Porsche 911 by Diego Maradona at auction: The golden boy's silver runabout

Icon: enlarge

As wide as a turbo: Diego Maradona's Carrera convertible with a factory turbo look

Photo: Bonhams

Under the hammer:

a Porsche 911 convertible, built in 1992, with a rare factory turbo look.

Always stay up to date?

Driving reports, analyzes, current news: you won't miss any articles from the Mobility section of SPIEGEL.

How to turn on your notifications Right arrow

Why bid?

There are a few basic questions that the affluent segment of humanity quickly sorts into two groups on.

Sea or mountains, Porsche or Ferrari, Pelé or Maradona?

If you decide immediately for Porsche and Maradona for the two options at the back, this car could be the ideal weekend vehicle for you.

Because the silver Carrera convertible was first delivered to Diego Maradona in November 1992.

The footballer who died last year, who is considered by many to be the greatest kicker of all time, was playing for Sevilla FC after having spent several years at SSC Napoli.

There the "golden boy" was a folk hero.

The Argentine led the underdog to two Italian championships, among other places.

But after the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup between hosts Italy and Argentina in Naples (3-4 after penalties), fans and Maradona became estranged from each other.

In 1991 he finally left Italy after cocaine was found in a doping test.

After the ban had expired, Sevilla FC secured Maradona's services in 1992, and the club paid almost five million euros to SSC Napoli.

The playmaker was greeted euphorically in the capital of Andalusia: he was appointed captain, rented the villa of Juan Antonio Ruiz Roman, the country's most famous bullfighter - and treated himself to the silver Porsche convertible.

On November 6th, he received the car, which despite its inconspicuous exterior is not just any specimen.

According to the Bonhams auction house, only 1200 copies of this variant of the 964 model, a Carrera 2 convertible in the so-called factory turbo look, were made.

In a sense, it is a 911 with shoulder pads: the wider body, chassis, wheels and braking system come from the 911 Turbo 3.3.

This gives the car a distinctive exterior, but not the same performance as the turbo version.

It was still strong enough, the 3.6-liter six-cylinder in the rear develops 250 hp and 310 Newton meters.

Maradona apparently liked to take advantage of it, he was less affectionate with the accelerator of the 260 km / h Porsche than with the ball. According to Bonhams, the football legend was once stopped by the local police because he disregarded a red light and with it Speeded 180 km / h through the city center.

The car thus also stands for Maradona's relaxed relationship to all kinds of rules. Unforgettable how he put the ball into the goal of the English in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals and afterwards said it was the hand of God.

In Seville, Maradona not only got off to a furious start behind the wheel, but also sporty - including a 3-1 win in the preparatory game against Bayern Munich.

However, the connection between Maradona and the club from southern Spain was not a success story like in Naples.

The Argentine, who often drove to the training of Sevilla FC in the 911, made headlines in Spain, especially because of his dissolute lifestyle.

Despite successful individual games and his return to the national team in 1993, his time in Seville ended after just one season - and with it the time with the silver convertible.

With a mileage of 7,500 kilometers, the 911 was sold in September 1993 and has since passed through several hands.

The car now has almost 123,000 kilometers on the clock - and is a special relic of Maradona's almost forgotten season at Sevilla FC, his last in Europe.

Surcharge!

The Bonhams auction house is auctioning the silver 911 from March 3rd to 10th and expects a price of around 175,000 euros.

In view of the high price, one aspect could comfort interested parties.

Because Maradona's Porsche will be 30 years old in 2022 and is therefore eligible for an H license plate - after all, the owner saves on taxes and insurance.

Icon: The mirror