2004 Porsche 911 Turbo S

The 996 Turbo S sits at the top of Porsche's water-cooled 911 hierarchy, and a Cabriolet example paired with a manual gearbox is a genuinely uncommon combination — most buyers of this generation chose Tiptronic, and the open-top body compounds the rarity further. Over the standard Turbo, the Turbo S brought the Sport Chassis, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes, sport exhaust, and an elevated interior specification. This 2004 car has covered 51,685 miles, a measured figure for a 22-year-old performance machine, and is offered at £44,995 through a franchised Lotus dealer in Surrey.

The 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six delivers serious performance in any configuration, but the manual gearbox keeps the driver directly connected in a way the torque-converter Tiptronic never quite replicated. The 996 generation's reputation — long shadowed by IMS bearing anxiety — has stabilised considerably, and properly maintained examples now command genuine respect in the classic Porsche market.

At this price point, a manual Turbo S Cabriolet offers compelling value against both the 997-generation equivalent and the broader air of prestige that Turbo S badging carries. The body style and transmission combination alone makes this worth investigating with due diligence on service history.