Kills Bugs Fast
Anyone who picked up a car magazine in the ’90s will remember a certain Porsche ad that featured the 911 Turbo. The car was draped in Arena Red Metallic, and below the photo of it were just three words for a caption: Kills Bugs Fast. It was a simple ad, but it made an impression.
The 993 911 Turbo wasn’t just a vessel for witty captions; it had the numbers to back up the claim. It had 408 hp, which doesn’t sound like a lot by today’s standards, but the car was light enough to zoom to 60 mph in under 4.5 seconds. Kids in their G80 M3s may scoff at that, but that was absolutely rapid by ’90s standards. Some magazines even clocked it under 4 seconds, which was mind-blowing back then.
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
The Backstory
From 1993 to 1998, Porsche made 68,881 993-generation 911 models. Of those, 5,978 were Turbo and 345 were Turbo S. By all means, it was a rare car, and fewer than 1,360 made it to North America. We’re not just talking about the U.S. market, but the entire North American market. Seeing one on the road today would be an epic spot, indeed. According to Classic.com, a 993 911 Turbo is worth about $254,000, with values trending upward.
What we saw on Bring a Trailer would bring back any Gen-Xer or millennial back to their younger days. It’s a 1996 Arena Red Metallic 911 Turbo like the one in the ad. Not only that, the car has only had one owner, who’s also the seller, and it’s done only 8,000 miles over the last 30 years. It’s been well cared for, with plenty of service over the years. It is, quite literally, the poster car.
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
The Offer
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Make | Porsche |
| Model | 911 Turbo (993) |
| Year | 1996 |
| Mileage | 8,250 miles shown |
| Engine | 3.6-liter M64/60 twin-turbo flat-six |
| Power | 402 horsepower |
| Transmission | 6-speed manual |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Exterior color | Arena Red Metallic |
| Interior color | Flamenco Red leather |
| Wheels | 18-inch ‘Technology’ five-spoke |
| Suspension | MacPherson strut front, multi-link rear |
| Brakes | Four-wheel cross-drilled vented disc |
| Steering | Hydraulic rack and pinion steering |
| Current bid | $255,000 |
Interested in this car? See the listing here.
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
Why It’s Special
The 993 is the last of the traditional 911s, the final generation before it shifted to water-cooled engines. That alone makes this era of 911 Turbo even more special. It was a genuinely great car, too, offering out-of-this-world performance at the time without entering supercar territory. It was desirable then and even more so now, and its stock will keep rising in years to come.
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
TheImageEngine/Bring a Trailer
About the author
Anton Andres
News Editor