Learn something new everyday...
04-25-2004, 10:09 PM
#1
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Learn something new everyday...
I had a pleasant conversation with then original owner of my 928. He was pleased to hear the car is still alive and well.
Bill's quite the german auto enthusiast and had been importing through the grey market for sometime (70's, early 80's). He remembered my car specifically because it was the last he'd imported and was special ordered by him for himself. He remembered the all leather M981 option, but most specifically the color. It is Anthracite Gray/Anthrazitgrau #172, a Mercedes color. He recalled this specifically as he ordered the paint personally.
My color code is L999, which is the custom color code. I had just assumed my car color was Meteor Grey Metallic #961, as it was a Porsche color in '82 and reintroduced in '85-86.
He said the fedralization cost $5000, no matter was the shops did to pass federalization. The shops were more than happy to do as little as possible which usually was just fine with the owner. He said these hack-shop guys were pirates, and made out very well for a while, though some went to jail for shady dealings.
I'm very happy that Bill had good rapport with the pirates, and my car was left untouched (even the headlight adjusters!). Though my EPA paperwork shows that a O2 sensor, Lambda control unit, and cat coverter were added. NOT!
Funny thing is I just found out that Bill was the original owner (I was under the impression that the 2nd owner WAS the OO). I was going through all my paperwork, and ran across his name... did a Yahoo search and next thing were talking for 45 minutes. The now 2nd owner did own the car from '85 to '01, so I had just assumed. Bill only drove it for 2K miles.
Cool thing is he has some original paperwork on the car, including early pictures when it got off the boat from Stuttgart! I can't wait to see.
He said it was purchased in Frankfurt, but my owner's manual shows Hahn Sportwagen GmbH (Porsche full service center, Verkauf - Beratung, Spezial - Werkstatt). Anyone have info on them?
Bill's quite the german auto enthusiast and had been importing through the grey market for sometime (70's, early 80's). He remembered my car specifically because it was the last he'd imported and was special ordered by him for himself. He remembered the all leather M981 option, but most specifically the color. It is Anthracite Gray/Anthrazitgrau #172, a Mercedes color. He recalled this specifically as he ordered the paint personally.
My color code is L999, which is the custom color code. I had just assumed my car color was Meteor Grey Metallic #961, as it was a Porsche color in '82 and reintroduced in '85-86.
He said the fedralization cost $5000, no matter was the shops did to pass federalization. The shops were more than happy to do as little as possible which usually was just fine with the owner. He said these hack-shop guys were pirates, and made out very well for a while, though some went to jail for shady dealings.
I'm very happy that Bill had good rapport with the pirates, and my car was left untouched (even the headlight adjusters!). Though my EPA paperwork shows that a O2 sensor, Lambda control unit, and cat coverter were added. NOT!
Funny thing is I just found out that Bill was the original owner (I was under the impression that the 2nd owner WAS the OO). I was going through all my paperwork, and ran across his name... did a Yahoo search and next thing were talking for 45 minutes. The now 2nd owner did own the car from '85 to '01, so I had just assumed. Bill only drove it for 2K miles.
Cool thing is he has some original paperwork on the car, including early pictures when it got off the boat from Stuttgart! I can't wait to see.
He said it was purchased in Frankfurt, but my owner's manual shows Hahn Sportwagen GmbH (Porsche full service center, Verkauf - Beratung, Spezial - Werkstatt). Anyone have info on them?
04-26-2004, 01:53 AM
#4
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I know Hahn- it's a a small village on the way to nowhere in particular west of Darmstadt, south of nurburg(ring), seemed just like home... drove through Hahn once on the way to the Nordschleife from Kaiserslautern. There is(was?) a small Air Force station there. I'd doubt that it was the sales leading dealer/ service center out there, the Air Force paid hardship wages calling it a remote post, but the Air Force paid hardship if you couldn't get the tee time you wanted, seemed like...
Last edited by Parnelli Joneser; 04-26-2004 at 05:32 AM.
04-26-2004, 10:35 AM
#5
928 Engine Re-Re-Rebuild Specialist
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That's pretty cool!
Just last week while trying to fish out my wife's lost earring from under the passenger seat I found a previous owner's driver's license that expired in 1992. I'm thinking this may be a fun ice-breaker for making a call.
Just last week while trying to fish out my wife's lost earring from under the passenger seat I found a previous owner's driver's license that expired in 1992. I'm thinking this may be a fun ice-breaker for making a call.