Project Car: 959 - The PPI...

[Wayne 962]

For those who would like the link, the Porsche Certificate of Authenticity link is here:

http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservices/porscheservice/ownerservices/certificateofauthenticity/

My 959 was brought into the US at the end of June, 2001, so it may be the same car. Still, odd that there were no obvious traces of silver if that was the case. If the car was repainted from silver, they must have done a very good job. I'm silly because I didn't snap photos of them, but the tops of the shock towers (complete with the electro-adjusters from Bilstein) were surrounded completely by black painted metal...

-Wayne

[ZAMIRZ]

Wayne, looks like it could very well be your car. Used to be in the Lamborghini OC showroom (also owned by Guy Keuylian) and then brought up to the location on Wilshire, that is littered with Elises these days. Originally silver and repainted black.

Check out this thread over on 6speedonline:

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/f12/959-lamborghini-oc-69652/

And this one:

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/f5/cheap-959-a-60885/

And here's one on ferrarichat:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=135865241

EDIT: After looking fairly thoroughly at the pics I don't even know anymore.

[Wayne 962]

Hmm, certainly seems likely that it's the same car. Still, I was there, and didn't see any silver. I used to own a car that had been silver, and I know what that looks like underneath. I wonder if the chasis were all painted black from the factory and then the exterior panels were painted "body" color.

Either way, it doesn't really matter to me. I would have liked to have known that going in. I heard some "odd" things about Orange County Lamborghini going into this transaction - that's why I made sure I brought the best along - Tony and his crew - for the PPI and checkover. In the end, they really liked the car, and gave it the big thumbs up. I'm going to be working closely with them over the next few years both on the Boxster / 996 book, and the restoration / rescue of this 959.

-Wayne

[JohnJL]

Congratulations Wayne.

The thing that jumped out at me was the mismatched engine compartment VIN number picked up in the PPI. Is that cool?

[DonDavis]

Holy crap!! Congrats Wayne! I'm very glad for you that you sold off a few things and got this beast. Sounds like it 's the car you've wanted for a long time. Coupled with the condtion and reflective price, this has your name ALL OVER IT!! HA! All those project cars you've owned over the years have been prepping you for this baby. I hope to get over to Cali and see it sometime. Of course I'll be following your updates and opinions.

Cheers, my friend!! And happy motoring!

[group911@aol.co]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

Hmm, certainly seems likely that it's the same car. Still, I was there, and didn't see any silver. I used to own a car that had been silver, and I know what that looks like underneath. I wonder if the chasis were all painted black from the factory and then the exterior panels were painted "body" color.

Either way, it doesn't really matter to me. I would have liked to have known that going in. I heard some "odd" things about Orange County Lamborghini going into this transaction - that's why I made sure I brought the best along - Tony and his crew - for the PPI and checkover. In the end, they really liked the car, and gave it the big thumbs up. I'm going to be working closely with them over the next few years both on the Boxster / 996 book, and the restoration / rescue of this 959.

-Wayne

Wayne, have to check through my notes but I'm pretty sure it's the same car. I tried to buy it earlier this year and they were very upfront about the color change and the various abs and low boost problems.
I connected with them when they were running it on Ebay but could never come to terms with them. Wish I could have.

[Jgordon]

Wayne, this is retardedly cool. It's extremely gratifying to see someone start a business like this doing something they love and then have it succeed to this degree.

Keep up the great work.

If you're curious about the repaint, just take a key and scratch the hood. If you find silver, you know it's the same car!

[Wayne 962]

Just got this note from the sales manager I bought the car from:

I posted that the first time I listed it but it is incorrect. The car has not been repainted. I will check on the credit card and let you know later today. I am glad to hear all is well and hope you enjoy the car. I would love to see it when all your work is done.

I'm going to order the "Cardex" build sheet / cert of authenticity from Porsche today, and we'll see in 4-6 weeks what the original color was. I had conversation with Tony today, and we're sitting here scratching our head, because we didn't see *any* evidence of a repaint on the car...

-Wayne

[wachuko]

Wayne, will you be sharing the cost of the car + the costs associated to bring it up to spec?

Best of luck with your dream!!! I will have to settle for the poster I have here in my home office . As some other folks have stated, even if I can't buy a 959, reading your experiences and seeing the photos seems to bring it closer home. Thank you for sharing!!!

[kevin993]

Easier for me to say on the sidelines, but the color issue sounds like the first good puzzle to be solved on this journey... It will be very fun to watch along as this and other challenges are identified and resolved along the way.

Congrats Wayne and thanks very much for sharing with all of us. It is always cool to be doing things that only "other" people do - this project definately ranks in that category. Looking forward to seeing the car at a fun run or other event - the traditional turkey day morning run would be a great venue for the car if you're looking for an excuse to exercise the car in friendly company.

Best of luck on the project...

[911pcars]

Wayne,
The car is cool. It's a unique car. You and Bill Gates now have more in common. If you have the budget to whittle the punch list down, go for it.

However, the NLA parts issue comes up. If this is an occasional driver, some basic systems should be operational. ECU-related systems on a non-federalized vehicle would give me sleepless nights.

Sherwood

[herr_oberst]

subscribed

[Wayne 962]

I'm headed into work today, I will be looking closer at the front trunk and color issues...

-Wayne

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

I'm headed into work today, I will be looking closer at the front trunk and color issues...

-Wayne

If this does end up being a color change, do you feel at all surprised that it wasn't revealed in such a thorough PPI?

[lpsalsaman]

Wayne, can you get the info of the built sheet directly from Porsche in Sttutgart DE instead of Porsche USA? Unless you know someone who can help you out from here. When I was in Germany station twice and on my last tour between 87 to 90, I remember seen a red 959 on the authobann in Frankfurt. The other I saw was in silver, and as I recall reading they were only 200 made in 88 and none for US. Maybe this one was order on this color, who knows...Congrats on the Machine!

[drauz]

"...do you feel at all surprised that it wasn't revealed in such a thorough PPI?"
if I may interject, one might differentiate a mechanical PPI from a chassis/physical one, and even from a documentary one. after all, they are distinct knowledge-bases calling for distinct talents. these tasks might be performed by a single "super-expert" or by 3 separate individuals. it's between the prospective buyer and his hired expert (I think).

if it were me, I'd be curious about full & complete disclosure, the ownership chain (& obviously, the owners' actions) & factory records. for instance, if a high-rolling enthusiast in Europe had a repaint done to suit his personal taste, no-expense-spared, at the Special Wishes Dept, that's one thing... if the car was repainted after it launched off the Autobahn and went flying through a forest at 250kph... well, that's another.

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by drauz

"...do you feel at all surprised that it wasn't revealed in such a thorough PPI?"
if I may interject, one might differentiate a mechanical PPI from a chassis/physical one, and even from a documentary one. after all, they are distinct knowledge-bases calling for distinct talents. these tasks might be performed by a single "super-expert" or by 3 separate individuals. it's between the prospective buyer and his hired expert (I think).

if it were me, I'd be curious about full & complete disclosure, the ownership chain (& obviously, the owners' actions) & factory records. for instance, if a high-rolling enthusiast in Europe had a repaint done to suit his personal taste, no-expense-spared, at the Special Wishes Dept, that's one thing... if the car was repainted after it launched off the Autobahn and went flying through a forest at 250kph... well, that's another.

I only mention this due to Wayne's assurance that these guys went over this particular car with a fine tooth comb. According to Wayne, this particular shop is known for their attention to detail during the PPI process.

[Wayne 962]

Hey guys, I posted this on another thread. After a thorough inspection of the car, there is almost no way that this car could have been repainted. It looks black from the factory through-and-through. Just about 100% of everything would have had to have been taken off the car, and there's no evidence of that. I have the fax into Porsche for the cardex, and that will also confirm our findings. Also, there was no evidence of any accident damage, or any other blemishes either. The chassis of the car was perfect, as inspected by Grant, Tony, and myself. See that other post here:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/371288-959-ppi-update-re-color-change-post3522702.html

As mentioned previously, the manager selling the car for the previous owner was mistaken about the repaint. Funny how simple things like that can make a lot of people go crazy...

-Wayne

[Jays72T]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

Funny how simple things like that can make a lot of people go crazy...

-Wayne

That's not that simple, it probably turned away some buyers but that's only a good thing for you.

Congratulations on getting my dream car, love reading about it and all the pics.
Thanks for sharing.

[nostatic]

well since you're going to backdate it to an RS replica, the repaint doesn't matter, right?