For our 7th and final Good Find Friday post celebrating 50 years of Turbo, we’re featuring the first 911 Turbo with Porsche’s double-clutch transmission. It also just so happens to be specified in one of my favorite color combinations. Today’s feature is a 2010 Porsche 997 Turbo PDK. 

Why is this the last post celebrating 50 years of Porsche Turbo, when Porsche is still making turbo-charged cars almost 15 years after this car was built? Frankly, it’s because new cars don’t excite me. They are too good, too fast, too common and too expensive.

The 997 generation Porsche 911 Turbo (2006-2012) introduced Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG) turbochargers, improving throttle response and reducing turbo lag. Its 3.6-liter flat-six engine produced up to 523 horsepower in the 997.2 Turbo S. The advanced all-wheel-drive system with Porsche Traction Management (PTM) enhanced handling and stability, offering a refined, high-performance driving experience.

Design-wise, the 997 Turbo featured wider rear fenders, larger air intakes, and a retractable spoiler for better aerodynamics. The 997.2 added a PDK dual-clutch transmission, delivering faster, smoother gear changes, making it both a high-performance machine and a practical everyday supercar.

This Porsche 997 Turbo is a facelifted 997.2 model painted in Carrera White with a red leather interior and is being sold on AutoTrader by a private seller in New York state. It comes with 2 sets of keys, a clean New York State title and a recent inspection.

The color combination of white over red has a place in my heart, as it’s the same combination on my 1964 Porsche 356. I have never loved white cars, but when I bought my 356 I was more concerned about other things—like price—and have learned to love the color, especially when paired with an eye-catching interior color like red.

This car’s exterior looks to be in good condition, though white is good at hiding things like paint swirls and chips, which is another reason to like it. If you want to see how someone takes care of their car, look in the door jambs. Are they clean? Then the owner likely kept it indoors or pampered it. The jambs on this car appear very clean.

Distinguishing features of the 997 Turbo over the Carrera were large side intakes for the turbochargers, LED running lights, protruding fog lights on the front bumper and a large aerodynamic rear wing. 

The engine bay appears similarly clean, with the large ducted air intakes being the most prominent feature. The 3.8 liter flat-six receives forced air from two exhaust-driven turbochargers that debuted Porsche’s Variable Turbine Geometry technology. Power was 493hp and 480 ft-lb of torque giving the 997 Turbo a 0-60 time of 3.2 seconds.

While the 997-generation Turbo was the last forced-induction Porsche to be available with a manual transmission, the engine in this example is mated to Porsche double-clutch transmission called a PDK (an acronym for the German words that describe it). I used to dump on automatics, but the PDK is a magically fast automatic and makes really cool shifting noises at wide-open throttle.

Moving to the interior, most of the interior surfaces are wrapped in beautifully stitched red leather. The seats appear to have some wrinkling from use, but no tears or holes. The driver’s side door panel does look like it has some dirt transfer to the door panel and could use a good cleaning.

The door sills have the requisite scuffing. The steering wheel of this facelift version of the 997 Turbo finally improved on the design, in fact mimicking the look of my own Porsche 356’s standard three-spoke chrome wheel.

All Porsche Turbos of this generation were fitted with all-wheel drive which delivers tremendous grip to the pavement. Porsche Stability Management and Porsche Active Suspension Management are also fitted as standard to these cars.

Braking is handled by six-piston calipers squeezing 8.9” diameter rotors in front and four-piston calipers and 8.9” discs in the rear. While carbon-ceramic brakes were an option, steel brakes are MUCH less expensive to replace and better for a daily driven car. The car on offer has drilled vented steel discs.

The car has been modified slightly, with aftermarket Rotiform wheels, paint protection film on the entire car, electric rams for the rear spoiler, a performance clutch, methanol injection, a custom tune for the ECU, headers, and more. The stock wheels are available but not included.

So is this lovely little white 997 Turbo a good buy? Well, the average price of a 2010 997 Turbo coupe is around $100,000. Some of that average is skewed by some outrageous sales approaching $200,000. I’d say this one is a little overpriced at $105,000, but Carrera White is not a common color, and if you like the combo (as I do) you will have a very difficult time finding another. I think it’s a safer buy in the $90k’s.

If I could afford such a machine, I would change out the wheels for four HRE 527S with a matte silver finish to match the steel wheels on my 356. I sure think this car would look amazing next to its 46-year old ancestor in my garage.

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisal and auction services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. We also provide importation services. Give us a call or drop us a line!