A few days ago, my wife and I were out for a walk. As we headed down my town’s portion of the Lincoln Highway, we saw a glorious Iris Blue Metallic Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with a dark blue top and blue leather seats. I, of course, neglected to take a picture.
“Driving in its most beautiful form.”
Not much was changed for 1985 for Porsche’s 911 Carrera Cabriolet—the fuel tank size increased from 21.1 to 22.5 gallons, and the pricey “Turbo Look” optional body style was extended from the coupe to the Targa and Cabriolet models. The Cabriolet entered its third year, having debuted in the final year of the 911 SC generation.
The Carrera continued with the 200 bhp 3.2 liter/193 ci flat six with Bosch Motronic fuel injection that had debuted in 1984. With the standard Getrag five-speed manual transmission, 0-60 mph came in about 6.3 seconds, with a claimed top speed of 146 mph in the 2,750 pound Carrera (the 2020 911 Carrera Cabriolet is over 3,500 pounds). Fuel mileage was 17 city/25 highway by the standards of the day (15/23 by today’s standards) with premium gas. With a 22.5-gallon gas tank, a 911 Carrera’s proud new owner could expect a range of between 385 and 425 miles.
For the 911 Carrera Cabriolet’s $36,450 base price (about $88,800 in 2020 dollars), exterior and mechanical equipment included tinted glass, halogen headlights, fog lights, and power four-wheel vented disc brakes. The front 185/70VR15 tires sat on 15 x 6 inch pressure-cast light alloy wheels, while the rear 215/60VR15 tires sat 15 x 7 inch pressure-cast light alloy wheels (Pirelli still makes these tires sizes). Inside, heated power mirrors, power windows, air conditioning, and reclining bucket seats were all standard. A stereo was not included—Porsche evidently assumed that 911 buyers had their own ideas about what should be in that part of the dash—and Crutchfield still provides. Stuttgart did deign to provide four “high-quality” speakers, a fader control, interference suppression, and a power antenna.
Exterior and mechanical options for the Cabriolet included a color-coordinated tonneau cover, a limited slip differential ($595), front and rear spoilers, and 16-inch forged alloy wheels (6 inches wide in the front, 7 inches wide in the back—and setting the buyer back $1,580). Inside, options included automatic cruise control ($320), power door locks ($250), a passenger power seat ($380), an alarm system ($200), and a Blaupunkt Monterey digital cassette radio ($625).
It’s little surprise that 911 Cabriolets from the 1980s have held their values quite well. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet in #1/Concours condition is $62,000, with a more normal #3/Good condition car going for $31,000.
Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolets have (of course) excellent club support from many sources and are often available in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds and at auction. As I write this post, an India Red 1986 Cabriolet with black bucket seats and 61,000 miles is for sale on Hemmings for $44,500.
Make mine the exact same color scheme we saw a few days ago, please. I have previously written about the 1987 Carrera coupe.
Eighties Cars 