Porsche 993 Turbo WLS 1

Through service book stamps and documentation, this Exclusive 911 Turbo X50 was sold by Porsche after Macht’s use, likely in 1999 to its first private owner located in Turin, Italy with at least 27,000 km on the odometer, and by 2001 it registered 40,099 km. By 2006 it was in France receiving service work at an independent Porsche specialist in Cannes at 47,568 km and again in 2013 with 50,523 km. Driven sparingly, later service book stamps show a return to Germany in 2013 with servicing at Early 911S and Porsche Zentrum Braunschweig. The consignor notes that in 2013 the engine was overhauled at a cost of over 20,000€ which is documented in the service book. Recently it returned to restorers Early 911S based in Wuppertal where the car received a thorough inspection with a paint meter chart showing mostly original paint and a cold engine compression test at 53,168 km. In May 2023 it had a service conducted that included an oil change and a brake fluid flush. Finally, it received a fresh set of Michelin Pilot Sport N3 tires.

An inventory of items included with this remarkable matching numbers Turbo includes a large group of original manuals including its service book, Touring Pass, and Motorola 2200 guide. The trunk contains a toolkit, air pump, and jack. As a German-market (C00) example, it also includes a medical kit. With a build specification that almost runs out of room on its option sticker, this 911 Turbo is certainly a uniquely specified example of an already superb sports car. Add its delivery to Porsche AG, ownership by future CEO Michael Macht, its X50 WLS I Works Power Increase specification, known service history, and a numbers-matching engine and transmission and it becomes a highly collectible 911 Turbo built by Porsche Exclusive at the top of their game and at the finale of the air-cooled era.

It is well-known that in the early 1990s Porsche was mired in a sales slump. Rescued by both the groundbreaking Boxster and the revamped 993-generation 911, Porsche was moving the right way again by the mid-1990s. For many in the Exclusive department, the 1990s signaled the end of an era. With the debut of the water-cooled 996-generation 911 at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show, the advent of just-in-time production, and symbiotic model lines, sales of the hand-built Porsche 911, in continuous production since 1964, were about to conclude. Throwing everything they had at their beloved air-cooled 911, the old-world craftsmen at Exclusive produced some of the most incredible 911s during this period. For those in the position to receive a company car, access to the Exclusive department and their genie-like ability to grant wishes while at the top of their game was akin to holding a magical brass lamp.

According to its Porsche Touring Pass booklet, this 1997 911 Turbo was delivered on a chilly day in Germany on 6 February 1997. Its first Vehicle Owner or Fahrzeughalter is stamped in that booklet as none other than Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft, better known as the Porsche factory. However, the service book — under a layer of white-out — indicates the first owner was Michael Macht, the head of Porsche Consulting who was just a year away from joining the executive board, later becoming the CEO of Porsche in 2009. It’s well-known that many of these company cars with expansive option lists feature prototype pieces, experimental colors, and new designs that were built to not only test the cars, but the craftsmen building them. Painted in the uncommon and optional shade of Ocean Blue Metallic, this 911 Turbo truly shines when the door is opened. The dominant theme is green, specifically, Nephrite Green named for the similarly green gemstone. Twelve separate “X-Code” options cover the interior in Nephrite Green leather including the steering column, headliner, door openers and sills (with Porsche script), sun visors, transmission tunnel, speaker covers, and door mirror adjusters among others. Naturally, before all of these Exclusive options were applied, the interior was already fully optioned in Nephrite Green and matching Nephrite Green carpeting. Green-tinted wood dashboard trim and partial wood and leather steering wheel, shifter, and handbrake are standout features likely to surprise those in the Porsche community who have seen it all. Furthermore this Exclusive Turbo features option code 617, better known as Motorola 2200 in-car mobile telephone, which was de rigueur for a Porsche executive like Macht to stay in communication with his team after a long day at the office on the way home from work.