Rare Porsche 911 Speedster at Auction in Japan

I remember when these were first launched in the late 1980s. Basically a cut down 911 wide body emulating the classic 356 Speedster of an earlier era, the lack of dynamic improvement over the base 911 model meant these 911 Speedsters were seen as rather overpriced.

But they do have one particular strength — they were built in very low numbers (2,065 to be exact) — and were immediately recognized as a collecting opportunity, despite the high asking price of 100,000 USD in the US market.

This particular one has the added advantage of having only 4,200 miles on the odometer. It is a 1989 model, but imported into Japan in 1993, which does raise a small question mark over the mileage. However, the exceptional condition (grade 5 with A grade interior) and the fact that these were seen as collector’s items rather than daily drivers means that the low KM are quite realistic.

Here is the full translation:

“Interior A, first registered May 1993, Speedster model, 5-speed manual, odometer in miles, LHD, not known if gray or official import, 1989, seller claims it has 80 miles when imported, seats wrinkled, paint marks underneath vehicle, minor scratches and also dents, front windscreen stone scratches, marks as per map”

A similar vehicle with more KM, but also owned by Mrs. Roy Orbison, was auctioned for 198,000 USD in January 2015, so I wonder how much this will sell for?