1979 Porsche 930 (...and 78's too!)

I would rather not get into specifics on the car, but it was one off Porsche produced for the CEO of a company which had very close racing business ties to Porsche in the 60s tru the 70s. it comes out of hiding in my area.

my 79 #630 was purchased new at Holbert's dealership. It is mid in the run, and there is noting really unique except it is petrol blue which was a not too common color (another reason any i bought it). About 4-5 years ago, a guy in my area had the 79 that was personally owned by Holbert. Not sure of the serial #. if i recall it didn't have anything unique on it. he was selling it..asking $65k which was way top money for a 79 back then. nice 3.0 tubos and 78-79 3.3s were in going in low - upper 30s. it had ~20k miles and was an unusual beige/tan color. it was a pristine. not sure if he sold it, but i image today it would be approaching 6 figures, and probably would be over 6 figures if it were at one of the major Porsche collector car type dealers (Sloan, etc).

Speaking of Sloan, he has again the 78 ice green <1,000 miles car back for sale this time asking $150k. he had it last year asking $125k. it was sold and he now has it back FS again.
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Petrol blue is a very nice color. I took these photos of a '79 petrol blue car in Idaho right after I purchsed my silver 930 in 1989. This car was all original including the factory Fuchs wheels. When the Fuchs wheels are replaced on the 78/79 cars, the spacer on the front floating rotors is often discarded. This '79 was a pre-818 VIN car with the snorkel headlight washers.

Rich
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Beaut

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Here’s a link to a low mileage (18K) ’79 930 that sold some time ago for $77K. With a VIN of 9309800724, I believe this car had the snorkel headlight washers replaced with the flush units.

Rich

http://www.indigoclassiccars.com/web/vehicle_photos/2677596/
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it is the exact twin to mine, even down to the cork interior.

 

Here's another '79 petrol blue/cork that sold on Flemings Ultimate Garage a few years ago. Looked all original except for the wheels.

http://www.flemingsultimategarage.com/1979-porsche-930-turbo-c-1099.htm

 

This was a nice very early ’79 930 that sold in an Apr 12 ebay auction. The seller claimed: “This car is original and unmolested in every way” but I believe the chrome headlight bezels and H-4’s were added (vs. original factory option) and the Fuchs wheels were polished (seller claimed as a rare upgrade at the time). I have not been able to locate a factory option for polished Fuchs for a ’79 930.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1979-PORSCHE-930-TURBO-ALL-ORIGINAL-AND-UNMOLESTED-BEST-BEST-/160778234336?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item256f2129e0

 

Paperwork that came with my ’79 930 (service receipts not shown)

- Last 50 930 certificate in velvet lined burgundy cover with Porsche badge on cover
- Window sticker
- Last 50 press release
- 85mph speedometer (in original 76, 180mph, 3 liter turbo speedometer box)
- Burgundy glove box owner/maintenance manual cover
- Blaupunkt Autoradio Porsche CR Stereo Typ US radio schematics (2)
- Owners manual
- Warranty and maintenance manual
- Hirschmann antenna manual
- Blaupunkt warranty card
- Blaupunkt Porsche CR Stereo Type US Manual
- Blaupunkt Autoradio Service booklet
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I remember looking at one of the last 50 '79 turbos at a S.F. Bay Area dealership. It was new, black/black and the asking price was $49K. Not sure what options it had.

 

Here’s a link to 9309800817 that was the last U.S. VIN for the 1979 model year (to August 1979) prior to 1980 model year (continue 1979 series, flush headlight washers, etc.).

http://usedcarsit.com/used-cars-for-sale/220984137641/Porsche-911

Unfortunate that the car has extreme mods so little is left for historical reference. Of all the 930 years, the ’79 is probably the year with the most modified cars.

 

Here’s an article from the Feb 15, 1980, Modesto Bee:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1948&dat=19800215&id=5-IiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kswFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1782,6317877

The article may reference the 930 you saw in San Francisco: "They're asking $100,000 for them down south," said Joe Travale, owner of Travale Porsche/Audi in Stockton. "A dealer in San Francisco turned down $100,00 for theirs."

 

that one has ben FS in Atlanta for a while..i think it is at at Ford dealership. i sent hem an e-mail inquiring if it was stock to se what they would say. that was a mistake. they didn't really tell me anything about the car but now i'm i get e-mails for everything under the sun from them.

 

In 1986, R&T tested the new U.S. 3.3 liter car. The 0-60 acceleration time was the same as the 78 & 79 930 but the 86 had a slightly quicker quarter mile time. The article discusses the very different character of the 78 car compared to the 86:

“At the test track, we discovered that the 911 Turbo will still give any car a run for its money, hustling to 60 mph from rest in 5.0 seconds. The time is the same for the 1978 Turbo, but the manner of getting to speed is noticeably different: Gone is the slow movement off the line that was followed by the punch-in-the-back turbo effect. The 1986 car moves off smartly and the speed just continues to build-quickly-with an only slightly detectable boost from the turbo. The means are different, the end is the same.”
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You are doing a terrific job with the review of the period material you are providing for the 3.3 cars. Long overdue and well done!

 

Thanks Joe,

More on character of the 78 (and 79) 930 in the April 1978, Car and Driver, Porsche Supertest: 928 and Turbo:

“Not much happens for the first 3000 RPM or so when you plant your foot in the Porsche. but when the cam timing and turbo come to life above 3500 RPM it’s as if you’ve stepped off the top of a very tall building. First experiences are always the ones you savor most, and mine came on an on ramp of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway about 45 seconds after I fired up the car for the first time. The Turbo went from a slow roll to 75 mph in one quick and effortless whoosh that pinned me in the seat. It was then that I found out how good the brakes were as I melded into a thick glut of 35-mph traffic. It’s the all-time fantasy car for Anyman, but it’s flat too expensive and too fast for my tastes. Anything over first gear is tickets.”

“I see in the Turbo the same sinister functionality as a NATO jet fighter. The black nose cone, under-wing missiles, the pods, tanks, slots and spoilers all have a parallel in the Porsche. As cars go, the Turbo is not something that most stylists would want in their portfolios. Its line are born of necessity rather than of fashion. The look is unfriendly, like a Phantom. The Turbo drives so much like it looks that it makes my blood run cold. The thrust of the engine is fierce. Control response—steering, brakes, windshield washers, you name it—is instantaneous. Still, there is some question in my mind as to whether this sort of First Strike Capability should be available to anyone with a driver’s license. The military is careful about who flies its jest. Perhaps Porsche, in its own way, is qualifying applicants for the Turbo. After all, they have to write a check for $34,000.
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Rich,
I reallylike your car.. beautiful indeed. Silver/red has always been a great combo. My 73 has the same color combo although the red is a bit darker. I looked for a Silver 930 for some time but never could I find one when I was looking to buy. So I’ve ended up with several other colors along the way over time.

CharlesE; I believe I know the car of which you are speaking and it is absolutely stunning. I have seen it several times with the last time being on the PorschPlatz at the Petit LeMans @ Road Atlanta.

In my area during the 80’s, Petrol Blue seemed to be a very popular color as it was seen often on both Turbo cars, and SC’s. It then seemed to disappear as many of the cars were sold, or traded for newer models etc.. Through the 90’s to present I have seen even fewer in this color, and when I do, they’re usually faded due to a hard life and/or the single stage paint used in the 70’s and 80’s.

For the record, my 930 is also Petrol Blue/Cork. Another one almost identical to mine was sold/purchased last month through Kassabian Motors in Dublin, CA

 

Thanks - I guess I’m in good company as Singer chose a silver exterior with red & black interior for his restored and reimagined’ Porsche 911.

http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/magazine/3700.asp?id=15542

My car has a “light red” interior but has a black dash/kneepad/upper door trim/rear shelf that does not show up on the window sticker or PCA COA. I purchased the book “Sharing the Wealth” a biography of Peter C. Cook by Michael Lozon. From a lead in the book, I was able to correspond with Peter’s chief salesman at Import Motors during the 1970s. I ask him if he recalled my ‘79 930 and one day he called me. He told me that Peter picked out this car while they were both on a trip to the Porsche factory in Germany and special ordered the red & black interior.

Here's a photo Peter Cook’s ’76 silver 930 with red interior. It’s possible that the red dash on his ’76 car gave off too much glare and he decided to go with a two-tone red & black interior for his ’79.

Rich
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Rich, that's great info, funny how there are people around that still remember certain cars that have crossed their paths over the years.

Also, this is a good example of the of the variety of offerings that were available from Porsche in the early years. Everyone assumes that because an option or a specific mod was not listed on the window sticker, that it is not factory. What they fail to realize is that during the 70’s & 80’s, the 911 was still pretty much a hand-made car. If there was something you wanted, and although it was not offered as an option, you could get it if you were willing to pay for it. Especially if it was cosmetic in nature.

 

March 2010 issue of Automobile Magazine: 10 Greatest 911s. Their caption is for a 1978 930 but it’s actually a post-1980 euro car with the side light markers.
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August 1979 issue of Car and Driver” Turbo Car vs. Turbo Bike, Danny Ongais and the Throttle in the Ultimate Performance Showdown.

“The Porsche 930 has pretty much established its own rules and called its own shots since Day one. By comparison, other cars seem to pop out of the muzzle like a cork on a string, but the Turbo is truly shot out of a gun. The 930’s 3040-pound bulk is brought to a stop by brakes originally developed for the 917 race cars. The huge four-wheel discs are ventilated and cross-drilled for maximum cooling and braking consistency. When prompted, the World’s Bravest Man (Ongais) admits the brakes are the best thing about the car.”

Not sure where Car and Driver got the 3040-pound curb weight but it's not correct for the 78 and 79 930 (correct weight is 2,854 lbs).

Rich
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yes that is the car. to me it IS the most significant 79 930 produced. several years ago, i talked to the owner several times about sellign it to me. he said he would not sell it at any price.

speaking of Petrol blue 930s selling, bill gates petrol blue 79 with 60k miles just sold at auction for $80k.

 

More on the 78 & 79 brakes from: “911 Turbo 3 and 3.3 litre: Project no. 930”, Michael Cotton, Osprey, 1988.

“At this time the Turbo was fitted, in production, with new Porsche designed Alcan calipers and the long-awaited type 917 cross-drilled discs. At last the road car really did have racing car brake performance.”

Also more detail on the ’79 930 production from the book:

“Figures for the 1979 model year are distorted because the model was discontinued for the States in December 1979 on account of still stricter emission requirements. Therefore the run of 1979 model chassis numbers was extended through the autumn for the American market only, 805 being built for the US up to August and a further 384 in the autumn.”

“The final modification to be mentioned is a new and more efficient exhaust system with twin tailpipes, introduced for the 911 Turbo in September 1979. An improved oil cooler was fitted to the Turbo and the 911 SC, but the performance characteristics remained unchanged.”

Its understandable why they did not fit the last 384 U.S. 930’s with the twin exhaust but more mysterious why they didn’t add the oil cooler??

Not sure of the VIN but this is a very late '79 930 with the adjustable headlight bezels in gulf blue:

http://porschebahn.wordpress.com/2008/11/20/1979-porsche-930-turbo-in-gulf-racing-blue/

Here’s a late model ’79 930, VIN 1130, from Porsches for the road, Henry Rasmussen.
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Interesting commentary on the 930 designation and brakes of the 3.3 liter 930 in the August 1979 issue of Modern Motoring. The article's title: “Dr. Porsche’s rear-engined symphony reaches reaches a thundering climax with the turbo-charged 930…Motoring’s 1812 Overture:

“The car is different in many respects; so much that whereas the 3.0 litre still had a 911 designation, the new car is officially classified as a 930, in effect a new model (it’s “real” name, indeed, is simply that: “Porsche 930”).

“In the stopping department, the Turbo has specifications as elite as any other road car in history. The huge 300 mm internally-vented and drilled discs with their associated light alloy four-piston calipers have been borrowed from the famous 917 racing series – brakes which have won Le Mans are as much as you’d ever need for a road car.”

 

Also from: “911 Turbo 3 and 3.3 litre: Project no. 930”, Michael Cotton, Osprey, 1988. Detail as to why the cross drilled floating rotor brakes were not put into production on the 3.0 litre cars even though they were advertised in the publicity photographs:

“As shown in Paris, the Turbo had cross-drilled discs, as used on the Carreras and all the publicity photographs also revealed this type of braking, but in reality the factory was having some problems with hairline cracking and would not put them into production until late in 1977 (1978 model year) when the 3.3 litre engine was introduced.”
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Another nice feature of the ’78-79 U.S. 930’s...they were 11 pounds lighter than their ROW counterparts. The Porsche Technical Specification booklet for the 78, 79, 80, 81 911 SC and Turbo list the curb weight of the ‘78-79, 930’s at 1295 Kg (2855 lbs) with ROW cars listed at 1300 Kg (2866 lbs). The Porsche spec book weights are not a misprint as they correspond to those listed in the 78-80 Porsche brochures.
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