Estimated Price: £350,000 - £400,000

At the 1973 Paris motor show, Porsche unveiled a prototype turbocharged 911, the ‘Type 930’. By utilising a Kühnle, Kopp and Kausch (KKK) turbocharger, the 930 was the most powerful production Porsche thus far and, suddenly, the 911 was a supercar.

The production-ready 911 Turbo was shown at the Paris show in autumn 1974 and, not surprisingly in an era when turbocharging was seen as rather exotic, it captivated the world's motoring press. Rightly, it was billed as a supremely fast and luxurious flagship model, combining ballistic performance and head-turning looks with air conditioning, electric windows and other creature comforts.

Anyone who followed the ‘World Championship of Makes’ will remember their surprise at the shape of the new 935 when it first appeared at Mugello in March 1976. Subsequently, these ‘Flat Nose’ 935s and 936s (in Group 6) were to prove very competitive in the hands of Ickx, Mass and Stommelen and during the next two seasons managed four victories in eight World Championship races and a triumph at Le Mans in each year.  However, Porsche began to worry that all these high-profile victories by the works Flat Nose cars - most famously the ‘Moby Dick’ 935 - might alienate the vast number of private clients who were investing their own money in conventionally shaped competition 911s, hence decided to restrict their efforts for 1978 to an entry at Le Mans.  

However, the distinctive look of the Flat Nose or Flachbau (literally translated as Low Build) struck a chord in the minds of their road car customers. This demand was initially catered for by Kremer Racing who offered a conversion but subsequently this service was taken up by the factory's own Customer Department or Sonderwunsch (special request) from 1981, becoming an official option only in 1986. The front wings were steel, incorporating cooling vents and pop-up headlamps while the rears had extra cooling intakes. There were different sills and along with the body modifications came an even more luxurious interior. The SE Flachbau was a fully bespoke, hand-built option for the 1980's Porsche buyer, offered with the mighty 330bhp Turbo S engine, and was over twice as expensive as a standard 930 Turbo when new.

The car presented here is a C16/UK-market 1986 Porsche 911 (930) SE Flachbau (#WP0ZZZ93ZGS000437) and is considered one of the most significant and important Sonderwunsch-era Porsches. Not only is it one of just 50, right-hand drive factory-built models, but its unique ownership history and association mean it is regarded as one of two of the most prominent factory-commissioned Flachbau cars, the other being the legendary road-legal 1983 Porsche Type 930/935 Turbo Coupé, with 935-type bodywork and a tuned 375bhp engine, specially ordered and commissioned by Saudi businessman and TAG Group CEO, Mansour Ojjeh.

The specific association is evident when you understand that #WP0ZZZ93ZGS000437 was specially commissioned and ordered new for Ron Dennis, the British businessman and motorsport executive who, from 1981 to 2009, served as team principal, CEO and co-owner of McLaren in Formula One, winning seven World Constructors’ Championships between 1984 and 1998 and was also the founder, chairman and owner of McLaren Group between 1985 and 2017.

Mansour Ojjeh and Ron Dennis met in 1981, becoming friends and business partners, with Dennis persuading Ojjeh to help manage the McLaren racing team; Ojjeh agreed terms with Dennis and became the majority stakeholder for McLaren Group, owning a 60% stake in the company. During the 1980s, Ojjeh invested in Porsche-built turbocharged engines which carried the name of his company, TAG. It comes as no surprise then that two such prominent motorsport figures, with a special relationship with Porsche, could order two extraordinary road cars.

#WP0ZZZ93ZGS000437 was ordered in 1986, in arguably the best colour for a 930, Guards Red, when Dennis and his McLaren team has just recorded back-to-back Formula 1 Driver and Constructor titles in the two seasons prior. Porsche delivered Dennis’ Flachbau straight to the McLaren Formula One factory, having ensured that his new car was even more highly-spec’d than the already indulgent 930 LE Flachbau specification. These rare and bespoke features include a high-end audio system (with a Blaupunkt Bremen head-unit) with uprated speakers, the rears of which were mounted in a custom-made (an OEM factory feature, remember) parcel-shelf, which is well-integrated and discreet. Additionally, there is a rarely-seen LED boost gauge off to the right-hand side of the instrument binnacle, plus a mahogany-veneered central control panel that houses a clock, voltmeter and ambient temperature gauge. These subtle, beautifully incorporated period-correct bespoke touches are original to this car and give a fascinating insight into the level of personal specification involved in the build and the calibre of customer for whom the car was created.

#WP0ZZZ93ZGS000437's early history is supported by important period documentation, including the original V5 registration document listing Ron Dennis as the registered keeper, together with a letter from McLaren and confirmation from Porsche detailing the build and additional bespoke options fitted to the car.

It remains in a wholly original, collector-quality condition today, having spent most of its life in long-term Porsche collector-ownership with the means to be able to ensure the car has wanted for nothing; it is being offered for sale from a prominent Collection and by its long-term owner - one with hugely exacting standards - who has owned the car for 33 years and always entrusted it to the right specialists. Remarkably, it has covered just over 2,500 miles and is in an entirely commensurate condition throughout.

In 2023, following a period of inactivity in professional storage, the car underwent a thorough recommissioning by Stewart Roden Motors (now Roden Jones), one of Scotland’s largest and best-known Porsche and Ferrari specialists, with experience of restoring classic Lamborghinis, Porsches and Ferraris. The ethos of this recommissioning was to preserve the car’s inherent originality whilst bringing the mechanical integrity, useability and presentation back to a standard befitting such a significant Porsche.

Iconic Auctioneers are very proud to represent this exclusive, extremely rare and eminent car - unique in its ownership and specification - and welcome any inspection. The era of the Flachbau and Sonderwunsch is now very much in-vogue, recognised as a very special and evocative time in the Porsche road car timeline, something which isn’t lost on collectors as they covet these remarkable cars and its new owner will undoubtedly receive invitations to showcase their Flachbau at many prominent car events around the world.

NB; The registration number illustrated in some of our images does not form part of the sale and it will return to its original registration number - C930 SPF.