Plus Sized - Rolling with the Phatness
07-03-2013, 12:42 PM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
Plus Sized - Rolling with the Phatness
For years I was looking for a specific 911 but either I could not find what I was looking for, or I was always too late to the party, or it was out of my price range. Upon my search, I came across some really nice 964s from members here and on Pelican and it got me thinking. I then started researching naturally aspirated coupe widebody 964s but as I quickly discovered, they were all C4s here in the US and I preferred a RWD. After laying off the search for a while, I came across this listing on Pelican, talked to the current owner, tracked down the prior owner and called him, did some research on the car, set up a PPI, and made a deal to purchase the car... all in 4 days. While it is not exactly what I was looking for and perhaps a little impulsive on my part, I am really happy with my choice and more importantly... I'll be driving a 964 instead of letting more years go by wishing I were.
Here is some history about the car...
It started life as a Wimbledon Green Targa in VA and sometime between 1996 and 2000, the owner who had too much money had it converted to a Roadster and spent the dough doing it. OEM front Turbo fenders of course and instead of butt welding rear flares, the entire rear skin was removed from door jamb to door jamb and a Turbo one was welded in its place, and new Glacier White paint job throughout. The car spent several years in NC before being sold to a guy named Alexander Hatzopoulos who listed it on eBay and this is where it gets interesting. The eBay listing represented the car as a true America Roadster and a gentleman named Tom bought it as such in February 2001 and paid good money for it. The car was then shipped from GA to OH and Tom quickly realized that it was not a true Roadster and tracked down Alex, build a case against him, turned the file over to the FBI, and watched the scammer go to jail. While this was unfortunate for Tom financially, it had no bearing on the quality of the vehicle and he kept it for the next 11.5 years, maintaining it, upgrading it, and most importantly, enjoying driving it. Then, Tom sold the 964 in May 2012 to the current owner, Michael who lives in SC and owns a high end detailing business, so he of course couldn't help himself when he received the 964 and he detailed the car on a weekly basis. Michael put a whopping 483 miles on it during his ownership, as it mainly sat in his air conditioned and heated garage so he decided to put it up for sale after realizing it was foolish to keep it sitting like a trophy.
After seeing the listing and talking to Michael, I tracked Tom down, found his number, and called him out of the blue. Tom turned out to be a great guy, we talked for a long time about some information I had found, and he added a lot to the history I wrote above after doing his own research and getting help from his local Porsche dealership. He also gave me the name of his mechanic (Denny @ Layland Motors in Canton, OH) who serviced the car for 11.5 years and encouraged me to call him if I needed more information. Tom wanted to buy the car back, but he was not in a financial position to do so at this time and he asked me to let him know if I ever wanted to part with it in the future. It also turns out that his wife is from MN and I told him to let me know next time he is in the area. I did some research here on RL and noticed that one of the shops folks recommended in the Charleston, SC area was Rennsport. I called Stan and Brad @ Rennsport and asked them to do a PPI and to be my eyes since I had not seen the car in person, and following their report, I decided to go through with the purchase.
Michael has been great to deal with through the process and the 964 was obviously cared for and it appears to be in great condition. However, I think it may need a little de-blinging and I'll be able to tell a little more when it shows up. The transport company just picked it up this morning, so the wait begins.
I feel like a fish out of water and I will be tapping the knowledge of this board, but I also hope to learn and to someday contribute.
EDIT: Uploading a picture for posterity and the rest can be viewed by clicking on my sig.
Here is some history about the car...
It started life as a Wimbledon Green Targa in VA and sometime between 1996 and 2000, the owner who had too much money had it converted to a Roadster and spent the dough doing it. OEM front Turbo fenders of course and instead of butt welding rear flares, the entire rear skin was removed from door jamb to door jamb and a Turbo one was welded in its place, and new Glacier White paint job throughout. The car spent several years in NC before being sold to a guy named Alexander Hatzopoulos who listed it on eBay and this is where it gets interesting. The eBay listing represented the car as a true America Roadster and a gentleman named Tom bought it as such in February 2001 and paid good money for it. The car was then shipped from GA to OH and Tom quickly realized that it was not a true Roadster and tracked down Alex, build a case against him, turned the file over to the FBI, and watched the scammer go to jail. While this was unfortunate for Tom financially, it had no bearing on the quality of the vehicle and he kept it for the next 11.5 years, maintaining it, upgrading it, and most importantly, enjoying driving it. Then, Tom sold the 964 in May 2012 to the current owner, Michael who lives in SC and owns a high end detailing business, so he of course couldn't help himself when he received the 964 and he detailed the car on a weekly basis. Michael put a whopping 483 miles on it during his ownership, as it mainly sat in his air conditioned and heated garage so he decided to put it up for sale after realizing it was foolish to keep it sitting like a trophy.
After seeing the listing and talking to Michael, I tracked Tom down, found his number, and called him out of the blue. Tom turned out to be a great guy, we talked for a long time about some information I had found, and he added a lot to the history I wrote above after doing his own research and getting help from his local Porsche dealership. He also gave me the name of his mechanic (Denny @ Layland Motors in Canton, OH) who serviced the car for 11.5 years and encouraged me to call him if I needed more information. Tom wanted to buy the car back, but he was not in a financial position to do so at this time and he asked me to let him know if I ever wanted to part with it in the future. It also turns out that his wife is from MN and I told him to let me know next time he is in the area. I did some research here on RL and noticed that one of the shops folks recommended in the Charleston, SC area was Rennsport. I called Stan and Brad @ Rennsport and asked them to do a PPI and to be my eyes since I had not seen the car in person, and following their report, I decided to go through with the purchase.
Michael has been great to deal with through the process and the 964 was obviously cared for and it appears to be in great condition. However, I think it may need a little de-blinging and I'll be able to tell a little more when it shows up. The transport company just picked it up this morning, so the wait begins.
I feel like a fish out of water and I will be tapping the knowledge of this board, but I also hope to learn and to someday contribute.
EDIT: Uploading a picture for posterity and the rest can be viewed by clicking on my sig.
Last edited by LPMM; 07-17-2013 at 05:27 PM. Reason: Typos & added a pic
07-03-2013, 01:14 PM
#2
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Wow, that's quite a story. Congratulations on the purchase, I think it looks great from the pictures.
You're going to love summer driving with the top down!
You're going to love summer driving with the top down!
07-03-2013, 03:26 PM
#5
IHI KING!
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nashua, New Hampshire, USA
Posts: 13,384
Received 221 Likes
on
175 Posts
Congratulations! Looks like a great car. Love the story. You definitely did your homework. What are your plans for the car? Keeping it as is or any mods?
07-03-2013, 04:42 PM
#7
Drifting
Thread Starter
Thanks all for the comments.
As far as mods, the car already has a B&M short shift kit, some kind of chip but not sure which, B&B headers, B&B exhaust, H&R springs (I think) and Bilstein shocks, and a few other interior/exterior enhancements. First mod will be to find an OEM airbox to replace the CAI currently in place, never been a big fan of those. I will do some research for future mods, although right now I am tempted by the Cult-Werk splitters and RS style air ducts some folks have recently mentioned on this board.
Yes, the wheels are really shiny and apparently the biggest pain in the butt to keep that way. I'm not too crazy about the bling factor and I may put them up for sale depending on how it looks in person. However, I am not sure what I would go with as a replacement at this time and I'll most likely start a thread on that. I have always been partial to Fuchs and I'd love a set of Zuffenhaus ones in RSR finish, something along those lines https://rennlist.com/forums/10224987-post286.html but other ideas may come up.
As far as mods, the car already has a B&M short shift kit, some kind of chip but not sure which, B&B headers, B&B exhaust, H&R springs (I think) and Bilstein shocks, and a few other interior/exterior enhancements. First mod will be to find an OEM airbox to replace the CAI currently in place, never been a big fan of those. I will do some research for future mods, although right now I am tempted by the Cult-Werk splitters and RS style air ducts some folks have recently mentioned on this board.
Yes, the wheels are really shiny and apparently the biggest pain in the butt to keep that way. I'm not too crazy about the bling factor and I may put them up for sale depending on how it looks in person. However, I am not sure what I would go with as a replacement at this time and I'll most likely start a thread on that. I have always been partial to Fuchs and I'd love a set of Zuffenhaus ones in RSR finish, something along those lines https://rennlist.com/forums/10224987-post286.html but other ideas may come up.
Last edited by LPMM; 07-03-2013 at 05:05 PM.
Trending Topics
07-03-2013, 04:55 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
Lovely car - and a hell of a story! Drive and enjoy her in good health. The Fuchs would look fabulous, IMO.
You can get a new air filter box w/filter from Porsche for about $230 plus shipping from your favorite Porsche parts supplier. Get a new gasket for the AFM while you're at it. Ordered mine from Gaudin Porsche in Las Vegas about a month ago. It had to be sourced from Germany and took it about 3 weeks to get here, but well worth it to clean up the engine bay.
You can get a new air filter box w/filter from Porsche for about $230 plus shipping from your favorite Porsche parts supplier. Get a new gasket for the AFM while you're at it. Ordered mine from Gaudin Porsche in Las Vegas about a month ago. It had to be sourced from Germany and took it about 3 weeks to get here, but well worth it to clean up the engine bay.
07-03-2013, 05:31 PM
#12
Drifting
Thread Starter
Sweet, the weather is gorgeous right now. It left SC this morning and unless the transporter drives straight to my house, I don't think you'll see me tooling around the lake with the 964 this weekend.
07-03-2013, 07:49 PM
#14
Basic Sponsor
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Beautiful 964 LPMM! The lines look really good on it as white is a very telling color when it comes to straight panels!
Enjoy it!
Enjoy it!
__________________
Your Trusted Source For DIY and Parts
FREE SHIPPING over $99 click here
Porsche Parts | DIY Tech Articles | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Promos
888.280.7799 | 6am - 5pm PST
FREE SHIPPING over $99 click here
Porsche Parts | DIY Tech Articles | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Promos
888.280.7799 | 6am - 5pm PST
07-04-2013, 05:42 AM
#15
Three Wheelin'
I think I miss my ex sometimes, but I know I miss my 964..Never had a car that at the two year mark I got a kick driving it. Made excuses to still take it places. Every day I felt lucky to drive it. My 500 Benz wagon has more punch, still I crave my black Peggy..