Wow! 959 Wheel at a local tire shop!

rennch · rennch's Garage

So, I'm grabbing boxes for the Fuchs I just sold (On Pelican...thanks!) at my local tire place. Pete, the owner, supplies race tires to pretty much everybody in the area, and always has great deals around. I came out of the box and see this huge Porsche box sitting there. I, of course, pop the top open and peer inside to see this "injected foam" wrapped in plastic. Pete says "Tell me what that is...", so I check out the lone wheel in the box. It's a 5 spoke design, but no lug holes. "Carrera GT? No wait...it's not modern enough for that. Holy *****! Is this a 959 wheel???"

Pete: "Yea...the guy curbed his wheel and spent $4000 to get a new one from Porsche.

Me: "Wait...there's a 959 here? In Boulder????"

Pete: "Yea...it's been here for about a year and a half".

Me: "Please, please, please, please tell me when that car comes in for this wheel!!!"

I don't know about you guys, but the 959 pretty much started it all for me when I was a young buck. I've never laid eyes on one in person, and am psyched to see it when it comes in!!!

Pictures provided, don't worry.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

I saw a 959 in Oxford, OH last July during the "Porsche to Oxford" event and it was unbelievably cool, especially up-close!

kycarguy 935 · 12-29-2006, 05:16 PM

Maybe he will give you the old wheel for the ultimate souvenir. I find exotic cars all the time in this area and nobody would ever guess they are here. No 959's so far though.

rennch · rennch's Garage

Oo....good idea with the old wheel. I'll ask!

Zeke · 12-29-2006, 06:04 PM

Useless w/o pics.

SlantnoseSD · SlantnoseSD's Garage

Symbolic motors in La jolla, CA has one on their showroom floor for half a million. Seen it in person. Beautiful car.

Link:

http://www.symbolicmotors.com/vehicledetail.php?id=144

dtw · 12-29-2006, 11:39 PM

Very cool to hear, and I agree, the 959 was 'it' for me when I was a kid -the F40 always a distant second.

What's really funny - is if you look closely at a 959 magnesium wheel, is they really are not particularly well-finished by today's standards.

If you want some mindless good times and you have access to PET - look up some 959 part numbers and then key them into Pelican's p/n search engine to see the prices. Astounding.

lfot · lfot's Garage

I wonder if that's the same 959 i saw in Evergreen a about 3 years ago.

There's a guy up there just outside of town with a huge car collection.

JCR · 12-30-2006, 06:09 AM

Back when they were new... I saw my boss drive by me in a 959. I couldn't believe it... I chased him down and made him give me a ride. At the time, I was amazed at how much it felt like a regular 911 - except for the gobs of power and phenomenal handling. We were both lamenting on the fact that the car we were in would eventually end up in the crusher, and vowed that day to not let this incredible car be destroyed. The car was owned by GM as a competitive fleet test vehicle (these cars are all eventually destroyed as a strict rule), and I am happy to report it is still around. I no longer work for GM, but I did see it at a local auto show last year.

scottmandue · 12-30-2006, 07:07 AM

I have posted this here a few times, IIRC it was for sale at $250K, shot at German autofest 2002. Half a mil. today? I guess it would have been a good investment.

legion · 12-30-2006, 07:40 AM

The 959 is what got me interested in Porsche.

They don't sell for a half million. They sell for $100k - $250k. Some dealers are hoping some idiot "had to have one". I don't think that works so well with such a rare car.

m21sniper · 12-30-2006, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by emptyo
So, I'm grabbing boxes for the Fuchs I just sold (On Pelican...thanks!) at my local tire place. Pete, the owner, supplies race tires to pretty much everybody in the area, and always has great deals around. I came out of the box and see this huge Porsche box sitting there. I, of course, pop the top open and peer inside to see this "injected foam" wrapped in plastic. Pete says "Tell me what that is...", so I check out the lone wheel in the box. It's a 5 spoke design, but no lug holes. "Carrera GT? No wait...it's not modern enough for that. Holy *****! Is this a 959 wheel???"

Pete: "Yea...the guy curbed his wheel and spent $4000 to get a new one from Porsche.

Me: "Wait...there's a 959 here? In Boulder????"

Pete: "Yea...it's been here for about a year and a half".

Me: "Please, please, please, please tell me when that car comes in for this wheel!!!"

I don't know about you guys, but the 959 pretty much started it all for me when I was a young buck. I've never laid eyes on one in person, and am psyched to see it when it comes in!!!

Pictures provided, don't worry.

The 959 is my favorite porsche, hands down.

svandamme · svandamme's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by JCR
Back when they were new... I saw my boss drive by me in a 959. I couldn't believe it... I chased him down and made him give me a ride. At the time, I was amazed at how much it felt like a regular 911 - except for the gobs of power and phenomenal handling. We were both lamenting on the fact that the car we were in would eventually end up in the crusher, and vowed that day to not let this incredible car be destroyed. The car was owned by GM as a competitive fleet test vehicle (these cars are all eventually destroyed as a strict rule), and I am happy to report it is still around. I no longer work for GM, but I did see it at a local auto show last year.

you'll have to explain this story to us mate, because 959's were never road legal in the US, the 2 known specimens that actually shipped over when the 959's were beeing produced ( Bill Gates bought one, dunno who's the other was) got stuck in customs and stayed there till they weren't new anymore...

so your story would mean there was a 3rd one, for testing @ GM, and it actually drove on Public US roads ??

scottmandue · 12-30-2006, 09:33 AM

More than a few were snuck over here, not sure how... maybe a grey market thing or some such deal.

svandamme · svandamme's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by scottmandue
More than a few were snuck over here, not sure how... maybe a grey market thing or some such deal.

but not when they were new Scott, Bill Gates 959 was held by customs for several years if i'm not mistaken, that was the grey import when it was new , 2 cars, one for BG, one for another person, both held by customs

sounds fair to assume , that if BG can't get past customs, then nobody else does , let alone drive the bugger on public roads

i'm sure others did get over to the US , since then
but that is not "when they were new"

which makes the GM story even more interesting
i'm not saying it's not true, sounds fair to assume that GM might ave pulled some strings in the name of research or what not
but then that would be something exceptional , not grey import

sammyg2 · 12-30-2006, 09:59 AM

There were at least 12 shipped into the US from what I heard. They were not DOT legal and couldn't be registered because Porsche refused to crash test them but it wasn't against the law to have them here as long as you didn't drive them.
All that changed several years ago when they were gradnfathered and could be registered.

I've been to Andial at least a dozen times and probably 8 of those times they had a 959 on the lift or in the parking lot. Unfortunately Andial is gone now.
The 959s were well ahead of their time but if you compare one to a new 997 turbo the 959 will show it's age.

scottmandue · 12-30-2006, 10:13 AM

Yes to what Sammy said, they are a beautiful classic super car but for half the price you could have a shiny new Porsche that will kick it's butt on all levels.

Although I'm sure anyone buying a 959 is doing it as a collectible car, much like a 67 big block corvette etc.

I know the legend* is that only a few were shipped here and those were impounded or shipped back but the frequency that they show up at cars shows and for sale indicates (to me) that they got here somehow.

*and fact that they were not street legal here.

sammyg2 · 12-30-2006, 10:20 AM

I don't think the new turbos can compete with the 959 in the looks department or in top speed, but in just about every other way they are superior cars. Of course they are also 20 years newer. It's not really fair to compare a new car to an old car as far as technology.

kycarguy 935 · 12-30-2006, 10:31 AM

Every time I was ever at Andial which was many times they always had at least 1 959 and usually 2. They were the service center for North America.

Paul Allen which was Bill Gates partner owned the other one that was stuck in customs with Bill Gates 959. Even around that time there were others. I remember in Southern California and would see them at Monterey.

Here is some information I found online:

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/18/bill-gates-porsche-959-to-become-enemy-of-the-state/

The "Show or Display" exemption that was enacted under Bill Clinton's tenure as president has been a godsend for collectors and enthusiasts who love certain European and Asian vehicles that were never officially certified for U.S. road use, cars like the McLaren F1, Bugatti EB110, Jaguar XJ220, Maserati MC12, Mercedes-Benz CLK-DTM and GTR, and the Porsche 959. These are incredible cars that were never designed for American roads, and in turn needed some official "help" to get to these shores.

Some wealthy owners had taken it upon themselves to import these cars for their own collections even before the Show or Display legislation went into effect. Jerry Seinfeld was one of the first people to get a Porsche 959. He was joined by Microsoft partners Paul Allen and Bill Gates. Gates, in particular, was glad when the Show or Display went into effect so he didn't have to worry so much about blasting around Seattle in his Porsche supercar. Well, his days of no motoring worries may be over.

As part of an "environmental crackdown" in his home state of Washington, the Show or Display vehicles may lose their exemption. Governor Chris Gregoire is looking at ways to cut pollution and a prime target are catalytic converter-free cars like these exempted vehicles and their "gross emissions." Although Gates had recently joked that, "my Porsche days may be coming to a close," that was due to his wife Melinda's concerns more than any foreseen legislative problems. According to this Australian IT article, Bill's friends seem to think "he will not surrender his right to drive the 959 without a fight." Having seen a few of these in action over the years, we hope that cooler heads prevail and they work out a compromise.

Britwrench · 12-30-2006, 10:55 AM

All of the 959s and other cars bought in on the "show and display" comply with the EPA emission regulations for the year of manufacture. The cars do not have to comply with the DOT crash-test standards.
Bruce Canepa, among others who modifies the 959s, installs catalysts and air pumps.

As usual the local politicians worry about things that do not change anything and forget about "basics"