911 2.7 Coupe - from Race to Road car?

[AndyF]

I'm after a bit of advice/opinion.

I have a 1976 road registered ex-Classic race car (LHD) which has been garaged for an embarrassing number of years since I stopped using it for track days due to personal circumstances. It's generally very solid, currently has a roll cage welded in and the engine (original engine number) was reconditioned only a few thousand road and track miles ago.

I'm thinking of returning it back to road trim and getting some more use out of it and hopefully turning it into a more appreciating asset. My belief is that it is likely to appreciate more as a road car than a race car so if I'm wrong on that score it would be good to know. Also, to get it back to road trim, I'll need to collect together most of the interior trim and seats, etc. I have a collection of some of the original interior parts (which were black vinyl with cloth inserts in the front seats - don't have those seats and many other detail parts missing) but have just been offered a complete black leather interior, allegedly in very good condition, from a US 930 Turbo (minus the seats which wouldn't be appropriate). The question is, would this black leather interior be appropriate for a 76 Coupe and be regarded as authentic enough to support the potential value of the car when completed? The interior is going to cost around £4-5k so I'd want to be sure that I was doing the right thing rather than hunting around for what might be more authentic - getting more difficult as the years go by. This would certainly be a much quicker and simpler solution.

Could anybody advise on what the best plan would be? I need to make a decision on the interior pretty quickly before it gets split up.

Any other advice or experiences of putting a race car back in road trim would be appreciated.

Many thanks!

 

[AndrewCS]

Is the cage staying ?

 

[AndyF]

Hi Andrew,
I was planning on cutting the cage out - as it is a full race cage it is pretty substantial and makes getting in and out a bit of a challenge for some. I'm pretty skinny so not really a problem for me.

 

[AndrewCS]

Thanks Andy ...

Being rather biased towards road - race cars (I have a caged Mk1 Golf GTI) ... cutting out and repairing the shell may just lose you some value ! ?

Having driven several of Tuthill Porsche`s FIA rally 911`s ... I`d speak with Richard Tuthill for advice on the use vs. value options. I did this some years ago, Richard is extremely open and offers totally pragmatic advice

Have you some pictures to share please ?

 

[AndyF]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for that contact. It would be good to avoid the possibility of making a terrible mistake by cutting out the cage I'll give Richard a call and see what he thinks. I could probably fit most of a standard interior back in around the cage so maybe that would be an option.

I was looking for some photos of the car but have drawn a blank - I had some track day shots but seem to have mislaid them. I'll have to roll it out of the garage, dust it down and take a few. Might be fun moving as it has been stationary for quite a while - dry stored though.

I'll report back what Richard says.

 

[AndyF]

Hi Andrew,
Haven't managed to get hold of Richard yet after a few attempts .... he's a busy guy I'll try again next week.

Any thoughts RE the interior which was the other bit of advice I was looking for? Is the "correct era and right colour but not an exact match" going to be good enough to achieve a good value (should I decide to sell it of course) or is trying for a fully authentic refurb essential? I don't know enough about what people are looking for when they buy these classics.

Many thanks

 

[AndrewCS]

Andy

" I don't know enough about what people are looking for when they buy these classics "

Nor me but I`d guess your decision on the cage would drive this ...

 

[AndyF]

Yes, as I couldn't fit some of the standard interior parts with the cage as fitted. However, I need to let the guy know about the complete interior asap as he has a number of other people interested in some parts of it so it will be split up if I don't decide very soon. Perhaps I should let it go anyway to avoid a rushed decision - hoping I can assemble all of the parts later if I decide to go that way. Hopefully I'll get some info from Richard early next week RE the value of the cage to help.
Thanks

 

[Motorhead]

Andy,

As an interested but totally uninformed observer I can’t really offer any advice other than to also recommend that you speak to Richard Tuthill who has a wealth of experience, in particular with race and rally preparing older 911s.

You could also try speaking to restomod companies like 911Rennsport and Paul Stevens for advice since my guess is that they’re in the business of sourcing components like interiors. Roger Bray Restoration in Devon I believe has an established and excellent reputation, and stocks a large selection of used classic Porsche parts.

I’ve no idea if the 930 Turbo interior you’ve been offered is good value but I’m sure that you could find a buyer if you found that it isn’t suitable?

Just my tuppence worth of course … so please don’t put any credibility to my comments. []

Jeff

 

[AndyF]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks, some useful insight and info there - it all helps as I don't know much yet[]. I did speak to Paul at Rennsport a month or so (maybe a bit longer) ago specifically about some drivers seats that they had but didn't discuss to the pros and cons of "de-caging" with him at the time. Maybe I should ask him that question. I haven't come across Roger Bray so I'll look into them as well.

I guess the issue is that I don't have an unlimited pile of money to throw at it (would be nice!) so I need to make sure that I invest wisely[8|]

Many thanks.