Porsche owner looks to make $800,000 in a month

An Australian car enthusiast could be set for an $800,000 windfall by selling a rare Porsche for triple its new price after one month of ownership.

Porsche's Australian operation has expressed its disappointment toward a customer who has listed a rare 2016 911 R coupe for sale at $1.2 million, with only 68 kilometres on the odometer. The car's Australian retail price is $404,700 plus on-road costs.

Listed for sale by Scuderia Graziani in Woolloomooloo, Sydney, the white coupe shares showroom space with other rare vehicles from the likes of Ferrari and McLaren.

The advertisement says the car arrived in Australia in January 2017, spending little time with the original owner before heading off to sale.

Porsche's 911 R is one of the most desirable cars on sale, bucking the supercar trend for turbocharged engines and automatic transmissions with a screaming, naturally aspirated motor and a conventional six-speed manual gearbox.

Owned by racing legends such as Australia's Mark Webber and Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, the car was limited to 991 examples worldwide. Any examples advertised for sale have asked for significantly more than the car's original price.

Scuderia Graziani spokesman Tony Graziani says the 911 R is "by far" the hottest collectable car in the market, and that several examples have changed hands privately.

"In the last few years limited-number cars are really spiking up" he says.

"Porsche is incredibly in demand – there's a revival of the Porsche brand in incredible fashion. People are getting very aware of what to buy.

"We are optimistic that we will sell close to that price or above. There have been a number of cars that changed hands internationally for upwards of one million.

"There is a lot of animosity with the dealers and manufacturers."

Porsche Cars Australia spokesman Paul Ellis says demand for the limited-edition model far outstripped local supply, and that dealers carefully selected successful customers based on their loyalty, enthusiasm and advocacy for the brand.

Ellis says the trend to "flip" sought-after models for a quick profit is "not part of our culture".

"We're not flattered, we're disappointed," he says.

"We like to sell our cars to people who want to drive them and enjoy them.

"The vetting process comes down to the discretion of the dealer in consultation with the head office.

"We try and make sure that people we sell those cars to are advocates of the brand and enthusiasts... sometimes it slips through the net."

Graziani says car companies put unreasonable expectations on customers. 

"Manufacturers try to control who buys what and who sells what, which is against the trade practices act," he says.

"It's nothing illegal. It's a very straightforward business transaction. You could buy a beautiful pair of Nike shoes and put them on eBay tomorrow. What's the difference?"

The Porsche spokesman says the owner who listed this car for sale may be blacklisted from buying similar examples.

"I think they would find it very difficult to get a limited edition car in the future," Ellis says.

"We can't stamp this out, it does happen and it will happen. It goes against the grain of how we like to do our business in Australia and how we like these cars to go into the garages of Porsche aficionados. Not people who go on and flip it, to double the price of the car."

Graziani says Porsche should be pleased that customers have done well with its cars.

"Porsche don't make mistakes," he says.

"If you are the buyer of a car that doubles in values you remain faithful to the brand for the rest of your life."