One of only two 997 cabriolets originally painted in Azzurro California
One-off colour combination of Azzurro California over See Blue leather interior
Fully documented history
Delivered new in Germany
80.000 original kilometres
Other features: possibility of assisting with transport, storage and Trusted Checkout payment

Porsche 997 is the internal designation for the Porsche 911 sports car manufactured between 2004 (as Model Year 2005) and 2012.

The 997 was an evolution of the preceding 996, with the most significant changes being interior and exterior styling, the most notable being the replacement of the "fried egg" headlamps used on the 996 with the classic "bug eye" units. Larger 18-inch wheels were fitted as standard, and other engineering changes include slightly increased power; however, the car is technically very similar to its predecessor. A new S version was offered, with additional power from a slightly larger engine, sports suspension, and sports exhaust.

The 997 received mostly positive reviews from the worldwide motoring press; even British motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson, a known detractor of Porsche cars, noted that the 997 will "make love to your fingertips and stir your soul."

For the first time, development of the cabriolet version of the 997 led the design and engineering effort at Porsche with the coupé following. Porsche applied the logic that if you started with the more difficult cabriolet challenges (for chassis stiffness) the coupe version would simply be more rigid. Despite additional weight, the cabriolet versions attain nearly the same performance figures as their coupé counterparts. Even the rear tail comes up slightly higher on the cabriolets to compensate for differences in drag over the canvas top vs. the smoother coupé shape.

Following the success of the earlier 996 Carrera S Porsche introduced the Carrera S in 2006 which had power output increased by 29 PS (21 kW; 29 bhp) as compared to the base Carrera with the following additional features: increased displacement of the engine (3.8 L vs 3.6 L) with increased power, lowered suspension with PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management, i.e. dynamically adjustable dampers), 19-inch wheels, upgraded braking system from the 911 turbo, sports exhaust, Bi-Xenon headlights and aluminium trim in the interior.

This is one of two paint-to-sample cabriolets originally painted in Azzurro Califormia with 80.000 original kilometres and fully documented history. It is also a one-off colour combination of Azzurro California over See Blue leather interieor, you can't find another 997 Porsche in this colour combination.

Ultra rare color and significant color

Azzurro California (3F3/Azzurro California metallic) is the color that Porsche used on the limited 2006 911 Club Coupe, a 911 built to celebrate the PCA’s 50th anniversary, which was introduced by Dr. Wolfgang Porsche at the Porsche Parade in Hershey in 2004 . Porsche stated at that time, that the color was inspired by Azure Blue, a vintage 356 color that dates back to 1956.

After its usage on the 50th Club Coupe, Azzurro California went off the menu, going Paint to Sample. Oddly, This color was actually named Azzurro California Blue Metallic when it first came out, but for unknown reasons, it was renamed to Azzurro California Metallic when it went PTS. Is this the full story on this color? Some say no and point to two things: (1) The fact that Azure Blue, this color’s inspiration, is a very different shade of blue and (2) The existence of a color that’s not only similar in look, but also name: Ferrari’s Azzurro California Metallic. Ferrari’s usage of Azzurro California dates back roughly two decades in its current form and 55+ years in very close inspiration. So are the two the same? No, Ferrari’s blue is slightly lighter. So is all of this a coincidence then? Maybe, but either way, one thing is certain: This is a beautiful color.

It is a very rare color as besides the 50 911 Club Coupe Anniversary cars built in 2005 , there are only 5 other 997s that left the factory in this color:

1x 997 Targa 4S delivered new in Germany
1x 997 Turbo S Cabriolet delivered new in the US
2x 997 Carrera S Cabriolet one delivered new in the US and one delivered new in Germany (the subject of this sale)
1x 997 GT3 RS 4.0 delivered new in US, a holy grail car.