Porsche ’40 Jahre’ 911 ‘Best Sports Car Bargain’ Around
One of our friends at Rennlist brought home a rare-yet-overlooked 911. Find out what makes this one a diamond in the rough.
What’s your favorite Porsche? Is it a classic, like a ’73 911 Carrera RS? Or perhaps a trailblazer, like the Taycan? There’s definitely something from Stuttgart for any Porsche fan. Unless, of course, you speak of the 996-era 911. While it has its fans, it has more detractors than any other 911 before or since.
Thus, a few diamonds in the rough wind up overlooked. One of our friends over at Rennlist, Joe Kucinski, discovered such a gem recently, in the form of the “40 Jahre” 911. What makes it special? Read along.
“The 40th Anniversary Edition 911 is a car that even I barely remember,” Kucinski wrote. “It got lost in the whole, ‘other than the Turbo and GT cars, all 996’s are crap’ dialog. It is a shame because I think the 40AE may just be the best Porsche to buy right now.”
It’s also one of the rarest, as 1,963 were ever made, 800 of which exported to the United States. Even with the “911 40 Jahre” badge on the back, its polarizing appearance would be enough for most to move along. Turns out, though, they’d be missing out on a lot more.
For starters, the Porsche wears the same GT Silver Metallic as the 996-era Carrera GT did. A set of 18-inch polished wheels complement the paint, while natural gray leather with aluminum trim pull it all together.
Out back, even more surprises await. A special package boosts the output of the flat-six, but that’s all you’ll need for a driver’s car, especially one you can daily and enjoy on the track.
Back in the day, those in the know could bring home a “40 Jahre” 911 for $90,000 ($125,000 in 2020 dollars). Kucinski, though, paid “a smidge more” outside of the $35,000 – $45,000 range for his low-mileage example, which is still a good deal, all things considered.
It also lives up to his proclamation that this Porsche is the “best sports car bargain” around. After all, you needn’t always knock yourself out in the pursuit of driving excitement. Why not head over to Rennlist now to read all about this special ride. You won’t regret it.
Photos by Joe Kucinski for 6SpeedOnline
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