1980 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo 3.3-Litre - ex-Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin Manager

Please note the estimate in the printed catalogue is incorrect. It should be £140,000 - £180,000.

Much of the Porsche 911's development had resulted from the factory's racing program and it was the period Group 4 homologation rules, which required 400 road cars to be built, that spurred the development of 'Project 930' - the legendary 911 Turbo. In production from April 1975, the Turbo married a KKK turbocharger to the 3.0-litre Carrera RSR engine in road trim; a combination that delivered 260bhp for a top speed of 155mph. In 1978, the Turbo's engine was enlarged to 3.3-litres, gaining an intercooler in the process, power increased to 300bhp and the top speed, of what was the fastest accelerating road car of its day, went up to 160 mph. But the Turbo wasn't just about top speed, it was also the best equipped 911 and amazingly flexible, hence only 4 speeds in the gearbox, being capable of racing from a standstill to 100mph in 14 seconds! The Turbo's characteristic flared wheel arches and 'tea tray' rear spoiler had already been seen on the Carrera model while the interior was the most luxurious yet seen in a 911, featuring leather upholstery, air conditioning and electric windows. More refined than hitherto, yet retaining its high-performance edge, the Porsche 911 Turbo sold in the thousands, becoming the definitive sports car of its age.

The car presented here is a 1980 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo 3.3-litre and has a fascinating backstory. It is accompanied by the most intriguing and complete history file, full of handwritten letters and addressed invoices relating to its original owner, the legendary music industry figure, Peter Grant (5th April 1935 - 21st November 1995). Grant was best known as the manager of The Yardbirds, Bad Company and most famously Led Zeppelin from their creation in 1968 to their breakup in 1980. With his intimidating size and weight, confrontational manner, knowledge and experience, Grant procured strong and unprecedented deals for his band.   He is widely credited with improving pay and conditions for all musicians in dealings with concert promoters. Grant has been described as "one of the shrewdest and most ruthless managers in rock history". In his early years, he had also been a bouncer, wrestler, actor, stunt double and eventually the president of Swan Song Records (LZ & Grant’s own label); hence, he was one of the wealthiest men in the music industry at his peak.

"Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant didn’t just rule his band, he ruled the entire music industry.’"

Marital problems, diabetes, cocaine addiction and the death of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham all took their toll on Grant's health and after the official breakup of Led Zeppelin in 1980 (and the subsequent folding of the Swan Song label in 1983) he virtually retired from the music business to his private estate in East Sussex. However, towards the end of his life, he conquered his addiction and lost a significant amount of weight. His first public appearance for many years was in 1989, when he and Jimmy Page both attended a Frank Sinatra concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Grant subsequently sold his estate and moved to nearby Eastbourne. In 1992, he appeared in the film ‘Carry on Columbus’ as a cardinal and in his remaining years, Grant became a keynote speaker at music management conferences, where he was lauded by latter-day peers.

On the afternoon of 21st November 1995, Grant suffered a fatal heart attack while driving to his home at Eastbourne with his daughter Helen. He was 60 years old. Grant was buried on 4th December 1995 at the cemetery opposite his mansion, with the funeral service held at St Peter and St Paul's Church, Hailsham, East Sussex. Coincidentally, it was the 15th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's official breakup. His final public appearance had been at the last night of the Page and Plant tour at the Wembley Arena in July 1995. Grant was survived by his son Warren Grant and his daughter Helen Grant.

Unbeknown to lots of people, Peter Grant was also a big car fan and collector, owning, amongst others, a Dino GTS and a 1930 Bentley Speed Six which appeared in the Led Zeppelin film ‘The Song Remains the Same’, with Grant driving his wife in it at their home Horselunges Manor.

In July 1980, Grant bought a brand-new Porsche 911 (930) Turbo 3.3-litre from Duncan Hamilton & Co. Ltd, specially ordered in Black with a full Burgundy Hide interior (including dashboard and knee roll), with air conditioning and a sunroof. So taken was he with this car, he registered it (from new) with his number plate ‘BAD 1’ (which was given to him as a Christmas present from the members of Bad Company; Grant also had ‘LZ 1’ on his Range Rover). By the early 1990s, Grant was a fully signed-up and active member of Porsche Club GB, attending and displaying his car at numerous events right up until his death (in 1995); at this time, his Porsche was very well-known, referred to as ‘BADDIE’.

The car was seldom used (in no small part due to him being in his reclusive period from 1980 until 1989) mostly taken to shows and car events, being always serviced at Porsche main dealers (Malaya of West Sussex and Rivervale of Hove etc.), racking up only 6,000 miles by 1993. Peter died in 1995 and in June 1996 the car passed to his son Warren (registered in his name). It wore ‘BAD 1’ until 1998 (replaced then with ‘GGM 107V’). In 1998 the car (then with 7,000 miles) was reoffered (via a letter written by Warren Grant) to Duncan Hamilton & Co. Ltd. to sell (there are invoices to them for remedial work to get it ‘sale ready’). They advertised the car for sale in 1998/1999 (now with 9,000 miles) for £31,950, whilst at this time it also featured in a Porsche book.

In February 1999, it was bought by Mr Ceanam Baird of Farnham, who kept the car until 2001, when Duncan Hamilton & Co. Ltd (again) sold it to Mr Michael Corregan of Cobham (but didn’t register to himself). Our vendor then bought it from Michael Corregan in May 2002 (then with 9,950 miles covered – all corroborated by MOTs/invoices). Prior to doing the deal, our vendor had it professionally inspected by Autocheck (specialist vehicle surveys) run by an ex-Le Mans Porsche engineer (report in history file) who gave it a glowing report.

Life and work took over for our vendor and his Porsche, so it was safely tucked away in his garage. He used it only a handful of times, as indicated by the current mileage of 11,124. There it has sat, unmoved and occasionally run-up, for the last 15 plus years. On deciding to sell the car, our vendor has wisely utilised the expert skills of William Francis Porsche of Suffolk to evaluate and recommission the car where required. At the time of writing, this process is still ongoing, but the originality, solidity and preservation of the car are evident and impressive. The condition is wholly commensurate with the 11,124 miles covered. The car is being given a thorough going-over, renewing all fluids, belts, numerous gaskets, tyres and other consumable parts that require it. The goal is to get the car to the best possible standard as is possible in time for the auction, which will involve a fresh MOT (passed 31/10/22).

This car and its history file are very special things, both for classic car enthusiasts and for British rock music fans - a potent combination. Silverstone Auctions are very proud to be offering for sale a very low mileage and highly original 930 with such unique provenance relating to fascinating music industry pioneer and character. What a car and what a man, the likes of which we, unfortunately, won’t see again.

Please note, the last five images showing (© Daniel Briston 2022 -) are of the car as it was in 1998, wearing the 'BAD 1' registration, which is no longer with it.