Douglas_T

I am anti rice, but I don't think larger rims make it rice...Loud fart can muffler...yes...
Improving over stock, sure why not?

Campeck

so does a rear valence on an N/A

panzer grey

starr944


I'm going through the same dilemma myself.

I inherited a 85.5 944 that my father bought for my mother as a 30th anniversary present.

I would love to get into DE's at my local track, but I know in my heart that it would "ruin" the car, especially as I am a novice.

I thought about some modest upgrades, suspension, larger wheels, exhaust....but I know it would be hard to stop and the next thing I know the car would be "corrupted" from original.

I'm curious about 'concours' competitions....but I'm not sure if I'm the "q-tip" detailing, trailer it only, 'please don't touch it' kinda guy.

I think in the end I am going to go for as perfectly original as I can, but not to the point of never driving it.

Going original restoration is less creative, and some would say less 'fun'...but in a way it's like capturing a moment in time. Maybe I'm leaning this way because I'm a photographer by profession...maybe it's the sentimental motivations as it was a family car.

Going stock is rewarding on a different level, it's sorta like re-constructing a crime scene....and believe me, most of the 944's out there qualify as crime scenes for what was done to them or for the ravages of time.

In many ways, going stock is more challenging. It usually entails an attention to detail not found in modded cars, and the historical accuracy part can be interesting. You are preserving someone's "vision", not lumping your own vision on top of theirs.

Be aware, some details of the 944 are almost IMPOSSIBLE to 'restore'....I'm thinking of my seats here - the Porsche fabric seat insert material is only sold by one company in Australia, as far as I can tell. I don't know about original Dunlop tires...I doubt anyone makes reproductions...and the same with any glass.

If you decide to go 'stock', the next question is how far to take it. Do you forsake the newer 951 water pumps in favor of the older leaky ones for 'accuracy' ? Do you source original tires ? How much 'aging' do you tolerate ? Do you put in new fluid tanks ? Or leave the more faded yellow ones ?

When I see shows like Victory By Design and they feature rare Ferrari's I always find the ones that have been partially restored most appealing.

So maybe you just 'stop the bleeding', that is, just replace anything broken or excessively worn, including cosmetically.

The one frustrating thing about stock appeal is that the ultimate goal is unattainable - completely original with no mods and no restorations. A car just has to 'exist' in that state, you can't create one.

On the other hand a custom car with mods is never 'done' or reaches it's ultimate goal either..there's always something else.

The interesting thing is, the older the car the less likely the desire to mod it. Yes, people still like Model T hotrods, but that's a uniquely American phenomena. Maybe that is because they were so "common" and not very high performance in original form?

Can you imagine someone wanting to mod out a 1940's Ferrari or a 1925 Aston ?

The solution is obviously to have one car as a perfect stock example, one as a high performance street mod, and a third as a track car / full race. One can dream, no ?

After this wordy response, I say go full restoration / stock...with some sensible exceptions made like upgraded water pump, maybe a MO30 suspension upgrade, and beefier brakes....all Porsche OEM parts only.

To each his own, and I have no problem with the 'ricer' philosophy.

But remember this- no one "modifies" a Rembrandt.

I recommend "Friendan" , "Thom" and "Z-man"s advice.

_______________________________


"Said the 944 wasn't a 'real' Porsche"

You shoulda reminded them that a 911 is just a souped-up Beetle!

starr944

I think I've found my balance here. My car is in fantastic shape with fairly low mileage - leaving it like it is (completely stock) would not be a bad option.

I've decided to do a few tasteful updates and leave it at that. Since I will never race the car, performance mods will be at a minimum. I've already got 2 sets of 18" wheels for the car - still deciding which I like best.

It's just hard when you come across a gem and are trying to decide whether to keep it stock completely, or trick it out completely. I'll stay somewhere in the middle.

Porsche-O-Phile

Agreed. Same questions / points I was going to make. . . How stock is "stock"? I claim my car to be stock, but it's soon going to have replacement seats (as close to authentic as I can get, but replacement nonetheless), new paint, etc. Is using a "modern" motor oil like Mobil-1 "cheating" because such a material wasn't available in 1985? What about the gasoline blends? What about factory-recommended modifications like the fuel lines? How stock is stock?

For what it's worth, I document EVERYTHING I do to the car, just as one might do with an airplane and I try to use genuine Porsche original parts where ever I can, but eventually the day will come when parts are unavailable - then what?

starr944

We've got a great mix of owners here. Some race. Some keep it stock. Some are slightly ricey. In the end it all comes down to the preference of the owner. I originally asked the question because I owned a MG and nearly everyone that I came into contact with was an ultra **** purist.

schadenfreude

I race my car stock, but that's a decision borne out of financial necessity, not purity

Joe Anstett

I like to keep my mods tasteful and understated, and preferably under the hood.

With my 951, it was pretty much in stock shape when I got it. It still has the original deep dish phone dial rims on it (a lot of people compliment me on these). They have a few nicks but are an overall great example. I put a 930 style steering wheel on because my wheel's leather was in horrible shape and deteriorating in my hands on moist days, but I will reupholster the original wheel at some point and put it back in.

So I'd like to keep it as close to stock in appearance as possible, let it be authentic to itself and its time.

That being said, I'm not super-**** -- it's got an MP3 CD player radio, and I'm not going to hunt down an old Blaupunkt tape deck to be complete. I'm also getting rid of the old-school silver logo key heads in favor of the newer gold color ones. And I turned my rear license bracket upside down cause it looks better.

My seats are leather with cloth inserts, and the cloth is starting to wear out (in 18 years I'm the first one who drives the car). I might replace it with leather inserts instead of cloth when the time comes.

So I'm not super-**** but I'm not trying to go nuts with appearance mods either. I'd like to keep it authentic to itself.