Caveman

I still haven't seen a converted car advertised.... I mean narrow body to standard turbo body like we used to see with 3.2's and 964s

Cheers,

David

David in LA

If your car gets into an accident and needs the fenders replaced and repainted then its relatively cost effective to do the conversion if you plan on keeping your car for a while...the widebody fenders and bumpers are about the same price as the NB parts. I would not bucher an otherwise clean NB 993 but if you come across one with some body damage but is otherwise sound, it could be worth doing.

Caveman

Hey David, maybe there is some link between this and other posts running at the moment?! ;-)

David in LA

There were a few wide-body cab conversions that Beverly Hills Porsche did a few years back - almost all of them were black and quite blinged with chrome wheels, etc...they pop up for sale from time to time and then we gets the old "Did Porsche ever make a widebody cab? I just saw one for sale..." threads posted here
Haha..although funny, I would never wish that upon someone....that would be like finding out your girlfriend/fiancee/wife of xx years has a previously unmentioned "past"

Rob 97 993c2

do not do it as you will loose money when selling. A c2s/c4s buyer will not pay a premium for a converted widebody .. period!

if you want to keep the car a long time and it makes you happy, then do it, but its a poor use of money. Frankly the NB 993 still has a wide rear and it handles better.

Or, if you had an accident and the car is already damaged, then perhaps the conversion will cost no more than the repair.

Ritter v4.0

I'm new to this form but am quickly gauging the level of "bastardization" considered tolerable. From what I can see, very few cars here are bone stock and most have been "modified" but not to the status of full bastardization.

I've come from the Audi RS4/S4 world where there seemed to be few limits (within generally accepted norms; you could not go wrong with OEM, Champion or RS4 mimicry- or plain ol' bigger turbos).

There does seem to be one similarity between both forums; the guys lucky enough to have RS4's (Europe only) were generally the purists who frowned upon mods. And why wouldn't they be- when you have the fastest/best handling stock wagon in the world who needs to mod?

I suppose in this context, if I was lucky enough to own an RS or "even" a C2S/C4S I might feel the same way.

Thanks for all your input- particularly mbwilson who really answered the question posed.

Ritter v4.0

That is also good advice. Thanks.

DC from Cape Cod

No....but there is a difference between bastardizing and modifying.

Installing a new suspension is a modification. Installing Litronics is a modification. Installing mufflers is a modification. These types of change don;t put off the vast majority of potential buyers. In many cases, they are a welcome addition to the package.

Removing the factory body panels and installing different ones leaves you with a bastardized car. Bastrardized, in this sense, means that it is mostly narrow-body with some wide-body parts. Anyone looking for a clean, unmolested car will not consider yours, not matter what the price. You couldn't sell it as a widebody as the numbers wouldn't match up.

Rob's advice was right on the money...if you do it, do it for yourself and start with a car that was already in need of substantial body work.

sptschoice

when i bought my car it needed a rear clip i got used one from la dismantlers and it was a wide body rear and i'm happy the way my car look. i bought this car to keep for a long time...don't care about other people opinion

Caveman

Hi Ritter,

I'm sorry if you didn't think that we answered your question fully but the advice was offered in good faith. Earlier models that are converted to different (usually newer though the trend is now swinging back to older a la MGB) bodies rarely fare well when resold. Aside from the example that David in LA came up this has never really been popular for 993s. I'm all for improving my car and you may not have noticed but both David and I have turbo noses on our cars but the big difference is that we could swap them back if we wanted (and they were a (admittedly extremely rare) option apparently). I don't think David or I would ever consider swapping the rear wings, etc to make a whole turbo body due to the expected devaluation in our cars. Plus the additional 15mm each side doesn't seem worth all that effort in the first place! We are not being elitist, merely practical.

Regards,

David

Ritter v4.0

Its all good as they say.

I'll keep looking for a C2S/C4S in Arctic or Iris w/grey or Cashmere as thats what I really want and plan to keep this car for a long time. In fact whereas every other car I've purchased was with resale (in part) in mind, this time it is not.

Resale market in the Bahamas is very limited and one pays a substantial import duty that virtually obviates the possibility of bringing the car back Stateside for resale. This car is very likely a keeper for me (and my son).

Footnotes re: bastardization. My current car looks "virtually" stock but is substantially modded within. Suspension first, then brakes then turbos, I/C's, DP's and on and on.

The last Porsche I owned (some years ago) was a 911T. It was bone stock- I mean the floor mats, the shift ****- completely stock. I liked it like that. I'm looking to move back in that direction. If I am lucky enough to find a C2S/C4S aside from wheels/tires, it will likely only be some functional internals that get "bastardized". I'm really a "stock+" kind of guy.

BTW- If I can find one, I'd upload a pic of the T but everyone knows what it looks like; red w/blk and stock- Fuchs and all!

DC from Cape Cod

I guess you are missing the point regarding my use of the word bastardization.

I thought I was clear that I meant it to show the mixing of parts from different models of the car. In this case, you contemplate starting with a narrow body and adding widebody parts to emulate the C2S.

Modifying suspension, shift ****, tires, etc is different.

Bastardization (bastardisation) means "an act that debases or corrupts". In this case, you are changing entire body panels and that is corruptiing the pure car you now own.

I certainly meant no offense by using this word.

Ritter v4.0

Gotcha. None taken. Although some (if few) might opine that even changing the shift **** (especially if not OEM) is an impure act. You and I might think that silly; they however, heresy.

The original question was to use build using OEM panels a "synthetic CS2"- to be neither held out as, nor resold as a CS2. And arguably upon reasle could be worth less than the NB it was derived from, but as stated, resale is not a consideration.

Anyway if I can find the car I want this is all academic. None the less I appreciate the input.

Chris M.

and another

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...QQcmdZViewItem

Joe S.

Sweet! One of those rare GT2 tiptronics from Wicked motorsports.

The other Ebay link show what chopping up your car can do for resale value, it has been for sale for a year.

Bastardization = chopping up body panels on you car.

Modifying = things that can easily be changed back without affecting the value of your car.