The rage in the 1980s was cutting the roof off of perfectly good cars, from the S-Class Mercedes-Benz to the E24 BMW. Not escaping this fate were sports cars as well, with Treser making a convertible Quattro. Carelli Designs gave it a go, as well – they were commissioned to create a run of convertible 928s between 1980 and 1981, one of which I looked at a few years ago:
A total of 8 cars were produced by Carelli Designs in Costa Mesa, California, but the project never progressed past the initial design phase. Carelli actually put a lot of effort into making the cars work well as convertibles, and they cost a staggering $80,000 in 1981. Today’s car, though, doesn’t appear to be one of them. Instead, this car is claimed to be one that was developed following Al Holbert’s pre-production speed run in a 928 S4. Holbert took a mostly stock 928 to an impressive 171 mph, which Porsche claimed made it the world’s fastest catalyst-equipped car. According to the selling dealer of the car we’re looking at today, this convertible was specially-ordered to commemorate that achievement – maybe.
