A 1981 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe that became the subject of an award winning restoration effort in 2014 is expected to fetch as much as £145,000 when it crosses the block at Silverstone Auctions’ 29-30 July sale.
The car began its life in the UK after being purchased new from JCT600, but eventually fell into disrepair. Many years later the same firm discovered the Porsche festering in a disused garage in Leed – where it had been hidden for 15 years – prior to buying the car and entering it into a nationwide restoration competition. Pitted against other Porsche centres from around the country, the finished car scooped both ‘Porsche Cars GB Employee’s Choice’ and ‘Best Mechanical Restoration’ accolades, as well as coming third in the body repair category.
“We were really excited to pit our specialist restoration skills against Porsche Centres throughout the UK and it is a real honour to have taken two first places in this prestigious competition,” said workshop controller Ben Pedley. “The team at the JCT600 body clinic in Bradford was able to strip back the bodyshell to bare metal while we got to work on stripping the engine, gearbox and all the running gear prior to a complete rebuild. Every part was inspected, refurbished, repaired or replaced if necessary.
Finished in Guards Red, the 911 remains in immaculate condition. As many of the original parts – such as the aluminium crank cases and rocker covers – were retained, but some parts, including the turbocharger and wastegate, were beyond repair and replaced with new parts.
“We’re not allowed to use the terms ‘as new’, ‘like new’, or ‘better than new’, but this car is absolutely exceptional, said Silverstone Auctions’ Arwel Richards. “It’s a real credit to the restoration team and truly worth of the accolades it’s received.”
