The Most Desirable Porsches

Over the years, Porsche has assembled some of the most coveted sports cars in the world. Built on the founding family's name, Porsche is now a multibillion-dollar corporation creating high-performance luxury cars known for their speed and style.  Here, internationally recognized Porsche historian Lee Raskinsifted through these amazing automobiles and choose some of the most desirable and rare Porsches ever made. Which are the most desirable Porsches? Click ahead to see Raskin's picks! Updated 15 February 2012

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo: Susann Miller Estimated Value: Priceless Units Built: 1 (hand built) Speed: Nearly 90 mph This is the first car (seen with Dr. Ferry Porsche at left, and his father, Professor Ferdinand Porsche) to bear the Porsche family name.  “The Porsche No. 1 was an aluminum-bodied, two-passenger roadster powered by a modified Volkswagen 1.1-liter engine," Raskin said.

Source/Photo: Lee Raskin Estimated Value: In excess of $500,000 Units Built: 151 Speed: 125 mph“Bruce ‘King Carrera’ Jennings was among one of the most successful Carrera GT Speedster race-car drivers in America, winning SCCA Championships during the early 1960s,” Raskin said.

Source/Photo: Lee Raskin Estimated Value: In excess of $1.5 million Units Built: 90 Speed: 130 mph“Porsche’s first true sports racing efforts came from the 550 Series in 1953, when it entered the 110-hp engine in the LeMans 24-hour endurance race," Raskin said. At LeMans, Porsche won its class and continued to enter and win at other European endurance races during 1954. According to Raskin, the author of “Porsche Speedster TYP 540 Quintessential Sports Car”and “James Dean: At Speed”,many 550 Spyders were sold to American sports-car racers, including actor James Dean. Dean was on his way to his first race at Salinas, Calif., when he was killed in a two-car crash on Sept. 30, 1955.

Source/Photo: Lee Raskin Estimated Value: In excess of $275,000 Units Built: Fewer than 200 Speed: 125 mph The 356 GT Coupe is the most recognized Porsche model for its aerodynamics, quality and superior handling on the road as well as its ability to win on the race track, according to Raskin. There were also several special Carrera GT coupes made for endurance racing, using lightweight aluminum bodies by Abarth.

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo: Susann Miller Estimated Value: In excess of $1 million Units Built: 100 Speed: 135 mph"Porsche became the 'Giant Killer' in international racing with Spyders," Raskin said. The new 904 was the first Porsche built of fiberglass. It was also "street able" with headlights, wipers and a trunk with a spare tire. It was a very unique design — many of these came to the United States to be raced successfully in the mid-1960s.

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo: The Legend/Neil Bruce Motoring Photo Library Estimated Value: $70,000Units Built: 6,250 Speed: 130 mph"The 911 was designed by Dr. Ferry Porsche's eldest son, Butzi," Raskin said.  It featured a very sleek aerodynamic steel body with a two-liter, 130-hp, six-cylinder Porsche engine coupled to a five-speed transmission.  According to Raskin, the most desirable 911S model featured a larger 160-hp engine.

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo: Michael Keyser Estimated Value: $3.5 million to $4 million (depending on the 917's racing history) Units Built: 65 Speed: 200-230 mph"The 917 is one of the most iconic sports racing cars of all time, largely for its high speeds, high power output and was made into a movie star by Steve McQueen in the 1971 film ‘LeMans,’" Raskin said.

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo: The Legend Jonathan Wood and Midland Motor Museum Estimated Value: $250,000 Units Built: 1,580 Speed: 150 mph After a seven-year absence, the name Carrera re-appeared on the Porsche 911 RS for 1973. The limited production RS (Rennsport) was intended for Group 4 GT Sports racing by reason of its lightweight body.  It has a 2.7-liter Carrera engine with 210 hp.

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo: Susann Miller Estimated Value: In excess of $1 million Units Built: Approximately 100 Speed: 180-200 mphThis model became the factory racing version of the 911 turbo prepared for the FIA Group 5 rules.  Later, the successor, 935, went on to win the 1979 LeMans Endurance Race overall, and other major endurance races, including Sebring, Daytona and the 1000-km Nürburgring.

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo: Susann Miller Estimated Value: $150,000 Units Built: Approximately 400 Speed: 155 mphThe 924 was the first front-engined, water-cooled, four-cylinder, 110-hp Porsche. The model, which was introduced in Europe in 1976 and North America in 1977, became an immediate entry-level success.  The 924 was superseded by an all-new 944 model in 1981, but continued to be produced for the U.K. and Europe. A new 924 S model was introduced in 1986 before being discontinued in 1988. “The 924, like its predecessor, the 914, was a very practical and good compromise, especially if you couldn’t afford the top of the line 911 models,” Raskin said.

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo:  Susann Miller Estimated Value: $50,000-$70,000 Units Built: Approximately 948Speed: 175 mphThe Porsche 930 “Flachbau” or “Slantnose” was a special order program that began in 1981, with a 935-style slant nose instead of the regular 911. Each “Slantnose” front end was handcrafted by remodeling the front fenders. The “Flachbau” vehicles were only delivered in Europe and usually featured the 330-hp high-performance kit. “Unofficially, less than 1,000 ‘Slantnose’ 930s were produced, making this very sleek vintage Porsche highly desirable,” Raskin said.

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo: The Legend Jonathan Wood and Dick Lovett, Ltd. Estimated Value: In excess of $1 million Units Built: 200Speed: 195 mph "This model was acclaimed as the most technologically advanced sports car of the 1980s," Raskin said. It was one of the first high-performance vehicles to use an all-wheel-drive system that provided the beginning for Porsche's first all-wheel Carrera 4 model.

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo: Steve Shap Estimated Value: $200,000 Units Built: 45 Speed: 185 mph "Porsche created a beautiful coupe...specifically built as a U.S. street-legal race car," Raskin said. The C2 Cup Car featured widened plastic fenders, and a speed-controlled, electronically operated rear wing. Of the 45 cars built, 44 were painted white and one was painted red.

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo: Frank Shap Estimated Value: $70,000-$90,000 Units Built: 500 for the 2008 GTS RSSpeed: 165 mph The 1997 Boxer was inspired by the lines of the 550 Porsche Spyder of the early 1950s. For the next decade, the 986 Boxster continued to see many design and engine changes, including an “S” model. In 2005, an all-new 987 model debuted, and in 2008 Porsche introduced two limited-edition Porsche Spyders as the GTS RS (Orange/Black) and the RS 60 Spyder (Silver/Red). In 2012, Porsche announced the 981 model Boxster.“The new Boxster and ‘S’ model…will become the new entry-level Porsches, with an MSRP of $49,500 and $60,900, respectively, before add-ons,” Raskin said.

Source: Lee Raskin | Photo: Abehn | Wikimedia Commons Estimated MSRP: Carrera and Carrera S $82,100- $108,000Units Built: Approximately 10,000 for 2012/2013Speed: Carrera 177 mph; Carrera S 187 mphThe all-new 991 Carrera and Carrera S are part of Porsche’s highly successful seventh-generation series. The 991 will have a 3.8-liter flat-six with direct-injection engine and has been raised to 400 hp for the Carrera S. Both models can come with either the standard or the world’s first seven-speed manual gearbox. “The new 991 models will become the ultimate choice for drivers who wish to enjoy all the excitement of what Porsche is about — power, performance and perfection,” Raskin said.