JPP

Next, the windshield is installed for fit check and my Fister Stage II muffflers(!), shields and rear bumper support get put on and a set of 'shop wheels' ... and finally she's rolling again .. at least temporarily.



Then the windshield is removed and the car is masked off for one of many polishing sessions ... and yes, that is a factory 996 GT3RS (or RS-R??) shell in the background, just another 9m 'shop car' waiting for Marc and Colin to turn their attention towards it ... ;-)





..and then the windshield is re-mounted and the freshly mopped doors and 'bonnet' as well .. and yes, that is a Vesuvius 996 Cabriolet in the background with Titanium accents ....



and the freshly detailed rear 'Dual Grill' engine lid is assembled and final fitted (Saweeet!) .. whenever I see this I'm reminded that it's this and the bumpers that got 'saved' from the BHP widebody work ... and that was IT!

JPP

It was about this time that I flew over to 9m for a visit, April 22nd to be exact, .. and what a visit it was! First thing ... Colin and his wife Sarah picked me up from the Manchester airport in their Bright Red Audi S4 Estate (Nice!) and whisked me away with a bunch of their great friends to a Rugby League game ... Warrington Wolves (naturally) v.s. The Salford City Red's (Devils) ... WHAT AN EXPERIENCE THAT WAS!!! Holy C**p these guy's don't mess around across the pond!! And, the sweet end result ... Wolves 60 .. Red's 0 . but I have to say .. those Devil's fought .. and fought ... and fought .. it was amazing and I'll never forget it. but ... that was just the 'diversion' from the task at hand .. seeing my new Speedster for the first time ... and Colin made sure we were up early on Saturday morning and in to 9m straight away ... and I walked in to this ... the proud creators of 9m's second 9m93 Speedster S smiling like they had just eaten the Canary ..


I'm not speechless very often, as any of you who've met me can attest to .. but I don't think I made a sound for several minutes as I walked around her for the first time .. with my hand over my mouth .. just soaking it all in..



That's Andrew, 9m's interior trimmer in the striped shirt .. he had just brought in the new black leather dash cover ...


To say all of this was a little overwhelming would be an understatement and I spent the better part of that day just staring at her .. but soon, I was noticing the other gems and projects just parked helter-skelter around the shop .. a real Martini-Rossi liveried Turbo R .. a real '73 Carrera lightweight in Yellow with Green side decals .. Colin's 993RSCS .. and I've got a few photo's of all of that as well which I'll post up later in a different thread ..

.. but meanwhile, back at the ranch ... it was Easter, so I spent the weekend with Colin and his family .. I can't even begin to tell you how gracious and absolutely straight-up COOL! these people are .. Honestly, the visit with Colin's wonderful family and all of the 9m folks, their great friends that they introduced me to, the beautiful countryside in the Northwest of England .. it all started to take center stage for me ... and then Graham picked me up in his Speedster on Sunday and took me to Oulton Park for the GT/Formula one championship race ... Jeeeezus, Mary and Joseph!!!


.. But .. eventually Monday morning dawned and off to work we went
First thing I see is the boys are wrestling with the top assembly and the clamshell hinge ..


and the Clamshell inner surface has been finished in factory black 'wrinkle' textured paint and the mounting hardware and factory rubber snubbers have been installed ..


This was the first attempt to put up the top at 9m ... I tried to check it over before I shipped it to them, but it's pretty difficult to stretch one of these top assembly's out when their not attached to a car .. and see what kind of shape they're in. But, they eventually got the front half up and attached at the windshield and then the clamshell could be bolted onto the hinge ..



But .. once the top was up and fitted properly, it became apparent that something in the assembly wasn't "right" ... so they worked on it ..


and worked on it ...


.. and then after looking at both sides of the bow assembly, Marc determined that there had been some damage to the drivers side armature and main bow in the past that someone had tried to repair but that caused the drivers side armature to be 'shortened' in the process and since it pivots from an inner point to work properly ... that really screwed up the arc of the movement and end position of the main bows in that side of the top .. and that had caused the main bow to bend ... Ok. Now we're talking about an $80 part, new from Porsche here ... I just don't understand this type of thinking ..

So ... they took it apart and re-checked all the other pieces and hardware to be sure everything else was ok .. and found another bent bow ...
The good news is, we can still order these parts from Porsche .. and they are actually relatively affordable ..


So .. that's the risk of used parts .. they are most always off of wrecked/totaled cars and even sellers can't tell if they are damaged .. because many times, the parts are no longer mounted to a car ..

Also, that week, Arpad (RP993) and his lovely wife, Gabi flew in from Hungary to see my car as well. We had been emailing about it since Arpad had bought the 993 'project speedster' from Germany and had posted about it in here ... so it was a great opportunity for us to meet each other and for them to see a real 9m Speedster project in the midst of creation ;-) and .. I was able to carry a 964 Speedster rear view mirror in my luggage that Arpad had bought in the U.S. and bring it to him at 9m .. so everybody was happy.


Here, you can see the 'dip' bend in the main bow on the drivers side ..


and ... the resulting lower upper edge of the rear window ...


Here, on the left you see a perfect factory main armature with the factory corner support welded in for rigidity ... the drivers side had been broken and the support was replaced with a piece of round stock and rewelded .. but it was 1/2" shorter when they got finished ..

JPP

So, we're getting close now ... I've already left England at this point and returned home to wait .. ... patience, patience, patience ...

anyway, the new top bows and armature arrived and Marc and Owen installed them with no more difficulties, and then the top, windshield and side window interfaces had to be all re-adjusted together for them all to work together as a suite of engineering ... as a side note, 911 Speedsters had a myriad of top to side-glass sealing problems that were addressed again in '94 when the 964 Speedster was designed .. the doors, top and windshield assemblies were all completely re-designed to eliminate as many of the previous functionality issues as possible .. it's not a perfect system and not ment to be as air and water tight as a Cabriolet ... and I don't have any other Speedster experience to compare to ... but Marc and team really did a fantastic job on my top .. it is tight as a drum and doesn't leak when I wash the car ... interior wind noise is definitely higher than when she was a Cabriolet ... but there's no insulative layer in a Speedster top and sound insulation in the rear area is at a minimum as well .... so all things considered, it works really well .. very close to Cabriolet comfort levels. I think the 356 Speedster crowd would be laughing at this point ...

New top bow parts get installed and adjusted ..


and Marc starts re-adjusting everything ... The factory just drills 'slots' in the doors where the side window adjusting screws come through when they need extra 'adjustment' room .. a factory 'floor trick' that's used in many industries ... ;-p



On the factory floor, Porsche used large, flat washers as shims under the windshield attachment points .. but when you try and order those today, you get some wimpy replacement part that isn't even a big enough diameter to sit solidly under the mounts ... So, of course, 9m just made their own out of steel plate



and while they were at it, a custom vin plate was fabricated and attached away from the mounting area ... just like factory :-) Note: Windshield wiper arms must be cut down slightly for the shortened Speedster windscreen, although it's more severe angle makes the reduction smaller than you'd think ..


As soon as the top/windshield/sidewindow adjustments were completed .. the car was rolled over to the 9m Racing area for carpet installation .. Because I chose to stay with the cars original color a complete strip wasn't necessary, so some of my carpet pad (at 30K miles) was still quite serviceable ... so the new pads that were bought from Porsche were quickly fitted and integrated with the retained pads ... and the installation began in earnest.



Andrew's custom skived black leather B pillar covers are carefully cut in .. and his custom fabricated seat belt tower covers are attached .. you can see the factory fiber shims here that sit under the Speedster top attachment footings .. I think there's 4 different ones and they must be layered in a certain pattern to get the top to sit exactly right ...



... and the longitudinal carpet is glued down ..


... new black leather dash knee kick and my stainless Speedster S sill covers from eBay .. such a great deal those were and the seller is top notch!


Lots of hand cutting work around the center tunnel .. getting it all to lay flat. Note: the rubber seal that runs around the rear bulkhead to seal the clamshell is still available from Porsche .. hallelujah .. and not cheap either


..and finally, Andrews exquisitely crafted black leather center console and shift boot .. I wanted to re-use the factory Carbon/Aluminum interior package that came on the car from Porsche and I think it all works well together ..


Here, Marc starts installing the rear bulkhead carpet and cutting in the edges


and then the custom fabricated Speedster rear side speaker covers are installed. 9m has made their own mold from a set of factory Speedster covers with some 'tweaks' to allow air to escape through the backs when the top and side windows are up and the doors are closed ..


Kind of a shame to think that all this will be hidden under the clamshell most of the time ....


And, just the last bit of glueing ..


.. and the carpet is pretty much in. Note: The clamshell cable was treated to a custom made cover fabricated out of matching carpet ... you can see it curled up to the side waiting for the clamshell to be re-attached ..


and Here it is again in it's finished state. This is just one of many little details that I'd never thought about asking for that just 'happened' .. and were pleasantly discovered by me once the car arrived home


Nice shot of the new color-keyed seat belt against the fresh leather and carpet ..


And here's Robin re-fitting the clamshell, getting ready for the remainder of the interior finish work ...

JPP

Well, it's the Devil and the Details now .... but it all has to get done so Marc and Robin continue to crack on. At this point, I've had to book my container and shipping date in the latter part of May, so they are putting in some hours .... and yes, that's Colins 993RSCS on the lift to the right .. It appears the little shop vac at the lower left is getting ready to make a break for it ...


You can just see the drivers footwell interior light lit up here ... that's where they are in a Speedster because the center light that's on the upper Cabriolet windshield frame is ... well ... gone Forward center console on the left and right is where they are relocated at the factory. Marc just orders the factory parts and retrofits them ... Color keyed hand made RS door pulls are in now ..


Marc gets the new door panels and door caps together .. Andrew, Marc and I all worked together to design a take on the RS 'comfort' door panel pocket for a bit of extra storage while I'm on the road ...


The never ending minutia ... Andrew's skived (shaved on a special machine at the Bentley interior shop ..) the leather down to a very thin state and cut and applied black leather to the under side of the instrument pod, the steering yoke, dash endcaps, knee kick end caps and anywhere else he could ... essentially. I retained the factory vinyl center covered panels because they were in perfect condition and I wanted a splash of 'factory' look and texture here ..


Finally, my lightweight RS/GT1 manual 'comfort' hardback seats are installed and I'm happy to say that my decision to keep the original Porsche covers was a good one .. Now, the only thing we're waiting for is my re-covered Carbon/leather 3 spoke wheel ..


.. a few engine bay stickers are replaced .. you can see the restricted angle of the Speedster engine lid hinge positions here so everything clears the top and clamshell when it's operated ...


Once all the bits and details are complete, Marc takes her on her first drive over to 9m's service shop next door, so Robin can do an alignment ..




And, afterward, more roadtesting ensued until Marc was satisfied that everything was working properly ... and then back into the paint booth for a final Machine sand and polish ..


The Maestro inspects his last creation ...


You can see it in his face ... he's already mentally on to the next car ...


So .. the following day, Graham brought his car by for a little 9m93 Speedster S photo shoot. A quick Valet Detail was done to SpeedArena ... and off they went ..






and two days later ... she's loaded up for the docks at Liverpool ...



and into a waiting container ... and, of course, it starts to rain.



All packed up for the 33 day journey through the Panama Canal and back up the West Coast to Oakland ... patience, patience, patience ..


And .. finally, after 33 days and another week getting through Customs .. I get to roll her out into daylight at the Oakland docks .. with a dead battery .. of course. Thanks be to the Saints that I brought jumper cables ..


I hightailed it across the Richmond Bridge and into sunshine ... a quick stop for a top drop .. of course!



So ... that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. I'm still a Speedsterholic and I really don't see anything changing in that regard anytime soon ..
And, speaking of which .... I'm hearing that Arpad's 9m93 Speedster S build is going to get posted up VERY SOON .. so if you've been reading along with me and now your Jones'in for more 9m93 Speedster goodness .. be consoled, you won't have to wait long now .. https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ferrerid=66492

I'll see you on the road ..

DriveAfterDark

You deserve a medal.

ilko

What a great story!! Amazing car, incredible crafstmanship!

JPP

Well, thanks, but I really feel 9m deserves most of the credit, all I did was have a momentary lapse of sanity ... but I did get a nice car out of it!

Thanks ilko, and agreed. I'm still kind of floating outside of it all looking in ... except when I'm driving

sbmfj

Excellent photos and write up!!

Thanks for sharing.

the gratification that Colin, Mark and the rest of the team acheive at the end of a project like this must feel great. Cant get that kind of feeling in any old day job...not mine!

JPP

Thanks for saying so and I agree completely. I think Colin, Marc and the team of people they've assembled at 9m absolutely love what they do and it shows in spades ...

grahampeterm

So Jon Paul - it's now 3 months on since you were reunited - how's the 'SpeedArena' going? I assume the refreshed motor is running a lot sweeter than when I first witnessed it
I notice your avatar keeps changing - got any more nice shots to share with the RL community?

Graham

JPP

Hi Graham,
Yes, she is running like the gods intended. I drove her out to FDM with the top up last weekend and it's pretty much like driving a Cabriolet with the windows up ... just slightly more road and engine noise, but quite comfortable and of course, more visibility in front with the lack of side quarter window frames ... My biggest problem now is attracting 'escorts' .. all of a sudden, I'm surrounded by cars with people staring at me .. and drifting into my lane because of it .. I guess that's the price of being pretty, eh?
No more pictures right now .. but I'm sure I'll get a few at Rennsport :-)
How's Bluesuvius liking his new garage?

JPP

Actually I forgot about this cel pic I snapped last Saturday at FDM ...

csertich

your car is so nicely done. tasteful and striking. Beautiful!!!!!
Can you tell I love it!

chuck

JPP

Yes I Can! Thanks for the kind words, Chuck. Are you attending Rennsport?

curve lover

Me luvs me sum pitchers! More SpeedArena spectacularifics to share?

Any chance Graham will be co-piloting SpeedArena? That would be the bomb-diggity.
Nice timing with the thread bump, G -- was planning to resurrect Popester's July ^^ post with today's update:
a reliable source tells me the silver 993 Speedster won't be at Rennsport Reunion.
( but let's hope my friend's wrong, anyway.)
A better news update awaits you via PM, JPP
Chuck-- Speaking of you @ Rennsport: please click here & let me know, bro.