

Porsche 911 Turbo for Sale Pre-Sale Estimate Sale Price

1978 Porsche 930 3.4 Turbo RUF BTR $190-$240,000 $183,680

Red Metallic/black Bonham’s

1979 Porsche 930 Turbo No reserve/no estimate $117,700

Venetian Blue/red Barrett-Jackson

1979 Porsche 930 Turbo No reserve/no estimate $167,200

Guards Red/Cork Barrett-Jackson

1989 Porsche 930 3.3 Turbo $250-$300,000 No Sale

Linen Grey/Linen Bonham’s

1989 Porsche 930 Cabriolet $185-$215,000 $176,400

Grand Prix White/blue/blue top Bonham’s

1989 Porsche 911 Turbo Cab “Flat-Nose” $350-$450,000 $417,500

Triple black RM Sotheby’s

1993 Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight $1,000 - $1,300,000 $962,000

Speed Yellow/black RM Sotheby’s

1994 Porsche 964 911 3.6 Turbo No reserve/no estimate $286,000

Black/black Barrett-Jackson

1994 Porsche 911Turbo S Flat-Nose $800 - $1,000,000 $830,000

Speed Yellow/black RM Sotheby’s

1994 Porsche 964 Speedster $210-$250,000 $210,000

Guards Red/black Bonham's

1996 Porsche 993 911 Turbo No reserve/no estimate $269,500

Guards Red/black Barrett-Jackson

1996 Porsche 993 Turbo No reserve/no estimate $304,700

Polar Silver/black Barrett-Jackson

1997 Porsche 911 993 Turbo $260-$300,000 No Sale

Midnight Blue/blue Bonham’s

1997 Porsche 993 Turbo No reserve/no estimate $214,500

Arctic Silver/black Barrett-Jackson

1997 Porsche 993 911 Turbo S No reserve/no estimate $605,000

Black/black 1 of 176 Barrett-Jackson

1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S, $550-$650,000 $549,500

Ocean Blue Metallic/Cashmere RM Sotheby’s

If you would like more specifics on any of these Porsches, here are links to the catalog for each Auction House with full descriptions on the cars.

Barrett-Jackson – January 21-29, 2023 https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Docket/Scottsdale-2023/Collector-Cars/d01e72a4-8bcb-4cb6-811e-08543aa90e83/01-21-2023/01-29-2023

RM Sotheby’s – January 26, 2023 https://rmsothebys.com/en/home/lots/az23#?SortBy=Default&SearchTerm=porsche&Category=All%20Categories&IncludeWithdrawnLots&Auction=AZ23&OfferStatus=All%20Availability&AuctionYear=&Model=Model&Make=Make&FeaturedOnly=false&StillForSaleOnly=false&Collection=All%20Lots&TagLine=All%20Lots&WithoutReserveOnly=false&Day=All%20Days&TimedOnly=false&OneHubLinkOnly=false&AuctionedStatus=All%20Lots&page=1&pageSize=40

Bonhams – January 27, 2023 https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28009/the-scottsdale-auction/?query=porsche

Key Words: Scottsdale 2023 Auctions, Air-Cooled Porsches, Sales of Air-Cooled Porsches, Air-Cooled Porsche prices