Description
This is lot number 158 in the Bonhams Goodwood Revival Auction on September 7th, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Built to the first owner's unique specification by Porcshe's Sonderwunsch (Special Wishes) department
The last air-cooled 911 to leave the Zuffenhausen factory in period
Porsche letter of authentication (copy on file)
Only 11, 029 kilometres from new
Finished in Ocean Blue, chassis number '370750' rolled off the Zuffenhausen assembly line on 27th March 1998, some four days before the scheduled end of production. The final car off the line, completed on 31st of March '98, was a Mexico Blue Carrera 4S that was sold to comedian and Porsche collector Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld's, then, would appear to be the last air-cooled 911 ever made. However, '370750' had been ordered in 1997 by noted German author Clauss Vanderborg and was still at the factory, having just commenced what would turn out to be a near six-month stay in the Sonderwunsch (Special Wishes) department (now known as Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur). This car's completion date of 27th March 1998 is also the day when Ferry Porsche died at the age of 88. Vanderborg is understood to have been a friend of Ferry's, and he would go on to dedicate his car to the company's founder.
A wide-body coupé, Vanderborg's Turbo was already somewhat special before its arrival at Special Wishes. It was fitted with a 'WLS 2' uprated M64. 60 engine producing 450PS, the same maximum output as the contemporary Turbo S. The extensive options specified included a strut brace, twin-pipe exhausts, additional oil cooler, and 92-litre fuel tank, while the wheels and Brembo brake calipers were finished in matching Ocean Blue. Once in the Sonderwunsch department, the interior was fully trimmed in Night Blue leather, including switches, door latches, heater controls and even the instrument bezels, the dials being finished in a complementary shade of blue. This breathtaking bespoke interior is still in 'as new' condition today. The in-car telephone and the rear wiper were deleted, while affixed to the dashboard is a metal plaque, inscribed: 'In memoriam Prof Ferry Porsche' and a quote in German from the popular 1944 film Die Feuerzangenbowle (The Fire-tongs Bowl): "Only the memories we carry with us are real, the dreams we spin and the desires that drive us true. But with that we can be satisfied." The car also boasts sill covers bearing the inscription 'The Last Waltz', which is repeated on a sticker in the rear window.
Vanderborg took delivery of his unique Turbo - last Type 993 to leave the factory in period - on 5th September 1998 from Porsche Centre Altötting. Twenty years later Porsche would make the 'Project Gold' 993 Turbo from OEM parts, but that one-off was built for a charity auction and could not be road-registered, making 'The Last Waltz' the final true customer car to leave Zuffenhausen in the 'air-cooled' era. Altötting marked the occasion's significance with a secondary plaque of its own, fitted to the door reveal, reading: 'Clauss Vanderborg today received the last classic Porsche 911 (993 Turbo) with an air-cooled Boxer engine. The beat is yours forever!' 'The Last Waltz' also comes with a copy of Porsche's letter confirming that it is the last air-cooled 911 to leave the factory.
Less than a year later, Vanderborg sold the Porsche which was then exported to Japan, remaining there for the next 16 years. In 2015, 'The Last Waltz' was bought by Belgian dealers Nijsmans Classic Cars, who exhibited the Porsche in Europe for two years before selling it on. The car's next owner was based in the UK, and it is currently owned by an enthusiast in Belgium. Even now, some 26 years after 'The Last Waltz' was built, the odometer reading is only a little over 11, 000 kilometres.
The Last Waltz' has a valid UK NOVA certificate and also comes with a Belgian title having previously been registered in that country, so no taxes will be payable should the car go to the EU.
With its desirable power train, unique specification and historical significance, 'The Last Waltz' has to be one of the most collectible Porsches of all time.
