As with other cars it is a "to each his own" kind of thing. I personally like the look of the 959 and have seen one up close a few times at a private museum. The technology in the car impresses me based on the fact that it was designed in the early to mid 1980s when close to 200mph top speed, sellf-lowering suspension, compound turbocharging, partial kevlar body, etc. were all relatively new ideas at least to a novice like me.

But I am easily impressed and YMMV.

 

I have seen Wayne's (pelican fame)959 recently at Tony Callas tech session and it's as if he's been driving that thing as DD!

 

That car might be a nice place to put some cash just before the US$ tanks.

 

Never thought i'd say it....but compared to the asking price on this car...Ray Joseph's RPM Sports Cars is a smokin' deal comparatively speaking...$445K vs. $700K+!! http://www.rpmsportscars.com/door38.htm

 

I remember when that car came out. Very revolutionary at the time. Still cool (to me) today.
I wonder if 20 years from now we will remember and value the "SYNERGY/ENERGY/HYBRID" thingy as much as we do the 959?

 

I love the 959 look... Price... not so much.

That car does not look out of place on the showroom floor even today. looks like it could be a new just designed model. Most P-cars are timeless. The 959, 911 and 928 are all great examples of that. One of the nice thing's about Porsche's. I've had people at work think my 993 is a new car... they are floored when I tell em its 15 years old.

Nick


Nick

 

Not quite a daily driver, but I try to drive it often. The 959 is certainly an unusual car - that's why I bought it. Everything on the car is like a prototype - but one that is very well made. It's amazing that the parts on the car are indeed high-production value and no cheapiness. They really *did* take out all of the stops with the cars and all of their custom-designed components and systems.

The car is very difficult to work on, but there in lies the challenge. I work on the car myself in my garage (see http://www.959registry.org) and I'm probably the only guy in the world that does so. It's very interesting to learn about the car, and perform the DIY stuff on it - it's probably one of the most difficult cars to work on because a lot of the systems are pre-computer diagnostics, and the parts are incredibly difficult to locate. F

For example, one of the next projects with the car will be to repair the A/C system. Of course, the A/C control unit was / is a custom-built Hella unit that is no longer available, so I will have to work on putting it on a test bench and repairing the electronics myself. We'll see how much hair I have left after doing that!

-Wayne

 

"Of course, the A/C control unit was / is a custom-built Hella unit that is no longer available, so I will have to work on putting it on a test bench and repairing the electronics myself."

Actually that unit is basically a 944 climate control unit (CCU) and when compared
to the 964/993 unit is a very simple design, i.e. It doesn't use a microcontroller,
and thus is easy to diagnose. From the standpoint of availability, CCUs can be easily
found from those who have worked on many 959s, i.e. Not the shop that
has only one 959 customer or just 'sees' one once ever 5-10 years.

 

Right. The unit is very similar to the 944 unit, but has one circuit board that is completely different. I believe that this controls the flappers for the climate control system, because it appears they work in the opposite manner from the 959. So, theoretically, you can take parts from the 944 unit and patch them into the 959 unit, but the whole thing is soldered together in a complete box, which makes it difficult to work on in a traditional manner.

I haven't been able to find replacement units anywhere...

-Wayne

 

Didn't you also take it up to the Historics last year? I think it was yours I saw parked on the grass on the way out with all of the other daily beaters. If so, very cool! Only at Monterey...

 

Yup, that was me! I typically forget to sign up for the corral in time.

-Wayne

 

"I haven't been able to find replacement units anywhere..."

As with 964/993 CCUs, most/all mis-diagnose the climate control system
and assume the CCU is the problem, i.e. Most/all forget (or are unaware)
that CCUs have many inputs, any of which can cause the system to fail.
In many situations, CCU diagnosis can be more difficult than an engine
management system diagnosis.

Bottom line: So, without a thorough climate control system knowledge,
most/all waste money, e.g. buying another CCU, and time assuming the
CCU to be the problem. And the worst case scenario occurs when DIYers
attempt a repair of a good CCU and damage that one beyond repair.

 

I agree. About a year ago, I make a tap-in break-out box and tested each sensor and servo independently. They all worked according to the test procedures and values in the 959 Workshop manual. However, over the past year or so, I thought I might have missed something, so I think I will test it again when I'm done with the suspension overhaul that we're doing right now on the car.

At that point, I would be more than happy to send it to you for repair? Electronics repair is not my strongpoint.

Thx,

Wayne