[javadog]

And now, a little bit about the car, part 1:

This car was originally delivered to a gentleman in Stusslingen, Switzerland on 11/07/80. It remained there for a period of years and was then imported to the US, by a gentleman that I believe lived in Texas. He apparently passed away in the mid-90’s and the car was sold at an auction in Tulsa, where it has remained to this day.
The color is Tobacco Metallic, a color only available in 1979 and 1980. The paint has been touched up at the front of the car where small rock chips tend to occur; also along the rocker panels; the wheel centers have also been repainted. The interior is full leather, the color is Beige and the carpets, dash and interior trim pieces are brown. Unusually for this model year, the headliner is also brown. The carpet photographs more red than it appears in person. When driving the car, the color blends in closer to the other dark browns used. There is very little wear to the leather, even on the driver’s seat bolsters. There is some slight warping to the leather dash, as is typical of these dashes, although this one is warped to a lesser extent than any others that I have owned. The carpet has very little wear and protective mats are included. I have removed the center console and it is included in the sale. Originally the car was equipped with air conditioning. The system used was one typical of European market Porsches, in that it lacked a front condenser. A second aftermarket condenser had been added in the left rear fender area, an idea I think little of given its proximity to the turbo. I removed the A/C components and they will be made available to the buyer, if desired. Frankly, I don’t consider the stock A/C systems in these cars to be worth anything, so if you’d like to have A/C, you’d be better served by installing an aftermarket system. It’s the buyer’s call. The glass appears to be all original, including a heated front windshield which you don’t ordinarily see in the US. The only non-standard parts on the car are an Alpine radio/CD player and Alpine component speakers in the front doors.

The remainder of the car is nearly bone stock, as it was originally delivered in Switzerland. No modifications have been made to the engine (apart from losing the air injection plumbing, more on this later,) suspension, body, lights; etc. In 1998, the original metric speedometer was replaced by a new imperial one. At the time of replacement, the mileage on the old one was recorded and the new speedometer was sent to a shop in California to have it adjusted forward to the equivalent mileage. Thus, I feel comfortable that the recorded mileage is genuine, as is not often the case when cars were converted to US spec back in the 80’s. Usually, a new speedometer was fitted when the car crossed the big pond and the old mileage was “lost.” The current mileage is a little over 46k.

When I bought the car, it had a slightly notchy third gear synchro, so I had the gearbox rebuilt (all gears, not just third.) I also replaced the clutch and flywheel while the engine was out, had the usual seals, gaskets, rubber hoses and a zillion other small parts replaced. The fuel distributor has been cleaned, the distributor rebuilt (I run the timing slightly retarded, to run it on 91 octane. The stock setting requires 93 or 94. I use 100% gas, no ethanol) the isolator blocks resealed and so forth. The pedal cluster has been rebuilt with bronze bushings, a new clutch cable installed, all shifter bushings and the coupler replaced, the accelerator linkage cleaned and adjusted, a new engine sound pad installed, new motor mounts put in and too many other things to list here.

The suspension bushings have been replaced (I installed new A-arms at the front) and new Bilstein shocks and struts installed. The car has been corner balanced and aligned. The front brake calipers have been rebuilt. The brake booster and master cylinder on the early turbos yields a slightly higher pedal pressure than some people like. To make this car wife-friendly, I installed the components from a later turbo, yielding about a 15% reduction in brake pedal effort.

I have replaced a bunch of little things, like the fuel sending unit, windshield washer pump, and the other minor things that go bad on these cars sooner or later. To date, I’ve spent in excess of $30,000 (not including buying it) on the car, which may have more to do with my anal “while-you’re-there” nature than any shortcomings of the car. Basically, if it needed something, it got it.

The car has the stock 7x16 and 8x16 Fuchs that it came with. For an additional price, it can be delivered with 8x16 (23.3 offset) and 9x16 Fuchs, refinished in the stock style by Harvey Weidman or original Ruf Speedlines, in 8x17 and 10x17 sizes. The tires would then be selected by the buyer.

A word about the turbos in general, for those less familiar with the cars: I have driven various 930s for the last 30 years. I have driven both Euro-spec and US-spec cars. In fact, I still own another turbo, a US-spec 1986 model that I purchased new. The Euro and US cars drive completely differently. You wouldn’t think so but you can put me in one blind-folded and I’ll tell you which it is. The Euro cars drive much freer, which is a hard concept to put into words. They have a lighter feel (not that they weigh all that much less than a US car) and have a more relaxed nature to the engine character. A US car feels like it is being held back, even those that have been modified with the usual things. The power bands are quite different, with the Euro car feeling much more flexible. They also run much cooler. This car will run an oil temperature of 90C degrees, regardless of whether it’s driven in town, or on the highway. It occasionally (all right, often...) gets to 100 degrees here in Oklahoma in the summer and this car still runs 90C degrees. You can attribute that to the richer fuel mixture a Euro car runs. The gas mileage is essentially the same for both cars. The earlier turbos have a slightly more raw feel. The later cars got a little more quiet and packed on a few pounds to show for it.

A word about Euro vs. US parts availability: Much has been written in the last 30 years, often by well-minded individuals, that a Euro car is harder to find part for than a US car. The end result of this is that they have suggested deducting 10% of the value of the car, as compensation. Well, the reality is much different. First, 95+% of the parts are exactly the same. Second, PCNA will happily supply you with any part they still have in stock in Germany. They couldn’t care less what market the car was built for originally. Any dealer, or Pelican, can get you whatever part that is still in the parts system. While I’m at it, I’ll cover the issue of running costs. Accepted “wisdom” is that a turbo is vastly more expensive to run than a standard 911. Apart from a little more time needed during valve adjustments, I don’t see much difference. The air injection plumbing was removed (the buyer can have that too, if desired) which makes the service access on a 930 much better. There are things that are less expensive on a 930 oddly enough. I have found that the brake pads last much longer. There are a couple parts that will be more expensive (brake rotors and rear wheel bearings come to mind) but these are things that don’t get replaced often. I have found them as reliable as my normally aspirated 911s. All of the service records prior to the car arriving in Tulsa went AWOL when the guy in Texas died. I have all of the records since that point (roughly 1998 and 29,000 miles.) I do have all of the original books (and English copies of same.) Included for free are a few European maps and other documents left in the car from its time in Switzerland.

A few words about licensing and insuring a Euro car: During the 80’s, there were many ways to import cars from Europe, as the laws changed from time to time. I have no idea how this car was imported. I do not have any paperwork from the importation except for a copy of a release from US Customs. I think it’s a moot point anyway, as the EPA and DOT compliance laws only apply to cars less than 25 years old. The government has bigger fish to fry these days. The car has an Oklahoma title. This will allow you to title the car in any state worth living in. I’d even wager that the car could be registered in California. Until recently, I owned a Lamborghini that spent its entire life in California, until I got my hands on it. It managed to receive a BAR sticker (or whatever it is called) as needed, so I know it can be done. This Lambo was the poster child for illegal exotics, so it didn’t exactly fly under the radar. I insure this car with a company specializing in collector cars. The cost is a little over $200 per year. They don’t care that it’s a Euro car. Neither did Allstate, when I had that coverage.