THE VALUES STORY
In Britain, the SC retailed at £16,732 for both Coupe and Targa versions in December 1980, the mid-point of its career – perhaps £65,000 at 2022 prices. Depreciation didn’t become significant until the arrival of the Carrera 3.2 in 1984, and by the time the 993 arrived a decade later, the SC was becoming the forgotten 911. Yet unlike the less numerous pre-1973 cars that had largely disappeared, the SC soldiered on despite, in many cases, abject lack of maintenance. By the turn of the century, Exchange & Mart – the forum for specialist cars before the internet – was advertising basket cases for a few thousand pounds; a reputable specialist such as Paul Stephens would have offered reasonable if well-used SCs for £7,995.
The tide turned in the mid-2000s. First, much older 993s were commanding better prices than 996s and then the hitherto less-popular 964 was sucked into the upward spiral. As the 3.2 followed, inevitably the ‘bargain-basement’ SC would join the fray, with its resale potential now affording enough margin to justify the (at least partial) restoration that the vast majority of them needed.
