Quikshft

Guys, I've known about this car for perhaps 10 years. It's a black Weissach and is still in the hands of the original owner who was my wife's boss until he retired about 6/7 years ago due to the progression of his M.S. disease. He's not actively seeking to sell it, and in some casual email exchanges has noted that he has many friends and others who will buy it for 7K, that's about half what I think he might let it go for. I haven't seen the car for a long time, but it now has about 80K miles on it. I didn't buy it 10 years ago because it was so different from what I am used to playing with automotively (mopar muscle cars) and pretty expensive for what I thought it was. Things change and even though I can say I've always admired a nice Porsche, I have a renewed interest in the car because of a couple things; reasonably low miles and low production, not to mention that I'll participate in my first track event later this year and Willow Springs and this ultimately might be a great car for such a thing as track days. I'd also mention that a Corvette has been at the top of my bang for buck list of possible track cars but alongside this Porsche a Corvette is quite ordinary.
Even though the car "only" has 80,000 miles on it, I am pretty certain that when he parked it at the end of his driving career it only had about 50K. I know his daughter drove the car and I suppose that means she put 30 thousand miles on it. I am not certain that the car was maintained during this time and I'm wondering what kind of money pit I might be jumping into with a car like this? This car will most certainly need cosmetic restoration, but it is currently garaged. Any comments or advice will be completely considered and digested with appreciation.
Jeff

Daniel Dudley

That may be a great car. The only certain thing about an SC is that it will eventually need syncros. But when ? This is a very different car from a Vette. Prehaps a taste test comparison is in order ? My only concern about this car besides a PPI would be whether the daughter knew how to drive, and or warmed it up before juicing it. It would be nice to know about the head studs. They would seriously affect the value.

Sorry to hear about your friends health issues. Must be hard for him not to even be able to use such a wonderful and prized possesion. He probably wants it to go to a good home. I think you qualify.

panchosouth

I concur, good luck with it....no short cuts though...dont talk yourself out of a PPI...like some meatheads (that would be me)...the daughter thing worries me also...although if she managed to put 30K on it, and most likely grew up with her father driving it...lets hope it was well taken care of....good luck!
Frank

Loaded

My belief is that the 911 as long as it runs and drives is worth purchasing even at your 7k. The 911 is very easy to work on and extremely simple as compared to the 928 or others.......I say get it

84_Carrera

Correct me if I'm wrong o 911 gurus, but the Weissach only came in 2 colors - like a platinum / gray & a bronzy-beige from memory. If true, it's not a Weissach if it's really black.

oceanvue

That was going to be my point. Without getting down my old books I thought they only came in the gold color

Quikshft

Not being argumentative, but I've taken the word of the owner on this one. If you do a little searching on the net you'll find evidence that two colors were available, one sort of a beige metallic and the other a color I simply refer to as black, although I believe if you look carefully the amount of metallic in the paint makes it appear more of a deep grey or charcoal. I have never seen a picture of a black Weissach on the net, there are a number of shots of the beige colored cars.
Being at best uneducated about Porsche cars, it seems odd that a manufacturer would tool up to produce just 408 'special' examples of what is otherwise just a 911? It seems to me there must be more to the model than just trim, I remember years ago talking about the car with Mort while getting a filling in his office (he was a dentist) and he said that it had a performance or competition clutch? Is there not any difference in the bodywork between the Weissach and another 1980 911?
Loaded, regarding the price I mentioned in my first post 7K is not going to buy it. He has plenty of folks who will give him that for the car but hasn't parted with it. I'm know he'll sell for 14k, but not sure where the 'inbetween' price might be. If that price is very much more than I could buy a standard 911 model in decent running condition I might pass on the car, unless of course I determine that the uniqueness of the Weissach model is worth a premium.

Steve Zitelli

If it is really a 80 Weissach Coupe,you should be able to confirm this by the vin # and the PPI turns up nothing major 14k would be a good price for this car.I also agree with the other posts to take a comparison test drive.After driving muscle cars you may not like the way the porsche drives it's quite different then a corvette.

panchosouth

I think that you will be hard pressed to find a 'one' owner 911 that may or may not be a Weissach that has a solid mech history etc etc... for less than 14K....I think 12-14k is fair money if the car is what is, and passes the PPI with reasonable issues. And, it always comes down to this, for me anyway...does the car do it for you...

onlycafe

i believe the weissach was available in a platinum or charcoal black color and all had grey leather with maroon or burgundy piping. about 200 of each color. some suspension upgrades as well.and if i recall, the price was about $5,000 above the regular 1980 sc.

JackOlsen

You don't really need to 'tool up' much for an appearance package model.

In your shoes, I'd drive a few other 911's before you make your choice. 14K isn't a steal for an SC, in my opinion. If you do decide you want this one, get a PPI for the sake of the friendship, if nothing else. The condition of the transaxle will be important, as well as whether any of the head studs are snapped. Even just a top end job is going to cost enough to make you upside down on the car, financially. It can get very espensive to get emotional about a 911 purchase.

That said, an SC makes a fun track car for a track like Willow. (Click on the link in my signature for a lap, there.)

Quikshft

Jack that lap at Willow Springs is great, thanks for pointing that out.
So I'm learning the Weissach was an appearance package except for maybe the turbo spoiler and maybe the unique wheels/wheel width?
I'm also seeing the recommendation for the PPI, is there a shop in the Fresno area that can do that right? I might have trouble getting the car to a shop, if it's been sitting and not registered I'd need a permit from the DMV to move it. For all I know by now it's sitting on four flat tires etc but last spring Mort said it was in good driving condition. I don't think I'd buy without it being checked over. If I do get to look at it I'll get the VIN number if it is specific to a Weissach as well.
Jeff

Peter Zimmermann

I don't believe that a Weissach Edition can be identified by VIN. There just weren't enough differences between it and an ordinary SC. There are no differences, other than spoilers with the body, but I believe that they all rec'd period Sport Seats with unique color-matched piping. Engine, trans, emissions, gear ratios were all the same. I think that you need Porsche's help, build sheet, with this one.
Pete

scottb

Check your local Porsche Club of America chapter for suggestions on shops that can do a PPI. You might even be able to find someone who will travel to the car's location (for a few extra $$, of course).

Good luck!

Quikshft

Aha, build sheets are something I understand being familiar with 60's and 70's Chrysler products. Is there a location one might look for a sheet in the car? They were commonly shoved into the rear seat springs in mopar vehicles. If a build sheet is something that would be included with original dealership paperwork/brochures and such I'm going to be out of luck, Mort has no paperwork or owners material that he is aware of on the car despite being the original owner.