When Porsche ended its five-year production run of the modernized Type 964 series in late 1993, some 90 wide-bodied Turbo coupes were said to remain in inventory. In May of that year, Car & Driver magazine had declared the 1994 911 Turbo 3.6 to be not only much more powerful than the earlier 3.3, but was easier to drive aggressively, with improved predictability over any recent 911 Turbo it had tested. Never a company to rest on its many laurels, Porsche delivered the 93 leftovers to its Exclusive Department, formerly known as the Special Wishes office, where they were remade into the special-edition "Turbo S" models.

These would set yet another benchmark for Porsche high-performance road vehicles thanks to their new Type M64/50 X88 "Works Increased Horsepower" option. This highly desirable package gave a whopping 385 bhp thanks to a larger turbocharger, intercooler, larger-capacity injectors, and different cams. All Turbo Ses were factory-equipped with a stronger flywheel and clutch package capable of handling 384 foot-pounds of torque, plus different heat exchangers, a G50/52 transaxle with modified limited-slip, a lowered suspension with Boge shocks and struts, and a four-tip exhaust system. The Turbo S in all its forms would set a new benchmark for street-legal, high-performance Porsches.

There would be several different versions of the Turbo S. Along with the standard model, four special designs emerged from Porsche Exclusive. Depending on where they were to be sold, these were designated Options X83, X84, and X85. Most, but not all, were given variations of the exotic, hand-fabricated, and thus very expensive 935-like "Flat-Nose" bodywork. There were 27 X84s offered to "Rest of the World" buyers, and 39 examples of the X85 version were sold to the U.S. Most of those had widened flat-nose front ends with 968-style uncovered retracting headlamps, but an additional 17 cars were delivered with standard 964 Turbo sheet-metal and vertical headlights.

Option X83 was specified for the Japanese market, and only 10 would be constructed. All had the earlier 930-style flat-nose louvered front fenders with flush-mounted, lift-up covered headlights, and various steel and fiberglass body components, including widened front and rear fascias, rocker skirts, and rear-quarter air inlets with horizontal gills. Customers had a choice of two different rear wing spoilers, that of the standard 3.6 Turbo, or optionally the much larger and more costly wing from the 3.8 RS.

All of the Japanese X83s were left-hand drive, and all were painted Polar Silver Metallic (A8) with black anodized exterior trim and a black leather interior (VD) with racing bucket seats. As one might expect, they were lavishly optioned and trimmed. These 10 very special cars were delivered to Porsche's Japanese distributor of that period, MIZWA Limited in Tokyo, which added special Japanese-language safety and emissions-equipment labeling on the interior's left-side armrest and in the engine compartment. MIZWA also supplied various accessories required for road use in that country. A number of these unique cars, including this example, have since been acquired by American collectors.

This rare and exciting Porsche X83 Turbo S was number three of the 10 produced. Its included Certificate of Authenticity notes that it was ordered with the special X83 option package that featured the hand-built bodywork, front air splitter and rubber-edged 964 Turbo rear spoiler (six of the 10 cars wore this spoiler, the other four featured the 3.8 RS wing), an electric sunroof, tinted windshield, "model designation delete," Yokohama tires mounted on 19-in. polished "Speedline for Porsche" three-piece modular wheels, and "Equipment for Japan." Standard equipment included power steering, electric windows, air conditioning, electric sunroof, a rear wiper, headlight washers, a stereo entertainment system with roof antenna, and a cassette holder. There is a 320 km (198 mph) speedometer, indicative of this car's performance potential, and a set of Porsche's excellent "Big Red" disc brakes to haul the car down from speed as necessary.

It is supplied with all its original documentation, including a leather slipcase containing the owner's manual and warranty books in both German and Japanese. There is a correct spare wheel and tire, tire pressure gauge, roadside emergency kit with warning light, and a pair of special tri-color MIZWA work gloves. A MIZWA Ltd. decal is affixed to the rear window.

Showing just 74,532 km from new, this fine Turbo S variant has been enjoyed over the years, but presents in excellent cosmetic condition. The car was imported under a U.S. DOT "Show and Display" license issued 2 May 2014. The consignor, a prominent Porsche collector, notes that it had been recently serviced and has since been properly maintained and driven regularly at a private motorsports facility to ensure that all systems operate properly.

With just 10 examples produced to this specification, the X83 Turbo S is among the rarest and most desirable of all production Porsches. No serious Porsche collection would be complete without this thrilling and distinctive 964.