924Board.org

[asn993]

Hi all. As a new member to this forum but not a new Porsche owner, I have a question regarding the collectable value of replica's or otherwise. I have been watching and emailing a fellow memberr about his car that I saw on ebay. I was not ready to purchase as I have a loan for a car currently, but will be in a position to do so at the end of this month & thus have been gathering info on 931's & this car in particular. I was also looking at 914's and visited an independent Porsche mechanics recently and discussed the purchase pros & cons with him about these cars. The 931 in question has been extensively rebuilt using original Carrera GT parts from an Australian delivered crashed vehicle, and new factory parts where required. When I explained this to the Porsche expert he sttaed that without GT chassis & engine number plates the car was a bitzer and on no value. His advice was to spend a bit more a get a genuine Porsche via a 944T (and I guess ultimately associated Porsche repair costs!!). I was a bit put off, but on reflection is he right? Is my heart ruling my decision - I love the Carrera GT, cannot afford one, have come across the next best thing - a replica containing genuine rebody & major mechanical refit from a crashed original - and thus want it because it is so close. I feel the car is collectable or of interest as it has replaced a crashed one as opposed to a build up from fiberglass bits etc. I also think that the car provides the opportnuity to improve and modify, which would destroy an original one part would enhance this one. read any Porsche magazine and it is full of full blown replica's of all sorts - turbo wide body, '73 911 Carrera, 914-6 all of som evalue. Why not 924's?
So I guess my question is is there value/interest/collectability in a car like this, or do I want it and thus blinded by what it nearly is rather than what it was, and maybe not as good a value as a 944? Is it a 931 with modifications or is it a Carrera GT replica? Or does anybody care. Thanks
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asn993

[Archie9xx]

Good questions - my question is, are you buying the car for yourself, or for that Porsche mechanic? 931 as a CGT-replica is a good basis for modifications, since you are not destroying the real classic one, and still, you'll meet or exceed CGT-level in power, chassis, suspension, brakes and stuff pretty easily.
The only real magic with real Carrera GT is it's chassis number, and that makes it so special. One can easily build 100% replica of 924 Carrera GT on minimal budget.
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931 '79
ex-list:
924 '79
944 '86
931 '79
944 '83
356B '60
911T/SC '70
944 S2 Cabriolet '90
924 '84

[gohim]

Any car is only worth what someone else will pay for it.

The Owner of the replica that you are looking at probably spent way more on the car then he could reasonably expect to recover from it's sale.

You have not mentioned how much this car is going to cost you. Could you replicate it for less than the Seller is selling it for? If so, it isn't a very good buy, is it?

Is it collectable? Probably not, because anyone with the cash could build another just like it.

Now if you are planning on modifying it anyway, what would be the point in paying a premium to purchase a close replica of a specific model, then changing it. Wouldn't you be better of buying the base model and modifying it to become what you visualize?

[Peter_in_AU]

Welcome.

You're obviously talking about Chris's (Carris) car. As you know he has never represented the car as anything other than what it is - a rebodied CGT.

As most of the CGT bits are genuine factory the value of the car has to be somewhere between a very good 931 and a 100% CGT. I think the price he's asking is very good.

If I could afford to buy it I would spend time annoying the guys at Porsche Australia to get as much documentation on the original car and on the rebuild after it was crashed.

The car is never going to be worth as much as a 100% CGT but because of its history it's going to be worth a lot more than a 931 especially with Porsche documentation.

If I had the spare cash I'd buy it and just enjoy it.
_________________
1979 924 (Gone to a better place)
1974 Lotus 7 S4 "Big Valve" Twin-cam (waiting)
1982 924 (As featured on Wikipedia)

Learn to love your multimeter and may the search be with you

[asn993]

Thanks for the replies. Yes it is Chris' car. My question was more about getting an understanding & confirmation of my thought process. I know the car has been advertsied correctly & Chris has been very helpful with his responses. Not only do I want to buy a car to enjoy & improve a bit - engine performance nothing else - but I want something a bit different & special. I think this car is, but the mecahnic thought the opposite. Whilst it is my decision opinions sometimes matters, so that is what I am asking.
In terms of a replica I think this is much more than that because it has genuine bits. My interest is not in building a replica, but in this car because of what it represents. A real CGT has disappeared from the road, and this car has replaced bearing most from the wrecked one but minus the obviously important chassis number. Wouldn't that be a find!! And what would that mean?? Thanks for the aussie thoughts peter.
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asn993

[numbbers]

I think the point is, if you think the car is worth the asking price for your enjoyment, then it is. If you are buying it for an investment, it is not going to appreciate. It is not a "classic," only a replica. What you are paying Chris for is the time, effort and expense he put into creating this car. You have to decide if it is worth it to you.
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1980 924 Turbo

[Carris]

I find it funny that the mechanic doesn't think a 931 is a genuine porsche.

What would the value of a 930 (911 turbo) fitted with all original factory 934 (911 Turbo RSR) parts. Would he class that as a bitzer that wasn't a genuine porsche and worthless. It would be worth a hell of a lot more than a stock 930.

My car is the same thing, you just wouldn't have to sell a kidney to buy it.
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Chris

[Khal]

Carris' car is special, no doubt. I doubt you'll find another like it. Unless you can find a real Carrera GT (do they even exist here?). Even if you do find a real Carrera GT, it's gonna cost a whole lot more than Carris' car, or a 944 Turbo, or a 928, or an early 911 Turbo, etc...

Is it a modified 924 Turbo? Tough one. In short, yes. But it's modified using genuine Carrera GT parts. That's what makes it special. In fact, from what I understand, anything that wasn't Carrera GT was replaced with original Carrera GT parts. That's special.

Is a 944 Turbo a better car (in any measurable aspect, at least)? In my opinion, probably yes. Especially a later one.

But a 944 Turbo doesn't have the rarity factor of Carris' car.

I'm the sort of bloke that'd take a 356 Speedster over a boring old 911 Carrera any day of the week. Hence I'm the sort that'd want Carris' extremely rare 924 Turbo over a boring old 944...

Are you..?

That being said, I also totally agree with what Peter_in_AU and numbbers said.
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'80 924 Turbo

[Peter_in_AU]

asn993, you know the answer to your questions better than your mechanic does. The 944 Turbo he'd have you buy six months ago for $25K is now selling for $19K (no laughing from you guys who don't live in Aus). Or better yet, how about a 928 that was $25K a year ago and now is worth $8K or a 944 that has gone from $16K to $9K in a year.

There are almost no post-1973 Porsches that are not worth less now than they were six months ago. A 924 CGT seems to at least hold it's value. I suspect because of it's history this car will keep its value.

Don't buy it if you're thinking of keeping it for 6 months and then selling it. A car like this will take a long time to sell because you need to find someone who can apreciate what it is.
_________________
1979 924 (Gone to a better place)
1974 Lotus 7 S4 "Big Valve" Twin-cam (waiting)
1982 924 (As featured on Wikipedia)

Learn to love your multimeter and may the search be with you