Diego Maradona’s Porsche 911 Convertible

In later years, “The Hand of God” not only had a relaxed relationship with drugs, but also a heavy foot on the gas: During his time in Seville, Diego Maradona drove at 180 km / h through a red light in the city center. The murder vehicle, a Porsche 911 convertible, is now for sale. Maradona had bought the 964 new and had used it for training sessions.

Maradona’s turbo-look convertible

Maradona had ordered his 964 Cabriolet with a factory turbo look – a version that was only built 720 times. The car was delivered in November 1992. On September 25, 1993 he gave it up again. In just under a year the Porsche had run 7,500 kilometers. In total, the convertible changed country twice and owner five times. Today the speedometer is 122,762 kilometers. The checkbook is regularly stamped, the history is documented. The paintwork and rubber seals were renewed in 2016. According to the Bonhams auction house, the last service was recently carried out by the Porsche Center Bonn.

Porsche had built the Turbo-Look Carrera 2 Convertible in 1992 and 1993 and did not leave it at the wider track: the braking system and chassis also come from the 911 Turbo. The rear track – and thus also the body – is 12 centimeters wider. The wheels are larger than on the Carrera models – 17 instead of 16 inches in diameter – and the equipment is better: full leather trim, electrically adjustable and heated seats, air conditioning, radio and on-board computer were standard. The price for this was steep: a WTL convertible cost 173,870 marks. The price for a Carrera 2 convertible was 118,000 marks. You can find narrow and wide Porsche 964s in Motor Klassik’s marketplace.

Record price: sold for 483,000 euros

A Porsche 911 Cabrio with around 120,000 kilometers in the rare factory turbo look – and also from a prominent previous owner – that turns out to be six figures. Classic Analytics listed a Carrera 2 Cabrio WTL in neat condition (2) at 92,000 euros. Without the factory turbo look, a Carrera 2 convertible from the same year of construction costs around 60,000 euros. The surcharge for the rare variant with a wide rear track and turbo braking system is therefore considerable. Bonhams had once again set the estimated value significantly higher: Diego Maradona’s Porsche was supposed to bring 150,000 to 200,000 euros. It was auctioned online on March 10, 2021 during the “Les Grand Marques du Monde à Paris” auction. The estimate was far exceeded: at 483,000 euros including fees, one bidder was awarded the contract. This makes Maradona’s 911 the most expensive 964 convertible in the world.

Conclusion

Porsche 911s in the factory turbo look are expensive, wanted – and a matter of taste. Typically Porsche, however, is that there is also technical substance in the broad cheeks. If you want the macho look, you pay heavily on it. That was certainly not a problem for Maradona at the time, who made a lot of money in Seville. Bonhams’ prediction that Maradona would double the value of this rare Porsche as the first owner did not come true – the value was five times as high. A 964 convertible has never been auctioned at such a high price.