One of our favorite things to do as a company is introducing a car to its owner for the first time.
We got to do that last week when one of our long term projects, this beautiful Porsche 930 Turbo, finally met its owner. This car was purchased sight unseen in California while the owner was living in Hong Kong.“It’s been a lifelong ambition of mine,” Robert, the owner, said about owning a Porsche. “I love the shape, the history, the motorsport aspect. Sometimes you have the money, but not the opportunity to get one. Other times the opportunity might come around but you can’t afford it at that time. So when both things lined up for me I had to take it.”This 1985 “grey market” Euro 930 Turbo was sold at auction in Beverly Hills California and disclosed as in poor running condition. It was immediately shipped cross country to Fabspeed Motorsports facility in Fort Washington Pennsylvania just outside Philadelphia. When the transport truck arrived the car would not start to be unloaded… oh boy!
Our lead technician dove right in and thoroughly inspected the car. The results were in and though the 930 was deemed to need a good bit of maintenance and repair work, her bones were solid and she could be brought back to life as a driver with some much needed tender love and care.
At this time, Robert was advised of the condition of his Porsche, a plan was developed, and the project began. The plan; transform this old lady into a strong running Porsche with some newfound pep in her step. The timely task of sorting through the different mechanical systems began.
The first area we wanted to cover with this old girl was her braking system. Dustin, our lead technician, inspected the brakes and marked up the bits that needed to be replaced. We found that the brake lines were dry rotted and need to be replaced. After the lines, he inspected the calipers and they grabbed very well. We flushed the brake fluid and replaced it.
Now that brakes were in good condition, we took a look at the suspension. All joints were inspected and greased where possible. The car’s shocks had definitely seen better days so we went ahead and replaced them. The wheel bearings were greased and adjusted and while looking around the suspension and brakes we noticed the axles were in rough shape. We replaced the CV axles, hub seals replaced, and fluids checked.
The most worrisome part of this car was if the electrical systems of the vehicle were in good shape or not. We noticed a voltage draw that we quickly diagnosed and resolved. All other electrical systems tested and were in good shape. We got lucky that it was not a rats nest of wiring.
The engine maintenance was the most time-consuming aspect of the entire build. Our lead technician had a long list after the first inspection that needed to be replaced and fixed. We replaced the turbocharger oil feed line, crankcase breather line, fuel Injector blocks, entire air injection system removed, belts upgraded, grey market fuel pressure relief system removed, vacuum lines replaced and safely routed, all new heater hoses, oil and filter changed. Throughout this whole process, we spent time cleaning the engine bay and parts that were getting refurbished and reinstalled.
Once we tackled the maintenance side of the engine we started our favorite process of improving engine performance. This is a Fabspeed Motorsport USA speciality. This car received our K27 turbocharger upgrade, Fabspeed sport header kit with heat, Fabspeed Maxflo exhaust system, Fabspeed 930 air intake, C2 turbo-style re-circulation bypass hose, long neck intercooler, Tial wastegate with Fabspeed wastegate dump.
Now was the moment of truth of getting the car to start and drive for the first time. Which didn’t go over very smoothly since we had some small ignition issues but quickly solved them and got the timing adjusted as well. Once the ignition problem was solved we turned her over and she idled smooth and everything was looking good. No leaks or other visual issues so we took her on her maiden voyage, which ended not far out the door due to fuel issues.
The final step to get her running to full potential was getting the fuel system 100%. When we first got the vehicle we dumped all the old gas and replaced it with fresh gas so old gas couldn’t cause a problem. We pushed the car back up on the lift and tested the fuel pumps, inspected all fuel lines, air meter adjusted, warm-up regular tested, over boost solenoid replaced, CIS system dialed in on dynamometer with gas analyzer.
First, we installed our Porsche 930 Turbo Maxflo Exhaust System and some custom sport headers. These two upgrades alone add great performance and sound to the vehicle, but we were far from finished at this point.We then got to work installing a K-27 Turbo upgrade, Long-Neck Intercooler, and Air Intake System.Here’s what it looked like before we got started.
Here’s what it looked like after the installs were finished.
The vehicle also received some other maintenance items to get her running in tip-top shape for the owner's arrival and then we were all ready for the big reveal.
“I’m hugely impressed,” he said after taking his first drive in his new Porsche 930 Turbo. “There was some concern, having purchased the car site unseen, but this is far better than I even expected.”
This car's next journey will be to France where the owner plans to retire and will be enjoyed for years to come.“At the end of the day, it’s the service that matters most and you now have a very satisfied customer,” he added before heading out.
We asked him to sum up his thoughts on the car in one word. He smiled ear to ear and simply said “awesome.”