Good Morning! And welcome to October’s edition of SML. I’ve made a few updates to the dashboard that lists cars sold for the month, adding 4-doors for October. You can check out the monthly dashboard listing most of the cars to cross the block HERE. Next month I should have Custom Porsches sorted out. |
Thank you as always for reading and please keep the feedback coming. |
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THE MARKET - OCTOBER |
If September felt a little softer, October confirmed it wasn't just a post-summer hangover. A total of 862 Porsches crossed the block, the most we've seen in a single month outside of August and Monterey Car Week, and dollar volume climbed to $64,585,968. Bidders didn't keep pace. The sell-through rate slipped to 69%, down from 72% in September and 70% in October of last year, and the lowest figure we've recorded since January 2025. |
That's not to say buyers disappeared. More Porsches actually found new homes this October than last, with 599 sales compared to roughly 550 a year ago. The problem is the market grew faster than the appetite for it. Seventy-seven more cars came to market year over year, and bidders got choosier about which ones they'd take home. The median sale price dipped from $59,000 in September to $56,999, and while a $4,015,200 Carrera GT and a $3,050,000 1981 911 by RUF pushed dollar volume up more than $12 million year over year, take those two away and the average sale actually fell month over month. The top of the market is still writing big checks. The middle is starting to feel the weight of all that supply. |
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TOP 10 SALES |
2005 Porsche Carrera GT $4,015,200 duPont Registry Live
1981 Porsche 911 Coupe by RUF $3,050,000 Bring a Trailer
1990 Porsche 911 Coupe by Singer $863,000 Bring a Trailer
2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS Weissach $800,000 Bring a Trailer
2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS Weissach $725,000 Bring a Trailer
2025 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Manthey $659,500 Bring a Trailer
1993 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 $602,500 Bring a Trailer
2008 Porsche 911 GT3 RS $600,666 Bring a Trailer
2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic $590,000 Broad Arrow Auctions
2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Modified $575,000 Bring a Trailer
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Sell your Porsche without the drama. |
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When it was time to sell my beloved C4S, I had all the options available to me. I could have listed it privately, but I didn’t want to deal with weeks of inquiries from buyers who needed financing, lowballers (I know what I got!), or tire-kickers coming to my house. I could have gone the auction route, and I’m well versed there, of course, but I just didn’t have the time to properly list the car or manage the process. I’ve got writing to do. |
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SUPERCAR, MODIFIED, & RACE CAR |
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PHOTO CREDIT: BRING A TRAILER |
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The second-biggest sale of the month didn’t come from a Porsche showroom, at least not entirely. A 1981 911 Carrera converted to RUF CTR specification sold on Bring a Trailer for $3,050,000. Finished in Grand Prix White over Black and Pepita and showing 34,175 miles, the widebody started life as a European-market Porsche rather than a RUF-built car wearing a W09 VIN. Over the past two years, the best Porsche-VIN RUF-modified car to sell was a RCT Evo-specification 1991 911 Carrera at $661,500. This one brought more than four and a half times that, putting it squarely in genuine RUF territory. It sold for more than the $2,645,000 paid for a W09 RUF CTR2 last year and came within $90,000 of the $3,140,000 a 2021 CTR Anniversary brought at Pebble Beach. It still fell well short of the real thing, though. Genuine 1989 CTRs sold for between $4,295,000 and $6,055,000 in 2025, a reminder that the W09 VIN still carries a significant premium. |
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991 & 992 |
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PHOTO CREDIT: BROAD ARROW AUCTIONS |
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The 991 and 992 market cooled considerably in October, with just 54.8% of cars finding new homes. The biggest surprise came from the GT2 RS. After eight of nine examples sold in September, ten more crossed the block in October, and only two found buyers. Sub-1,000-mile examples had been comfortably clearing $800,000 as of late, but this month even the low-mileage cars struggled. A 799-mile 2018 911 GT2 RS Weissach finished in Paint-to-Sample Mexico Blue sold right at $800,000, while a 760-mile 2019 example in Chalk failed to sell at $702,000. With just 39 miles separating the two, it's hard not to credit the Paint-to-Sample finish for the difference. Three more GT2 RSs drew bids between $750,000 and $770,000 and still went home unsold. |
The 911 Sport Classic followed a similar script. A month after a pair sold for $700,000 apiece, five examples came to market. Three sold, but at $590,000, $551,000 and $447,000, while two others failed to sell at $680,000 and $586,000. When the results are strong, sellers notice, and in both cases the rush to market seems to have outpaced the buyers waiting for them. |
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996 & 997 |
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PHOTO CREDIT: BRING A TRAILER |
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The 996 and 997 market held up better than most in October, with 158 examples crossing the block and 72.2% finding new homes. The 997s stole the show. After bringing big bids but failing to sell in September, the GT3 RS turned things around in a big way: all four examples on offer sold, including a pair of 2011s at $550,000 and $501,000. Leading the group was a Pure Orange 2008 911 GT3 RS with 8,000 miles that sold for $600,666, a new twenty-four-month high. The previous high of $498,000 was set in March 2025 by a Green example with just 868 miles. Beating that mark by more than $100,000 with roughly nine times the mileage says a lot about where this market is headed. |
The 997 GT2 also set a new twenty-four-month high. A Black 2008 911 GT2 with 26,000 miles sold for $502,008. That's just $3,008 above the previous high of $499,000, but it's worth noting that car had only 4,800 miles when it sold in December 2025. Buyers clearly aren't shying away from miles when the car is right. |
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BOXSTER & CAYMAN |
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PHOTO CREDIT: BRING A TRAILER |
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Boxsters and Caymans couldn't match September's pace, though they had a lot more company. A total of 134 examples crossed the block, up from 94 in September, and the sell-through rate slipped from 80.9% to 76.1%. Still, the best examples kept setting records. Topping the market was a Paint-to-Sample 2025 718 Cayman GT4 RS Weissach with 4,800 miles that sold for $239,718, a new twelve-month high. The GT4 RS struggled for much of the year, but it's looking strong heading into the final months of 2026, having now set new highs in back-to-back months. The previous mark of $221,000 was set just last month by a 163-mile Weissach car that lacked the Paint-to-Sample finish. |
The 981 Boxster Spyder also set a new twelve-month high for the second straight month. A 2016 example with 18,000 miles sold for $142,000, eclipsing September's high of $125,981 for a 13,800-mile car by more than $16,000. |
Older Boxsters looked strong as well. 986s posted an 85.7% sell-through rate and a new high for the Boxster S. A 2004 Boxster S with 20,000 miles, finished in Paint-to-Sample Beige Non-Metallic over a Boxster Red interior, sold for $40,486, and it did so with an automatic transmission. Color certainly carried this one, and I loved it. |
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964 & 993 |
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PHOTO CREDIT: BRING A TRAILER |
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The 964 and 993 market moved in the opposite direction of the broader market in October. Sixty-three examples crossed the block, and 76.2% found new homes. Leading the charge were the Turbos. Fifteen came to market, nearly double September's total, and eleven sold. If there was ever a test of whether more supply would sink prices, this was it, and the Turbos passed. |
The 964 Turbo 3.6s were par for the course, with a 1993 bringing $602,500 and a 1994 selling for $450,000, both in line with what we've seen over the last few months. On the 993 side, seven Turbos sold for between $188,000 and $388,993, but the one that caught my eye was a 1997 911 Turbo WLS1 that sold at Broad Arrow's Audrain Concours auction for $370,000. The factory WLS1 power upgrade usually commands a premium, yet this one sold right in line with standard 993 Turbos as of late, and below a standard car that brought $388,993 on Bring a Trailer this same month. It certainly looks like someone got a deal. |
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G-BODY & 930 |
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PHOTO CREDIT: BRING A TRAILER |
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The G-Body and 930 market cooled in October. Sixty-two examples crossed the block, and the sell-through rate dipped to 67.7%, down from 70.8% in September. Unlike the GT2 RS, this wasn't a case of too many cars chasing too few buyers. Fewer examples came to market than in September, yet fewer sold, and the median sale price fell from $94,000 to $73,750. The Turbos, which dominated the top of this market in September, saw just seven of twelve examples sell. |
The very best cars still found buyers. Topping the market was a Guards Red over Black 1986 911 Turbo Coupe with 13,000 miles that sold for $310,000, nearly identical to September's top sale of $311,000 for a 14,000-mile 1986 Turbo Coupe. Close behind was a 1988 911 Turbo Cabriolet M505, also in Guards Red over Black, that sold for $290,000 with 32,000 miles. That's the second-highest sale for an M505 Cabriolet in the past twelve months, trailing only a 27,000-mile Black example. |
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CLASSIC 911 & 356 |
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PHOTO CREDIT: BRING A TRAILER |
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The 356 market had a rough October. Just five of the seventeen examples on offer found new homes, a 29.4% sell-through rate and the weakest of any segment this month. Topping the sales was a 1959 356A Convertible D that brought $176,000. Originally finished in Ruby Red and later repainted Ivory over Red leather, the car was refurbished in the late 1990s and reportedly earned a First in Class award at the 2023 Niello Concours at Serrano shortly after the current owner acquired it. |
The most notable result came from a 1959 356A Carrera 1600 GS Coupe. Fitted with a replacement engine but treated to plenty of service in 2025 and 2026, it stalled at $292,500 on the block before selling afterward for an undisclosed sum. Further down the list, bidders were far less willing to stretch. A pair of 1958 356A Speedsters failed to sell at $185,000 and $162,000, while a 1961 356B Roadster went unsold at $161,356. |
The Classic 911 market saw nearly twice as many cars come to market in October, but bidders didn't follow. Eighteen examples crossed the block, up from ten in September, and the sell-through rate slipped to 55.6%. Topping the group was a 1971 911S Coupe finished in Light Ivory with 57,200 miles that sold for $196,880 through Hagerty. The car had extensive work performed in preparation for the sale, and it showed in the result, beating September's top Classic 911 sale by more than $24,000. |
The more telling result came from a pair of 1973 911E Coupes. A Sepia Brown over Brown example with 72,000 miles sold for $140,000, while a Beige Grey over Black car with 95,000 miles failed to sell at $135,000. The Brown car was no stranger to the auction block. It first went unsold in June 2021 at $142,000, then again that October at $128,000. Five years later, it finally found a new home for $2,000 less than its first bid. For a car that's been waiting since 2021, that's a tough pill to swallow, and a reminder that not every corner of the Porsche market has kept climbing. |
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NOVEMBER AUCTIONS |
Mecum Las Vegas - November 12th-14th Gooding Christie’s Retromobile New York - November 20th-21st |
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*Prices in Red denote a high bid and no sale. All prices are high bids and do not include the buyer’s premium unless otherwise noted by a (*). Cars listed include those offered on US online auction websites and at US in-person auctions. Unless noted, 12-month averages, lows, and highs are from online sales from Bring a Trailer, Cars & Bids, and PCARMARKET. |
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