A Bring a Trailer Success Story

BaT member JoeyFreshwater recently wrapped up a road trip home following his win of this 996 C4 cabriolet, sold by GattoVeloce in an April 2025 BaT auction—but with a twist. He wrote in to tell us about it:

This story isn’t some saccharine tale of polished chrome and rose-tinted spectacles. It’s about the brutal, beautiful reality of chasing an automotive itch, especially when that itch involves one of Stuttgart’s finest, albeit most misunderstood, creations.

I’m a self-confessed green car addict (just look at my purchase history) who yearned for a 911—a 996, no less. Forget the market darling 993s and the hyper-analyzed 997s. Give me the 996—the “fried egg” generation—the one that dared to be water-cooled, and heaven forbid, shared headlights with the contemporary Boxster. This is the 911 that some purists still cross the street to avoid, which, of course, makes it utterly brilliant. It’s the accessible entry point that offers proper Porsche DNA without requiring you to sell a kidney.

It was my best friend Carter and I at the start of this proper boy’s adventure. I was trawling BaT, as one does, when this leggy Rainforest Green 2000 Carrera C4 cabriolet—equipped with a six-speed manual, no less—popped up. This was the spec, wasn’t it? All-wheel drive for a bit of all-weather usability, and a manual ‘box because anything else was just…well, that’s not the point. Or was it? We placed our bids, followed by a few tense final moments, and then—bang!—it was ours. $25.5k for a 911 convertible. In this market? That, my friends, is a success story.

Now, the plan: fly up to New York, collect the beast, and embark on a trip to collect some proper, unfiltered, American cross-country mileage. This was the correct way to do it. None of this enclosed transport nonsense. Get in, drive it, and understand it

But then, just an hour before boarding the bloody flight, a call came in. It was the seller, Dan (remember that name, Dan). He had done a final check and found a faulty ABS module. Disappointment? Well, this was the reality of buying a two-decade-old precision instrument. They don’t just sit around perfectly preserved, waiting for your grand arrival. They’re mechanical things, and mechanical things sometimes decide to throw a wobbler.

Yet this is where the narrative swerves and the story gets a bit of proper character.

We were disappointed, naturally, but the adventure had to continue. And Dan the man, who clearly understood the spirit of the thing, was on board. More than on board as it turned out

We landed, slightly fuming about an air delay, and there was Dan. He wasn’t in a sensible saloon or a polite SUV. Oh no. Dan pulled up in a Bentley Continental Supersports—a W12 monster filled with savage torque and unashamed opulence. The kicker: “You guys take the Bentley, and I’ll get a rental.” Hold on! This man had just trusted complete strangers with a quarter-million-dollar (-ish) lump of British brute force? Dan, you’re either clinically insane or a truly magnificent human being. My money’s on the latter.

And we were off. Not in the 996 that we came for, but in a W12 Bentley. What a pivot! We dined at one of the single best restaurants we’d ever gone to, followed by baccarat at the casino. This wasn’t a car collection experience; it was a Bond film. This was about the experience, right? The journey, the unexpected detours, the sheer absurdity of it all.

The verdict on the 996 came the following morning: no dice. The part wasn’t fixed, and the road trip was further delayed. But by now, we had a Bentley in hand and a seller who was bending over backwards. The new plan: we drive the Bentley home, and Dan brings the Porsche down a week later. Genius. Absolutely genius.

So, we blasted home in the Bentley—a car that covered so much ground and made ridiculous noises at a rate that would make most track cars blush, all while cosseting us in leather and fine wood. This wasn’t a consolation prize; it was an upgrade, albeit a temporary one. We tasted the automotive high life and were given a proper, visceral reminder of what this magnificent machine could do.

A week later, the little 996 Carrera 4 cabriolet arrived. After experiencing the W12 sledgehammer, the Porsche felt nimble, precise, and connected. It was a stark contrast. The delicate balance and feedback through the steering wheel, the mechanical precision of that six-speed manual. It’s not about raw power; it’s about the feeling

This wasn’t just a car purchase. It was a proper story. A tale of expectation, disappointment, serendipity, and ultimately, the sheer, unadulterated joy of the automobile. It was about finding a cracking deal on a car that truly deserved its moment in the sun (and also its day in the rain, thanks to the AWD). It was about the kindness of strangers, the unexpected detours, and the journey home with not just a car, but a damned good yarn to tell.

So, to the team at Bring a Trailer: this wasn’t just a success story because a car was sold and delivered. It was a success story because it encapsulated everything brilliant about this madness we call car enthusiasm. The chase, the community, the unforeseen adventures, and the glorious, tangible reward at the end.

Talk about a serendipitous turn of events! Major kudos to GattoVeloce for taking care of JoeyFreshwater. You clearly made his day, if not his year.

(From BaT Success Stories; 9/3/25)

Founded in 2023, The Gatto Veloce Foundation, Inc. is a non-for-profit corporation operating in the State of New York.