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1977 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera

I’ve featured a lot of 930s lately. More to the point: a lot of early 930s, especially the original 3.0-liter models. Before moving on to some other 911s I want to look at one more. This one didn’t make my roundup from the weekend because I mostly was searching for bright and unique colors for that post. This one is black so it wouldn’t have made the cut. But it’s quite unique in its own way so worthy of its own post.

While less unique black on black 911s and 930s have their own appeal and their own cadre of fans. For some buyers nothing other than black will do. When used as the color for a car like the 930 that exterior matches the persona of the car itself. Nothing here is to be trifled with. So the color may be common, but that doesn’t mean there’s little appeal.

This particular example, a 1977 Porsche 930 located in California, appears to have lead a somewhat forgotten life such that it sits now with a mere 18,800 miles on it. At some point in its distant past it was locked away in storage until “found” in 2005. It appears to be mostly original condition and is said to be numbers matching.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1977 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera on eBay

Year: 1977
Model: 911 Turbo
Engine: 3.0 liter turbocharged flat-6
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Mileage: 18,800 mi
Price: Reserve Auction ($100,000 Buy It Now)

FOR PRIVATE SALE

1977 Porsche Turbo Carrera – 3.0L Turbo
4-Speed 915 Transmission
VIN # 9307800454
Miles: 18,8XX
Color: Black (700-9-2) / Black

MORE DETAILED PHOTOS CAN BE VIEWED HERE:
http://app.box.com/s/2ho3qviyc7p644nwqildto5wgk2u3awn

***VIDEOS TO FOLLOW! Photos taken in this ad are by a professional photographer, please take the time to view the link above as it has 5 pages of additional photos: with blue plate, under body, interior, exterior, trunk, wheels, etc. All photos are of the same car.***

PLEASE READ ENTIRE AD BEFORE YOU MESSAGE ME WITH QUESTIONS. THERE IS NO CARFAX WITH THIS CAR AS IT IS TOO OLD TO BE IN THEIR RECORDS AND THE VIN IS LESS THAN THEIR STANDARD # OF DIGITS.

Summary:

Available for private sale is a matching numbers 1977 Porsche Turbo Carrera – the first generation of the iconic Porsche Turbo. I purchased this car on January 17, 2014 and have decided to sell to fund other projects. I’ve owned four air-cooled 911’s – a 1969 911T, 1990 964 Carrera 2, 1990 964 Carrera 4 and this 1977 Turbo Carrera. I’ve kept this one the longest – for a reason! The car is an absolute blast to drive and own. It handles wonderfully, the engine revs freely, the shifts are pure butter, and when the boost comes in… it’s nothing but pure theatre! Best of all, ZERO leaks. If you are looking for a solid 930 driver with nice patina or a car that needs a simple repaint to look amazing, this is the car for you. It has a CLEAN California title and the registration has the car as a 1978 due to being purchased in late 1977 (VIN clearly denotes it is a first generation model). It has been in California all its life.

Mileage reads under 18,800. The car was a ‘storage find’ and was claimed by the last owner to be original miles, 14,500 at the time of purchase 1/2014. There is no prior documentation to my ownership besides a scanned picture of the very first title that the previous owner had used to register the car and a picture of the original blue plates with prior registration stickers from 1982 (see images in ad). On the back of the title it shows that the ownership was transferred from the first owner to the last owner in 2005. Prior to the transfer, the last time the car was registered by the first owner was 1982, hence the low mileage. The original blue plates (also denoted on the title) had stickers from 1982. These blue plates fell out of the registration system when the car sat, but they were always kept with the car. I have since registered the ORIGINAL BLUE PLATES back to the car through the California Year of Manufacture (YOM) program. The black vanity plates shown in the car do NOT come with vehicle. These were plates I used before the YOM program was extended to 1980. During purchase, I had a reputable Southern California Porsche shop perform a Pre-Purchase Inspection. They mentioned that this car had one of the cleanest interiors and undercarriages of any 1977 Turbo they had seen and they were confident themileage was true. The PPI documentation will be included, along with all receipts I have for the car. Please note the original title is a photo copy, as this was used by the DMV to register the car by the last owner. The interior seats, panels, etc. are in extremely clean and excellent condition. The car has received a recent oil change (Brad Penn 20W50, every 3,000 miles) and valve adjustment in the last 50 miles.

Here is the story of the car and how I obtained this car. I purchased it from the second owner who had it for about eight years in Southern California.

This 1977 Porsche Turbo Carrera (930) was originally owned by the owner of the Coberly Ford Dealership off 1900 S. Figueroa in Los Angeles, CA (90007). It was purchased in late 1977, driven until 1982 (<5 years) for ~14.5k miles and parked at the closed Coberly Ford lot and stored. It was later unearthed from the closed lot in 2005. The title transfer took place on September 21, 2005. The vehicle was signed by J. Evans of Coberly Ford and transferred to MMA Auto House, Inc. Dealer #14002. The owner of this dealer began a complete refresh, including replacement of all rubber components, new fuel pumps, removal of thermal reactors, smog equipment and engine out refresh (seals, rockers, seats, valve job, etc.). In 2009, the owner and his wife went through a complicated divorce and the car remained in storage until 2013. During this time and due to complications, the car sat in and outside of storage. The car was exposed to the Southern California sun for a few years causing some of the top parts of the paint to fade. The roof has some spots that are heavily faded and some can be seen on the fenders as well. I also believe whoever buffed it went with too abrasive of a compound. Due to a complicated divorce settlement and out of spite, the wife forced the gentleman to sell the car. I found this car in October 2013, it was the final piece to finalize their settlement. I began exchanging calls and emails with the owner. After a three month pursuit, I finally decided go down south to view the car. I purchased the vehicle from the gentleman on January 17, 2014. The car came straight out of enclosed storage as shown in the 16th photo of the gallery. After a fluids flush and some routine maintenance, the car was driveable from day 1. It has never broken down since I've owned it. Engine, Suspension, Transmission, etc.: The motor is a true masterpiece. The car is NUMBERS MATCHING in both engine and transmission to the COA. It revs very smoothly up to higher RPMs and the turbo has the classic lag then KICK. The car idles smoothly without any CIS fuel issues you may see in higher mileage or less maintained cars. I recently replaced the old valve covers with newer aluminum reinforced/ribbed lower valve covers and top covers for the car to prevent leakage. Upon purchasing the car, I installed two brand new Bosch fuel pumps and a fresh fuel filter to ensure proper fueling. The car does not leak or have any burning smells from oil-coated heat exchangers. The last oil change showed clean oil without any alien debris. There are no modifications to the engine with exception to the Euro heat exchangers and muffler, which supposedly pushes out another 30 bhp. For California buyers - the current setup will NOT pass emissions. You will need either to reinstall the original smog equipment or throw on a later 930 catalytic converter. The included original smog equipment I have does need a new belt and a rebuild of the smog pump (see link above for images). A few months ago the Turbo overflow canister started leaking, which turned out to be worn Turbo seals (hardening from age). I had well-known Bay Area Porsche mechanic Tom Amon send the turbo out for a rebuild and reseal the front cam covers for insurance while the turbo was out. I chose to stay with the original turbo rather than a newer unit to keep the character of the car. The four speed transmission shifts like butter with no notchiness. The COA also shows that the car has the rare option LSD. Suspension is working fine and nicely dampened. I recently replaced the passenger rear wheel inner and outer wheel bearings, and installed new axle boots. The car sits at a subtle ‘Euro-spec’ ride height, which is a tad lower than factory. Alignment was recently done professionally and setup for spirited driving. The brakes are a tad soft, but I think that might just be the nature of the 911S aluminum brakes. I did replace the pads and rotors when I got the car (Porterfield R4S). Exterior: The body is extremely straight with no signs of prior structural damage. As mentioned above, this car has patina. You could repaint it if you would like a nice original car, or keep it as is. The black paint does shine and photograph well, but there are some areas that are damaged due to the sun and the previous owner not operating a buffer correctly. The sections that show signs of wear are the roof, fenders, and doors, with the roof being the worst. There is some tan primer showing through the paint. PLEASE SEE PHOTOS. Other areas like the hood have what looks like a rough texture from sun damage - the paint is a bit rough or bumpy. I have included photos to support all of this (see link above for images). That all being said there is no rust on the car and the undercarriage of the car looks like you could eat off of it. I took photos of under the fenders in the link above. As far as I can tell, I believe the car was just parked during a few bad heat seasons and mother nature had her way with the paint. The rear fenders retain the original weld marks on the underside for the larger fenders. This shows that the fenders are original to the car. All the suspension components have clean factory plating and the wheel wells are extremely clean (see link above for images). The roof seal will need to be replaced at some point, although it does not leak. There is paint flaking off the inside of the engine lid, this is a common problem on 930's... I believe it has something to do with a combination of vibrations/heat/aluminum. Interior: The interior of the car is extremely clean. The dash is not cracked and the rare factory sport seats have minimal wear to them. It is barely what would be expected from a 40 year old car. There is no flaking or peeling of the leather, just a few light scuffs. Everything in the interior is original, including floor mats, gauges, radio, etc. The car has a factory rare Blaupunkt Bamberg radio with a microphone and the record function - supposedly the most expensive radio money could buy in 1977. Radio turns on but needs to be refurbished to work correctly. Rear seats are pristine, and the carpet kit is older but tidy. Gauges all work except the oil level gauge, which I believe may just be a replacement sending unit. Please do not hesitate to send me a private message to discuss this car. I am happy to disclose any information required. Seller should arrange their own shipping. I require a DEPOSIT of $2000 within 24 hours of auction end via bank wire, full payment should be made within 72 hours of auction end. I am happy to sell the car to off-shore buyers, but again, you must arrange all shipping and pay in full before logistics are finalized. Happy bidding.

As mentioned the low mileage of this 930 stems from a few long periods of storage in which it went unused. It sounds like during the period from 1982-2005 that it spent its time in a garage. Storage from 2005-2013 was a bit more random with some long periods spent outdoors. Because of that the current seller tells us that the paint on this 930 is far from pristine. In pictures it looks fine, but a black car photographed under somewhat dark lighting usually will show pretty well. In sunlight I imagine the flaws will stand out.

The state of the paint is the first issue. The larger issue is a general lack of documentation. The seller appears to have a good grasp of its ownership history, but other than an original title there is no other documentation from its initial purchase up to the current seller taking ownership in 2014. For those perhaps interested in a low-mileage collecter that probably eliminates this 930 from consideration. Even as a restoration project the upside is limited when we have no documents.

But how about as a driver? It’s rare that we find an early 930 that we’d consider putting some mileage on – even more rare given the very low mileage of this one. That may be what we have here. The price still won’t be low, but with a BIN of $100K the seller certainly is taking into account the various flaws of this 930. I wouldn’t say it’s a great deal, but it is very hard to find any ’76 or ’77 for under $100K. With no documentation there will always be questions about the veracity of the low miles, and that’s certainly a cause for concern, but if you’re in search of one of these 3.0-liter Turbos and would like to enjoy spending time behind the wheel this one does make for an interesting option.

-Rob

One Comment

  1. Greg
    Greg October 24, 2017

    The indentation in the driver’s seat bottom seems odd considering the claimed miles. Maybe the original owner was a very heavy guy? Luckily black is an easy paint color to match, as opposed to something like silver.Maybe a partial repaint is all that is needed, with glass in. Even a high quality full exterior repaint wouldn’t be that expensive.

Comments are closed.