Porsche Market Recap – January 2026
January wasted absolutely no time humbling me. In my year-end recap for 2025, I predicted that unit volume would pull back modestly, noting that early January had produced the lowest number of Porsches for sale across the three major online auction platforms that I could remember seeing. That observation held true for about a week. Then the floodgates opened. January 2026 went on to become the biggest January on record since I began tracking the market, posting a 73% sell-through rate on 605 cars for a staggering $72,122,544 in total dollar volume. For context, January of last year closed at a 69% sell-through rate, $41,125,442 in sales, and 561 units. Much of this outsized dollar figure can be traced back to a number of heavy hitters crossing the block at Mecum’s Kissimmee sale, paired with strong action out of Arizona and online, setting an unexpectedly aggressive tone for the year ahead.
Leading the charge in January was the 918 Spyder, with five examples crossing the block and three finding new homes. The headline sale was a 2015 918 Spyder showing just 845 miles, finished in Paint-to-Sample Pure Orange and optioned with the Weissach Package, along with Color-to-Sample Pure Orange interior piping in place of the more common Acid Green. While it was described as a one-of-one color, there are in fact a handful of other Pure Orange cars known. Even so, the combination of low mileage and eye-catching spec proved irresistible, resulting in a new auction record at $6,050,000. The other two cars to sell did so strongly as well, hammering at $3,575,000 and $3,205,000. The two remaining examples failed to meet reserve, both stalling just short of the $3m mark.
Not to be outdone, January also delivered a new auction record for the Carrera GT. This one came as a bit of a surprise, as it was not the lowest-mileage example we have seen, showing just over 2,000 miles, nor was it a particularly exotic specification, finished in Seal Grey Metallic over Dark Grey leather. Even so, it became the first Carrera GT to cross the $3m mark at auction, selling for $3,085,000. Staying with the Porsche supercar theme, we also saw a strong result for a 959 Komfort, which sold at $2,535,000. Showing just 1,000 miles and modified by Canepa with their Phase II specification, this example featured a claimed 640 horsepower along with Canepa’s suspension upgrades. That result landed squarely between the roughly $2m we typically see for standard 959s and the $3m territory occupied by full 959 SCs Reimagined by Canepa.
Another one of my predictions for 2026 was that Boxster and Cayman values would begin to level off for standard variants, while the special cars would start to separate themselves. So far, that thesis is holding up well. January delivered the first 718 Spyder RS to cross the $200k mark since May of last year, with a 1,700-mile example selling for $214,000. Finished in Paint-to-Sample Gulf Blue and well optioned with the Weissach Package, Magnesium wheels, and PCCB brakes, this result suggests buyers are once again willing to pay up for the right spec. Digging further back into the Boxster catalog, we also saw a new auction record for a 987 Boxster Limited Edition. Showing just 3,000 miles, it sold for $53,666, a figure that even eclipses recent Boxster S Limited Edition results. Rounding things out was a Boxster RS 60 Spyder with 22,000 miles that brought $48,000, topping recent mileage comps and reinforcing the strength of the special-edition Boxster market.
993 Turbos carried their late-2025 momentum straight into January, highlighted by a 37,000-mile 1997 example that hammered at $395,000. Finished in Black over Black, the car was lightly modified with Bilstein PSS9 dampers and RS adjustable sway bars, changes that appeared to be well received rather than penalized. Condition was strong, service history was well documented, and factory options such as Sport Seats and carbon-fiber interior trim helped round out the package. At $395,000, the result topped recent mileage comps that have largely lived in the $340–350,000 range.
Looking ahead, the calendar doesn’t offer much time to catch our breath. RM Sotheby’s Miami sale lands at the end of February, followed closely by the Amelia Island auctions in March, both of which are poised to bring another wave of high-quality cars to market. After an opening month that already rewrote the January record books and validated more than a few early predictions, 2026 is shaping up to be a strong year. If January is any indication, bidders remain engaged, selective, and willing to pay up when the right cars appear.
- David K. Whitlock is a writer for The Stuttgart Market Letter, a daily market update for Porschephiles, by Porschephiles, delivered free to your inbox. To sign up, visit: stuttgartmarketletter.com
