rixter

this girl is finally (knock on wood) ready to once again hit US streets.... I found this 1978 true Euro vin# 9288100034 Yes #34!! hiding in a garage and just couldn't resist ... she shows 115k km (72k miles) and if the purported history of the car is true I'll post it ... she comes home from the shop tomorrow after tons of mechanical work ... I have most all original parts to restore the interior except for rear seats and storage compartment (if you have some please let me know)1 of the local rice racers heard me talking to the mechanic and invited me to bring my little 6 cyl down to get my butt kicked (ha ha ha) by him and his buddies... oh well... happy to be here and look forward to enjoying this fine piece of German craftmanship

TeufelHei

Interesting color, and complete with requisite chin marks.

Good looking car!

rixter

the color is Porsche Prussian Blue from like 85 or 86... repaint to India Red will come after interior is done

Lizard928

the 78 didnt by factory have the lower front spoiler did it?

rixter

the girl has an as yet unconfirmed strange history so the spoiler wouldn't surprise me as being original... but I'm still trying to get original option codes from Portsche AG

Lizard928

whats "Portsche"

I thought the chin spoilers started on the 1980 or 1981, but I could be completely off

Jim bailey - 928 International

The 78 -79 would not have originally had spoilers until the Euro S was introduced late 1979 as a 1980 but many early cars were updated to look like an S some of which was done to fool unsuspecting American tourists who thought they were getting an S . This 78 was at least partially federalized as it has front fender markers and U S legal 7 inch headlights .

Old & New

...but it looks like they left the pencil-beam driving lights in.

heinrich

Just what I was thinking .. lose the small US lights :-) And I think the colour is very ver gorgeous ....

Tony

Whats her name? April?

rixter

this board is so active!
I could definately use the expertise available here to put this girl back together
she was brought to the US in May '85 by US army officer returning from Germany (German history forthcoming if verified), was originally India Red with brown Pschodelic interior, was painted military green (yes GREEN) at some point then a switch to black interior and Prussian Blue exterior.. I have the following already

new leather dash
78 3 spoke steering wheel
spare tire cover
jack
thanks to 928 Intl

original blaupunkt stereo
under dash tray
misc other parts
thanks to stan!

rear interior panels and sunvisors
thanks to my new friend in Ventura

I'm getting the car back tomorrow after the following work
Cam shaft belt/tensioner/rollers/front seals/coolant and thermostat
water pump rebuild
complete flush and fill of all fluids in the car
complete replacement of fuel sysem between tank and injection (if your car sits alot have this checked, I blew a coupling and it was spitting fuel everywhere)
intake manifold removed and all relevant seals replaced and new breather hoses
state inspection!!! a big one in NC... the car does not have a catalytic converter or rear bumber guards... it is US DOT and EPA exempt but NC has tougher standards in certain counties

sorry I got long winded
advice happily taken

SharkSkin

Is it just me or does the right fender look higher than it should be?

Nicole

WOW! That IS an early VIN!!! Have you registered it in the 928 registry?

I agree with Jim that the spoilers were certainly put on afterwards. There were even instructions from the factory, on how to retrofit them properly. Lots of owners did it, but not in '78 - the spoilers were not available at that time. If in doubt, see, if you can find a production date stamp on the spoiler pieces.

Yes, this clearly looks like a Euro model. You probably have some gauges reading in German. Nice that they made the side markers almost flush, but of course it would be nicest not to have them in the first place...

I'm glad to hear you are planning to restore it to ints original color. Just be aware that this will be a pretty big project, if you want to do it right. The current paint should be stripped off completely, and rebuilt from the metal, including all door jambs and many other small areas.

Best of luck with your upcoming projects!

Brett Matthews

So Rixter,
Since you do not have as far to drive, if your early Shark is up and running, are you going to attend SITM in June? It would be nice to see your find, even before the re-repaint. I happen to like the color of the car in the pic you posted.
A fortunate find!