Group911@aol.com

Not exactly true. I did bid on it and was high bid on the first auction. I didn't drag my technician out there before bidding either. The way I see it, if I can buy it for under $160k, I can afford to drop $25k or so on the trans/ abs problems and still be in a great car for under $200K. I'd obvoiusly go out and check it over before completing the transaction. Real market value with the lousy dollar is probably $250 so it seems pretty safe.
They were actually priced at $160k new as the dollar was really strong around 85/86.
The car is pretty interesting. The guy that owns the dealership bought it new and it was federalized by Canepa. They are the only ones in the US that can diagnose the fault codes and they charge $1500 just ot hook it up. For me, the big downside to the car is that it has been a change of color. Original silver car. I like the car better in black but it seems there is always a stigma attached to a car with a color change.
As for the undertray stuff, they were integral to the handling of the car. Probably not a great idea to screw up the air on a 200mph car.
Ebay is an amazing place for exposure on weird cars. Look at the number of hits on the thing. There may not be a big number of actuals deals colsed through ebay but I bet the exposure leads to more successful transactions than just about any other medium.

GG Allin

There's a 910 for sale on that site.

http://www.canepa.com/inventory/racecar/910.html

doug751

Good deal, $200k, re-painted,
o-k....???

TR6

Looks like opening bid this time is $205K.

Indycam

The Canepa 959 repair shop is about two blocks away , I've gone in and had a look see at the cars , last time I looked in , I think they had three . I asked if they had a bosch hammer and if they could/would read the codes on a 964 .

warmfuzzies

Overrated and fugly, but then I've been at the vino........................

Nope still overrated and fugly, I just don't get it.........I know someone who built a clone, and I still don't get it........
Really I just don't understand the fuss......is it just me or am I the one who puts his head above the parapet first????

Kevin

TR6

One thing that is interesting to me is how relatively small the wheels look on a 959. Part of it is an optical illusion because the car is flared so wide compared to the wheel size. But also, we are so used to much larger wheels these days.

SNOWBIRD

Dunno about overrated... But to me it is seriously ugly.
$200k and it isn't even a cab.. I think not.

Red rooster

For the guys that dont get it , buy a good Porsche book and discover what a 959 is all about !
No , Porsche didnt make a Cabrio version . Could have been a bit of a problem keeping the roof on at 200 mph !!

I guess you are in to this stuff or not .

Geoff

buckdr1

FWIW- I was @ Champion Porsche a couple of years back, looking @ a 996 for my Wrench, and they took us up to the second level, and there was, a silver 959, getting detailed to sell. The vanity plate was something like 'Crawler", the sales guy said the currnet owner was the guy that invented the crawler that automaticly crawls around and cleans the bottom of your pool.
The salesman let me sit in it. The interior seemed a lot like my 964's. The engine bay was quite different.
Bill

Indycam

They could have gone to bullet proof vest maker to whip up a soft top . Kevlar etc ...

warmfuzzies

Geoff,

In this stuff or not predisposes the fact I've had a few years in engine work, and yet I still don't get it. I wish I did, but I can't get worked up about it.......Give me an F1, and yes I can get it, but the Fugly 959, not a chance in hell......

I've worked on engines by far and away more complex, interesting and different, the Deltic for 1, but the 959, is just plain ordinary engine wise, body wise is Fugly and the rest, well, it simply doesn't add up, a mishmash of engineering that looks decidedly at odds with itself, a Bangle ism if you like..

No apologies, it simply doesn't work, and I'm grateful for that in itself as often the hype that surrounds the mystic is bigger and better than the object itself.
kevin.

JasonAndreas

The fault code reader is probably very similar to other fault code (flashers) readers for Bosch Motronic of that era and all you are doing is jumping a pin to ground. If we had a wiring diagram for the 959 it might be possible for one of us to figure it out...


photo courtesy of gonzilla

Jay H

I remember reading every 959 review I could get my hands on when that car was out being tested by journalists. The Road and Track review from '86 that I have was something I read about a million times when I was a teenager. I remember those 17" rims/tires and how HUGE they were at that time. 16's were even big back then since 13" tires were common on el' cheapo cars during that era.

Kevin doesn't get the whole 959 thing, and that's just fine. Many of the rest of us still hold the 959 as the ultimate 911 and really the predecessor to our 964's.

Also, I feel you really have to see a 959 in person to appreciate it. Pics don't do these cars real justice. I saw my first 959 in person at Parade in 2001 here in Milwaukee. Man, it was stunning in white over gray on the concours lawn. You don't realize just how wide that car is since we're so used to 'regular' 911's and their width.

Jay
90 964, 84 3.2

Red rooster

Kevin,

4 valve, water cooled heads, small turbo + big turbo with change over system,
dynamic ride height adjustment , 200 mph tires specially developed for this car , unique 4wd sytem , special material for body panels , extremely advanced aerodynamics etc , etc !!
The 959 is packed end to end with innovation . Sorry , but its like looking at a Spitfire and saying yes but whats the excitement all about .
Maybe very big motors like the Deltic are your thing but with an engineering background I find it hard to understand how you can dismiss an automotive landmark so easily.
Maybe you have a more significant car as a object of respect ??

If you are not up to speed on what technology is incorparated in a 959, get that 959 book on the Christmas list .

All the best

Geoff