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Weekly Motor Fix: air-cooled madness

4 April, 2016

I’m not the first, and certainly won’t be the last, to make a song and dance about the price of air-cooled Turbo Porsches, but something extraordinary has just happened.

Yesterday, I searched 911 Turbos for sale in New Zealand by highest price. Sitting atop this list was a very tidy-looking 1997 993 911 Turbo listed earlier that day — for $299,990.

Yep, $300,000 for a 19-year-old car. Next car down, for the same price, was a 2013 991 Turbo S. Faster, newer, and, quite simply, better.

I logged back on this morning just to make sure my eyes didn’t deceive me, but the car was gone — no longer listed. Maybe I’d dreamt that the asking price of these fabled air-cooled Porshes had popped up to this simply ridiculous level? Luckily, I’d taken a screenshot of the listing to post on Facebook.

Check out the comments in the post we published on New Zealand Classic Car‘s Facebook page here: 

Ummm, wow.

So I figured the dealer must have made a mistake and listed the car for $150,000 too much. I scrolled down through cheaper cars until I hit a purple Boxster trying to convince people it had something in common with a 911 Turbo. Still nothing.

So I called the dealer. The. Car. Had. Sold. For very close to asking price, within 12 hours of being listed.

I’m off to have a lie down.

A diamond in the rough

24 June, 2025

Two years ago, Lew finished a thorough restoration and the impressive ute has taken on a new life and colour. Lew plays down the amount of effort required but, despite his protestations, I suspect he put a lot of time into the project. A few unwanted tenants were evicted along the way.
“It didn’t take me long. There had been mice living in the firewall, which had caused a bit of damage. It apparently broke down and was pushed into a shed. It was 20 years to the day when I pulled it out and it sat in my other shed for 3 years before I started on it. That’s why it’s in such good order — it’s been kept in a shed for so long and still is.”

NZ Classic Car magazine, July August 2025 issue 400, on sale now

15 June, 2025

Good for the soul, a dose of Hemi Orange – Chrysler’s champion Charger
The Australian-developed Chrysler Charger was a game changer for the company in 1971, as it faced a faltering start introducing its new VH range. The stylish big coupe signalled a massive change of direction and emphasis for Chrysler.
Auckland racing driver Rod Coppins raced successfully in Australia and New Zealand. Rod found success behind the wheel of a couple of Chargers, and it is a special E49 R/T in the custody of Mike Todd for some years, that is our feature car.
A full restoration of this car has been completed at Auto Restorations (AR) in Christchurch. We recently sampled the car, ready to be shipped back to Mike and spoke to AR’s Harry Dawber, leading the team who completed the superb restoration of this rare piece of NZ motor racing history.
I mentioned that Chrysler Chargers were never built to this standard as we walked around the gleaming Charger in its Hemi Orange colour scheme.
“We took a lot of time getting those shut lines exactly right. It’s been a great car to work on, and the paint and trim have been very well done by the team here.”