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From the work order receipts, the car travelled 100 miles in 10 years, and burned up a couple of batteries. When we did the intake refresh, a mouse nest loaded with peanut shells, yuck, and the remnants of the knock sensors was in the valley. Receipts from the GA farm are in the record. A quick search online shows the last Dr. owner passed away about a year before I purchased the car. This is a cool thread!
Brian
That's a relatively mild mouse issue! Do you have packrats in Prescott? My biggest worry is them moving in and chewing through the engine bay. I have the underside of the car lit up (looks like a spaceship at night), with 5 traps placed all around.
Like others, I tracked down the original owner of my euro 1982 928S by googling his name in the owner's manual. It turned out he was easy to find - he had a New Zealand address in the manual and nearly 40 years later was still working in the same profession he was when he bought the car - as a movie producer (and there weren't that many Kiwis making movies in the early 80s). (He produced some now-obscure NZ movies in the early 80s - more recently he's been based in London, still producing movies such as We need to talk about Kevin).
When I made contact he was only too happy to share his early experiences with the 928S. His was a 'tourist delivery' car that he picked up from the factory in Stuttgart while on holiday in 1982. Unusually, although he was living in New Zealand at the time, he ordered an Australian-spec car (option C23) with manual transmission in Palisander and a brown berber part-leather interior - he thought the berber fabric seats would be more comfortable in Australian summers (his plan was to move to Australia and take the car with him, then he'd eventually sell the car in Australia - possibly at a profit given exchange rate differences and local delivery prices of Porsches in Australia at the time).
One amusing recollection was that the tourist delivery program included lunch at the factory. He mentioned that his hosts - possibly after enjoying themselves a little too much at lunch - actually forgot to ask him to pay for the car. He had to remind them, before handing over a bank cheque for $USD30,000.
He went on to drive the car around Europe for a month or two, then returned to New Zealand with the car. In 1984 he moved to Australia, bringing the car with him as he originally intended. He sold it a year later. The car subsequently stayed in and around Sydney for the next 35-odd years until I bought it in late 2019. The 928S in its new home in Canberra, Australia
Like others, I tracked down the original owner of my euro 1982 928S by googling his name in the owner's manual. It turned out he was easy to find - he had a New Zealand address in the manual and nearly 40 years later was still working in the same profession he was when he bought the car - as a movie producer (and there weren't that many Kiwis making movies in the early 80s). (He produced some now-obscure NZ movies in the early 80s - more recently he's been based in London, still producing movies such as We need to talk about Kevin).
....
David, this was a great read! I honestly thought you were going to say that the producer was an obscure guy in the movie business called Peter Jackson. I really enjoyed this story, especially the part about the Germans having too much fun and forgetting to ask for the payment. I do doubt that they would have had a beer during work lunch time though. Thanks for the share!
David, this was a great read! I honestly thought you were going to say that the producer was an obscure guy in the movie business called Peter Jackson. I really enjoyed this story, especially the part about the Germans having too much fun and forgetting to ask for the payment. I do doubt that they would have had a beer during work lunch time though. Thanks for the share!
Beer at lunchtime in German places of work is accepted practice.
Beer at lunchtime in German places of work is accepted practice.
Hi Jon! I am from Europe and yes, I know it is accepted at many places. I am just surprised it was at a precision car factory. I mean, this wasn't the Trabant factory in Zwickau! :-)
Nice thread - I'd love to know the history of mine, it's a 91 car supplied originally by MIZWA Japan. I have some of the Japanese history etc but I'd love to know who owned it in Japan and what it got up to... I've tried contacting MIZWA but they've ignored me so far!
Anyway fast forward to it's new life in the UK, and here's 60 seconds of it enjoying our lovely B-Roads!
My 1979 Oak Green on Cork ROW was a German market car. Sold new in Dortmund. Still have all of the original paperwork from the dealer including the original German registration papers, manual and dealer stamps. The previous owner was an American D.O.D contractor, living in Germany during the late 1970's and early 1980's. He bought the car used for his wife as a birthday present, and then shipped it back to the States sometime around 1984. Interestingly, the original owner was named Klaus-Peter Justus. A quick Google of that name comes up with a German middle distance runner. Not sure if it is the same guy. After being moved here, it spent its entire life in the Maryland\Gettysburg area with the same family that bought it in Germany. Until I bought it from the family in 2018 and brought to its new home here in Florida. I have a solid binder full of the car's history, including the V.A.G. shipping manifest that shows that it was shipped here on a freighter called the Fern Passat. I have copies of all correspondence between the owner and the EPA as well as the BMV, and all of the Federalization paperwork. The car had an interesting history, and is part of the reason that I do not mind dumping thousands to restore a $4000 car.
My 1979 Oak Green on Cork ROW was a German market car. Sold new in Dortmund. Still have all of the original paperwork from the dealer including the original German registration papers, manual and dealer stamps. The previous owner was an American D.O.D contractor, living in Germany during the late 1970's and early 1980's. He bought the car used for his wife as a birthday present, and then shipped it back to the States sometime around 1984. Interestingly, the original owner was named Klaus-Peter Justus. A quick Google of that name comes up with a German middle distance runner. Not sure if it is the same guy. After being moved here, it spent its entire life in the Maryland\Gettysburg area with the same family that bought it in Germany. Until I bought it from the family in 2018 and brought to its new home here in Florida. I have a solid binder full of the car's history, including the V.A.G. shipping manifest that shows that it was shipped here on a freighter called the Fern Passat. I have copies of all correspondence between the owner and the EPA as well as the BMV, and all of the Federalization paperwork. The car had an interesting history, and is part of the reason that I do not mind dumping thousands to restore a $4000 car.
You should try to reach out to Klaus-Peter! Only $4k?
Yes. $4K. A very nice car, and ran good, as I drove it right home 1000 miles(a white knuckle experience). It needed 10 years of deferred maintenance. I performed a fuel system overhaul with new tank and Pirtek hoses. Complete top end refresh, engine bay fuel hoses, Engine seals, WP, TB, Porken Tensioner, etc. You know, the gratuitous $2000 parts expenditure right out of the gate. I am now in the process of refreshing the interior and just ordered new Cork Sliverknit carpet for it. It is worth every penny to me.
Yes, packrats ate through the wiring harness of my kid's GMC....twice! Serious baiting, trapping controls were used. The rat was more beaver-sized when he was finally killed.
Brian
The rat was more beaver-sized when he was finally killed.
I spit out my coffee while reading this.
Unfortunately, the 928 (we named her Luna) is kept in our carport, so I am worried terribly about this. I have 5 traps under her, two floodlights, and I wrapped the side of the carport up with hardware cloth. Since I got her, I have set up traps in the shed nearby and have caught 4 rats and two babies and two smaller mice in a week. Staying vigilant and on top of it. Luckily, I have only had issues with a rat coming into a car in the carport once over a decade. But still, not going to risk it.
Bought 1978 petrol blue/cork with last 3 ending #413 ~6 years ago from a PhD who worked in the Obama administration who didn't want to take it back to Minnesota, and he sold it for a price for mid-tier iBook.
Bought another 1978 with copper bronze/deep brown combo here "locally" ~1 hr from me ~4 years ago, with the owner who relocated to PA from OK to live closer to his daughter. Without knowing until I sat down and checked my cars' titles, it has last 3 VIN #414! Both my 1978 manuals turned out to be basically "twins" in the assembly line :-)
Bought 1978 petrol blue/cork with last 3 ending #413 ~6 years ago from a PhD who worked in the Obama administration who didn't want to take it back to Minnesota, and he sold it for a price for mid-tier iBook.
Bought another 1978 with copper bronze/deep brown combo here "locally" ~1 hr from me ~4 years ago, with the owner who relocated to PA from OK to live closer to his daughter. Without knowing until I sat down and checked my cars' titles, it has last 3 VIN #414! Both my 1978 manuals turned out to be basically "twins" in the assembly line :-)
That's quite special! Holy cow, how many do you have in your collection (based on your signature ... which btw has #403 and #404).
That's quite special! Holy cow, how many do you have in your collection (based on your signature ... which btw has #403 and #404).
VIN #413 is actually car #403.
The first 10 VIN weren't used (or were used for something like prototypes or cars that were destroyed).
"928 #1" (owned by Drooman on here) is actually VIN #11.
Personally, I have very little history on mine.
An 85 'S2' delivered in Germany, imported via the 'grey market' system in 86. It spent most of it's life on the east coast, NYC & northern NJ. It sat for quite a while, and apparently was used to pay off a debt to a tavern owner. When I first had it, I pulled the seats to do the seat switches. I found 2 'Triborough Bridge Authority' toll tokens under there (among other stuff).
Auctioned to a known 'flipper' dealer in Philly, sold to the guy I bought it from in 08 and driven to Minneapolis when it was bought (front end had been lifted right before new tires & alignment, so the new fronts were destroyed on the drive).
He spent a big chunk of change at the dealer in Maplewood, where there had been a factory trained 928 tech (now retired). He didn't drive it a whole lot, and sold it to me in 13.
When I first got it, I posted a "hello, I'm new and this is my car" thread. A couple folks pointed me to threads when it was auctioned off and when the guy I bought it from was trying to sell it. That's how I know what I know from before him.
I use it as a 'somewhat daily' driver (shares duty with my 944 & motorcycle) in the summer. I've just turned 24k miles since I bought it. Although 4500 of that was a trip to San Francisco back in 14.
05-29-2021, 07:38 PM
