1986 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera G50
1986 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera G50
By 1984, the Porsche 911 was already 21 years old. In automotive terms, that made it something of a pensioner, and there were plenty within Porsche who believed its days were numbered. The factory's attention had shifted towards the more modern 924, 944 and 928, with the 911 increasingly looking like an expensive distraction from the company's future.
Fortunately, not everyone agreed. A loyal army of 911 customers, a rather vocal dealer network and the support of new board member Helmuth Bott helped secure the car's future. Rather than consigning the old girl to history, Porsche decided to give her another lease of life. The result was the 3.2 Carrera, and arguably the finest development yet of the original 911 formula.
"Driving in its purest form" was how Porsche described its new Carrera in the sales brochure. It was a fairly bold claim, but one that's difficult to argue with. A 3,164cc air-cooled flat-six producing 231bhp and 284Nm of torque, driving the rear wheels through a manual gearbox, with no ABS, no power steering and precious little in the way of electronic intervention. There was nothing between you and the road other than a few mechanical components and a healthy spoonful of driver involvement.
The 3.2 engine was considerably more than just a larger version of the outgoing 3.0. Porsche claimed around 80% of its components were new, with Bosch Motronic engine management bringing improved fuelling, efficiency and drivability. The result was an engine that retained the unmistakable character of the air-cooled flat-six while offering considerably more performance and refinement.
With 231bhp, a claimed top speed of around 152mph and the ability to reach 60mph in a little over six seconds, the Carrera was no slouch either. More importantly, it delivered its performance in a way that encouraged you to use it. The sound of that flat-six working its way through the rev range is something quite special, and once you've experienced it, the appeal becomes rather obvious.
There are certain cars that establish an almost immediate bond with their keeper. The 3.2 Carrera is one of them. Much like a favourite watch, it becomes something you instinctively reach for. The more time you spend behind the wheel, the more familiar its character becomes, until driving anything else starts to feel a little disappointing.
There's a particular pleasure in looking through the windscreen, judging the road through those beautifully curved front wings and placing the car precisely where you want it. The steering communicates every little change in the road surface, while the engine sits just behind your shoulders, reminding you that this is no ordinary front-engined sports car.
Of course, that rear-engine layout comes with its own peculiarities. With the flat-six sitting behind the rear axle, the 911 has always required a slightly different approach to cornering. Get your weight transfer right, carry the appropriate speed and the car seems to pivot around you, the rear end providing an extraordinary amount of traction on the way out of a bend. Get it wrong, however, and it can become a rather expensive lesson in physics. The 911 rewards a sympathetic driver, and there's enormous satisfaction in learning to work with its unusual balance rather than against it.
For all its performance, the Carrera is also a remarkably usable car. There's a reason so many of these have covered enormous mileage. Porsche had managed to take a fundamentally old-fashioned sports car and turn it into something that could be driven every day. With proper maintenance, the 3.2 engine has proved extraordinarily durable, and mileages well into six-figures are hardly unusual.
Even the slightly eccentric switchgear arrangement and the rather optimistic attempt at providing air conditioning become part of the charm. You soon stop worrying about such things when you're sitting in what is, by any reasonable measure, a proper 1980s supercar.
By the 1987 model year, Porsche had introduced another important development: the G50 gearbox. Replacing the rather agricultural 915 transmission, the new Getrag built 5-speed featured improved synchromesh and a hydraulically operated clutch. It was a considerable improvement, offering a much cleaner, more precise shift and making the Carrera feel considerably more modern without sacrificing its mechanical character.
Our Carrera
Our example was built on 9th September 1986, making it one of the very earliest G50-equipped cars. It's a particularly interesting detail, as the transition to the G50 marked an important point in the 3.2's development. Porsche was continually refining the original 911, and the new gearbox was another reminder that there was still plenty of life left in the old design.
The Carrera was available as a Coupe, Targa and Cabriolet, and Porsche ultimately produced tens of thousands between 1984 and 1989. It was a successful formula, and for good reason. These weren't cars designed to spend their lives tucked away in heated garages. They were bought, driven and enjoyed. They went to work, did the shopping and now, on Italian road trips.
Today, the 3.2 has become one of the most desirable air-cooled 911s, but its appeal isn't simply down to rarity or collectability. It's the combination of performance, usability and character that makes it such a compelling machine.
For us, Guards Red over black leather is just about the perfect combination. It's quintessential 1980s Porsche, and there's something about seeing that familiar shape in such an unapologetically bold colour that never gets old. It looks fast standing still, and when moving through town, embodies the ‘yuppy’ aesthetic of the 1980s perfectly.
Our car was first registered as a demonstrator by Dingles Porsche in Colwyn Bay on 13th October 1986. Dingles retained it for just over three months before selling it to its second owner for £32,000. He clearly developed quite an attachment to the Carrera, keeping it for the next 22 years and covering some 75,000 miles along the way.
The history file is quite extraordinary. At around three inches thick, it contains invoices from throughout the car's pampered life, alongside original sales brochures, marketing material, owner's manuals and service books. It's the sort of history that makes you appreciate not only the car itself, but the people who have looked after it along the way.
The Carrera joined us in 2012 and, in many ways, marked the beginning of what would become a rather sizable and ever-growing Porsche collection. Since then, it has continued to receive regular servicing and maintenance, although we have made one fairly significant cosmetic change.
The original whale tail, so synonymous with 1980s 911s, was replaced with a more understated engine lid. There's no denying that the large rear spoiler is an iconic part of the 3.2's identity, but we rather like the cleaner appearance of the car without it. The silhouette becomes that little bit more elegant, and the familiar shape of the original 911 gets to do the talking. Besides, there's something rather nice about having a little variety in a collection.
It's also worth remembering just how remarkable the 3.2 Carrera is when viewed in the context of Porsche's history. By the mid-1980s, the company had spent two decades refining a design that many had considered outdated. The body was familiar, the engine remained air-cooled and the fundamental layout was unchanged, yet the car had become a remarkably sophisticated piece of engineering. Rather than abandoning the original concept, Porsche simply kept making it better.
There's a lesson in there somewhere.
For us, the 3.2 Carrera sits comfortably alongside the BMW E30 M3 as one of our favourite cars of the 1980s. Both represent a particularly special period in motoring, when manufacturers were producing wonderfully focused driver's cars without the need for enormous power outputs or complicated electronic systems.
We still enjoy taking the Carrera out for a blast along the lanes surrounding Hero Motor Company HQ. It never needs an excuse, and it never fails to put a smile on our faces. There are faster cars, newer cars and undoubtedly more sophisticated cars in the collection, but very few offer quite the same connection between driver and machine.
Our Thoughts
Some cars are bought to be admired. Others are bought to be driven.
The 3.2 Carrera is firmly in the latter camp, and long may that continue.
This one's staying.
1986 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera G50
1986 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera G50