I planned to continue with my Guards Red 968 restoration story this month, but something rather unexpected happened!
Amaranth Violet 968 Sport
Back in January 2020, long before I bought my red 968 I saw a very rare Amaranth Violet 968 Sport for sale, I think on Facebook marketplace. I enquired about the car but was actually busy building a house at the time and then, soon after, all our worlds changed with Covid lockdowns. I forgot about the car and actually bought an Aero Kitted Speed Yellow 996 in 2020 that I still have.
Then, through 2021 and even 2022 I’d see the same Amaranth car pop up for sale on Facebook or Autotrader before disappearing again, as I presumed it was sold. It looked tired and a little neglected, but I loved the colour, one I’d never seen in the flesh on any Porsche.
Fast-forward to 2023 and my good friend Hugh asked me if I would ever sell my red car when finished. I didn’t think so, but we agreed we’d see if we could find another decent ‘project’ car. Not much took our interest and, with us both lucky enough to have other Porsches, it wasn’t a priority. Then, in August, I saw the Amaranth car was on Autotrader yet again! I reached out the seller and discovered it was the same person, literally years later – not a good sign, but I was intrigued to finally see the car, which was in Southport about an hour from home. Initially I got fobbed off - the car was in a garage getting an MOT, and, then, once it had an MOT we could finally view it. This story literally went on for weeks, until I finally twisted the owner’s arm into a viewing at the garage where it had now failed its MOT. Off we went to Southport on a rain-soaked grey Monday afternoon, only to arrive at a truly grubby, muddy yard outside a back street garage – not the ideal start to a viewing. It quickly got worse! The car’s exterior was filthy, covered in mud and had clearly been sat for months. The interior was also muddy, damp and mould was starting to break out on the seats and seatbelts. It turned over but wouldn’t start, as the battery (not even the right size) was nearly flat. However, under all the dirt and flat paint was (hopefully) a great car. It needed a lot, discs, pads, tyres, wheel bearings etc. and of course a major service!
I negotiated with the owner for a few days but we were miles apart on price, so sadly no deal was done. Well, that was until three weeks later when, out of the blue, the seller text me to say he’d let the car go for the price I’d offered. So, two days later with Hugh in France my trailer guy and myself headed back to Southport to pick up a very dirty Amaranth Violet 968 Sport!
Future events
Next event announcement coming soon!