Lee Sibley
Poole, UK
9WERKS Radio
Model 996.1 CARRERAYear 1998Acquired JANUARY 2019
Model 996 40 JAHRE
Year 2003
Acquired APRIL 2023
This month, I’m thrilled to declare an addition to the Sibley stable! Please say hello to my new (to me) ‘40 Jahre’ Anniversary 911. How did we get here?
I’ve basically spent everybody else’s money over the past 11 years of working as a journalist in the Porsche industry, advising on which cars to buy, the best options to plump for, opining on whether owners should stick or twist (if they ask) and so on. At the start of the year, I felt it was time to dust my wallet off again, this time to buy a car that I hoped will look after me in the future. But with a budget of up to £50k, which Porsche would be the most collectible, I wondered?
Naturally, I dived head-first into the 9WERKS Marketplace, the home of quality – and warrantied – used Porsche for sale only from reputable specialists. Having set this initiative up back in 2021 alongside some of the most renowned names in the industry, I was excited by the prospect of putting my money where my mouth is, because I’d seen the calibre of Porsche uploaded and sold via the Marketplace in the 18 months since.
At this point I must confess I did look at a Cayman R and 987 Spyder (sorry, readers!) but, as one industry expert advised, these cars will always have a glass ceiling in terms of how far their values will rise, which is largely dictated by the 911 market. With a 911 purchase, however, the sky’s the limit!
So, with my £50k budget, which 911 is the most collectible? I believe the resounding answer is the ‘40 Jahre’ 911. It’s a genuine special edition with a numbered production run – crucial for the purposes of collectibility. The spec is unique, too: it’s manual, RWD, with a Powerkit, M030 Sports suspension and a mechanical limited slip differential. The driver’s spec 911, then, preceding the era of Porsche GTS models. Oh, and its GT Silver paintwork was, at the time of its launch, otherwise reserved for the mighty Carrera GT.
The example I bought, number 0743 of 1,963 produced (to mark 40 years of 911 production, no less), came from Paragon Porsche, which was special for two reasons. The first is that, in my opinion, Paragon is unrivalled for its car preparation – the team really is the best of the best. Such is my faith in Paragon, I bought the car blind – and there’s a fantastic video on my 9WERKS TV YouTube channel showing the hours of prep that went into the ‘40 Jahre’ prior to collection, which underlines why I had such confidence to make that purchase in such a manner. Do check it out.
The second reason is that I’ve genuinely aspired to buy a car from Paragon for 10 years, and have constantly reminded Mark, Jamie and Jason of that fact. The day arrived in early spring 2023 – and, seeing as a pleasure shared is a pleasure doubled, I invited members of the 9WERKS Driven (not Hidden) Collective along to take part in this special collection.
I’ll report next month on the car itself and my first impressions, but wanted to say a massive thank you to Mark, Jamie and Jason for the most special day collecting my new 911. I’m astounded by the quality and condition of of the car going through the workshop and detailing bay, prior to pick-up day. It made the process so exciting, which is all it should be. The car looked so good, sitting in that showroom, that I almost didn’t want to drive it away!
