Look, we’re aware we write about second-hand examples of the Porsche 911 quite a lot. But with so many incredible derivatives of the evergreen sports car over the last 62 years (and counting), it’s hard not to show some love when a particularly unusual one comes up.
Take this 1989 911 Turbo LE that’s up for auction with Collecting Cars right now. What’s a Turbo LE, we hear you ask? Well, it’s a rare UK-market special edition that takes the original 930 Turbo – a car that already comes with a bit of a reputation attached, to put it mildly – and gives it a bit… more. Of everything.
Porsche 911 Turbo LE – rear
Said moreness comes principally from giving it an uprated engine that was usually a special-order option. This saw the fitment of a bigger, boostier turbocharger, a new intercooler, and high-lift cams to the Turbo’s 3.3-litre flat-six.
The upgrade, which also involved fitting the car with a quartet of tailpipes, upped power from 296 to 325bhp. Being based on the final model year 930 meant the LE got a five-speed gearbox too, rather than the four-speed the Turbo had used since it was introduced in 1975.
Porsche 911 Turbo LE – interior
The LE got a more extravagant look to match its extra shove, too. It featured a deeper chin spoiler, a pair of straked air intakes just ahead of the rear wheels, and a set of body-coloured Fuchs alloys (which, on this silver example, don’t look too wild).
On the inside, Porsche GB clearly knew the 930 was popular with the new-money yuppies prowling around London’s financial district in the late ’80s, because the LE got gold-coloured Porsche crests on the steering wheel and gear knob, plus a gold plaque confirming that what you had wasn’t any old 930. This particular example has black leather topped off with red piping, presumably specced to match the original owner’s favourite pair of braces.
Porsche 911 Turbo LE – interior detail
One of just 53 LEs produced, it’s covered 80,885 miles from new. That doesn’t tell the whole story though, because in September 2024 it had a full engine rebuild. With a week to go on the auction, the highest bid as we write this is £30,250. We’re only three bids in, though, so we suspect that number to get a lot higher over the next seven days.
