Porsche 959 lawsuit - Canepa design

Does any one know where this car is now? I remember my father telling me that he was a 959 in houston a while back....

 

Cool... I wish my father was a 959 too!LOL

 

So does that mean nobody here is going to bid on...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-959-S-1-of-only-29-cars-with-the-Factory-Sport-Package_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem27af972a8cQQitemZ170449644172QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks

 

If you notice... the wrong tires are on the 959; which mean that the wheels are cut, and re-welded back together to fit that tire size... even though the correct repro's are available today.

 

No idea where that first 959 ended up... Could be ANYWHERE.

What is the problem with those tires? The original tires would likely have to be changed when the cars were federalized as the originals may well have not been DOT approved rubber. As for the wheels...those look like original wheels to me, but I am no 959 fanatic.

 

Lol. It is pretty cool. Im quicker though....

 

Why would you want reproductions of 1980s tire technology on a car with that kind of performance capability?

 

The following response corrects one of my mistakes, and also points out a significant reason why you don't want cut wheels.

 

"They are readily available from tire rack. they are NOT reproduction tires"

Wayne from Pelican Parts (959 owner) cleaned them out.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/449931-bought-last-five-remaining-959-tires-country-today.html

 

The above statement is untrue. The Canepa Design modification dose not affect the structural integrity of the OE Porsche wheel in any way. The wheels are not cut or welded. The modification includes the creation of a "standard" tire bead so that the end user has the option of using any of the modern high performance radial tires that are available on today's market. The failure that was experienced during the Excellence Magazine photo shoot was the result of striking a large rock that had fallen down from the adjacent hill side and into the roadway. This impact occurred at a high speed on a very tight and twisty section of Bonny Doon Road. The failure was sudden and immediate and further points to the handling and stability of the 959, as the driver was able to recover without any further damage to the vehicle.

 

Quoting a thread that is 14 months old?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=RE71+Denloc&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=54ZR7RE71RFT&tab=Sizes
They are currently in stock

 

Is that you Mr. Canepa???

 

I only quoted a 14 month old thread after I checked Tire Rack's website and couldn't find them.

 

Correct me please...I thought 20 year old vehicles were exempt from federalization...or something like that.

RMX

 

I wondered myself, and found the said tires pretty quickly... : In stock. I was told about 60 days ago they were in stock as well.

 

I spoke with Canepa a couple of months ago about doing the wheels on my 959. At that time, he told me that the mods could be un-done to revert back to an original wheel. I don't know what would be involved to do this, nor have I had my wheels changed from original. If I could get a complete set of spare 959 wheels, I might have one set converted by Canepa, but at $5K per wheel from the factory, this won't happen any time soon!

Regarding tires, if the original spec tires are still occasionally produced (and I believe they are), so that the age (hardening) of the tire compound is not an issue, why would you not want to use them? They were certified by Porsche for 200 mph and have to meet strict German government (TUV?) standards applied to automotive manufacturers' statements. I discussed the tire issue with the former owner of my 959. He's owned four 959s over the years and driven them collectively for many 10,000s of kilometers. He chuckled and said changing to a different tire was some saleman's nonsense. "What's the point?" was his final comment.

 

21 years old and older gets you a freebie pass on EPA emissions compliance.

 

Well I just got a fresh set of tyres, no problem. I have been told that the compounds have been upgraded to modern standards(as they basically don't use the old compounds anymore), and already on driving the car at high speeds and turns I have noted no grip problems at all. Ok maybe the new Michelin Pilots may be slightly better overall, however I think that hacking the wheels to accomodate these does not make sense to me either. The car is a 1988 classic. Why would I want to convert it to 2010 spec??? If i wanted a 2010 spec car I would get the 997 turbo or something else like a carrera gt(anyway I have an 07' SL55 which does just fine as a daily driver). The 959 is what it is.
I can never understand when people go to extremes to change history like changing classic cars profile?? Why??

 

True for EPA/DOT. However in order to avoid Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)
the car has to be 25 years or older.(As a result, I am sure a few European 959's will enter the US in 2012 and 2013).

 

Cool to see so many 959 owners here....

 

And you still have to prove to the EPA that it has the "original unmodified engine" IIRC so technically it is not really a free pass..........

 

A pretty well written complaint. I think the bigger problem is explaining how they sat for so many years on the 959 without converting it for the previous owner, bought it off that guy for a liquidation price without ever delivering it, then sold it to the new guy who never got it either.