Oh my, is it cold. I feel sorry for the 968s just waiting patiently for the warm weather to return but it will return and soon. In the meantime, I roused Minty from her winter slumber so that her timing belt could be replaced and have acquired parts for a few spring projects so I’m ready for the warmer weather! I am happy to report that interest in the 968s is at an all-time high. I am continuously contacted by other potential buyers looking for that special 968 or by a current owner who is looking to do more and learn more about his or her unique Porsche. It is great to hear from all the fans that these great cars have. I’m personally looking forward to a busy 2015 and hope to see many of you and see your great 968s.
Sunroof-delete 968s
When I put together the 968 Registry databases years ago I looked for all the features of each 968s, exterior and interior colors, and optional equipment. One thing I didn’t look for was features that the car did NOT have and then someone asked me about the Sunroof delete 968s. I had the information, it just meant I had to re-review the data on all 2,234 North American 968 coupes. So recently I did that and by the time I was done I had counted just 6 sunroof delete 968s. The details on them are below:
- 1992 – NS820423 – N7 Amazon Green with a cashmere interior, 6 speed, side molding, hi-fi sound with amps, rear emblem delete.
- 1992 – NS820638 – A1 Black with a black cloth interior, 6 speed, limited slip, 17 Cup 1 wheels, sport seats.
- 1993 – PS820073 – A8 Polar silver with a black cloth interior, 6 speed, M030 sport suspension, limited slip, 17 Cup 1 wheels, sport seats, hi-fi sound with CD-2 am/fm single in-dash CD, rear emblem delete, painted rear spoiler.
- 1993 – PS820350 – A8 Polar silver with a black cloth interior, 6 speed, M030 sport suspension, limited slip, 17 Cup 1 wheels.
- 1994 – RS820586 – P5 Grand Prix white with a black cloth interior, 6 speed, Canadian package, M030 sport suspension, limited slip, 17 Cup 2 wheels, dual heated seats, headlight washers.
- 1995 – SS820172 – X4 Speed Yellow with a black partial leather interior, 6 speed, M030 sport suspension, limited slip, 17 Cup 2 wheels, sport seats, painted rear spoiler, deviated leather shifter boot, deviated leather door panels.
You’ll note that all these 968s share a performance-oriented theme being that they’re all M030 cars (with the exception of the 92s but as you know, M030 wasn’t officially offered in 1992). These cars had to be special ordered to be configured this way but then I wondered, why would you want a Sunroof delete car? I had some thoughts on the answer to that question but I decided to solicit opinions from the brilliant enthusiast minds found on the Rennlist and Pelican forums. After a number of days of discussion I came up with the following possibilities:
- Cost savings/Money: I actual ordered my Audi Q5 and got one without a sunroof. It would have cost me $1,500 extra if I wanted it so I saved a good amount of money there. But when the sunroof is standard equipment, deleting it is usually a “no cost” with “no money” back option. I think that is the case with the 968 (although I have yet to see a window sticker from a SRD 968) so that is most likely not the reason.
- Weight: Did the sunroof assembly weigh that much so that deleting it saved you that much weight for when you went racing? According to the great minds that wouldn’t be it. The assembly just doesn’t weigh that much.
- Structural rigidity: Did not having the sunroof assembly cause the 968 to be more rigid for when you went racing? According to the great minds that wouldn’t be it. The roof is set up in a way that you really won’t notice a difference between a sunroof and a non-sunroof car. A roll bar? Yes! That will add rigidity. A deleted sunroof, not so much. Some went so far as to say the sunroof cars were actually stiffer due to the sunroof structure around the opening.
- Looks: This one actually got many votes. Many reported that liked the nice clean roof line of a sunroof delete car. So that could be it.
Then a few other suggestions were made that I didn’t think about:
- Headroom: If you are very tall, like 6’ 6”, and you are wearing a helmet on your head that the extra inch or so of clearance that the sunroof delete provides is much appreciated.
- Access: Some racers reported that having access through the sunroof opening made it easy to get at things like welding up the roll cage joints.
- Simplicity: The sunroof does require a motor and switches and a seal. All of these things can break and require some type of service. The drains can plug up and cause drainage leaks into the car and if left unattended for a prolonged period of time can result in rust. So maybe some have looked at the sunroof and said they just didn’t want it or the possible future headache and decided to delete it.
So after all that input what were my findings? The results were inconclusive. There was no single, great reason to delete the sunroof on your 968. If I could find one of the original six owners and ask them the reason for deletion it would probably be one of the above but each of the owners could very well site a different one of those reasons for their special 968 order. You will note that all of these special 968s are more performance oriented with their optional equipment hinting at the original owner’s thinking (remember, the M030 sport suspension option wasn’t available until 1993 so that is why you don’t see it on the 92s). One thing that is for sure, they are rare with only six produced so if you ever see one be sure to take in this rare sight and give the car a good look-over and decide which reason you think this special machine was produced.
Car Shows, Car Shows, Car Shows!!!
There is no shortage of events for you and your 968 in 2015. I have highlighted a few of them below. If you know of any other events that you think would be of interest to our group be sure and let me know and I will publish the information in a future E-newsletter.
2015 Porsche swap in Hershey PA – April 19th 2015
This is a regular event for the 968 crowd. Most of the 968ers stay at the Hilton garden Inn on Friday night. If there is enough interest the group sometimes meets for dinner at a pre-selected location. Then they head back to the Hilton for a few drinks and plenty of socializing. The swap starts early on Saturday April 19th. If you enter the concours show you get a little better parking. We usually have all the 968s together. I’m not sure if I will attend this year but I probably will. Let me know if you plan to attend and I can put you in touch with others who will be there. The link below has all the event details:
http://www.cpa-pca.org/swap/2015.html
2015 Zone 1 Concours/Rally/BBQ – Woodcliff NJ – May 15, 16, 17, 2015
Okay, no more excuses. This year’s Zone 1 concours is located in the Northern NJ town of Woodcliff and promises to have all kinds of 968s in attendance. You see, some of the best 968s in the country are located in the great state of New Jersey and I’m hoping that many of them will be in attendance at this event. If there is enough confirmed attendance I will work to set up some kind of gathering for the 968ers on Friday night. Some detail on the event appears below along with a link. Let me know if you are interested:
Zone 1 – Concours & Rally Weekend
Hosted by the Northern New Jersey Region
May 15, 16 & 17 2015
Woodcliff Lake Hilton, Woodcliff Lake NJ
Mark your calendars, and please plan to joining us this coming May for what will surely be an exciting weekend of Porsches and good times among your fellow club members from Zone 1 near and far. The weekend will start with a “Welcome Reception” for our out-of-towners on Friday in the hotel lounge. Saturday we will hold the concours on the expansive and lush hotel lawn. The concours will have both judged and peoples’ choice categories. In the evening we will have a sumptuous dinner in one of the hotel’s award-winning dining rooms. Sunday will be Rally day. Using the same planned route, the rally masters will give you a choice of either a TSD (time-speed-distance) or “gimmick” style. You decide.
http://www.zone1.pca.org/#!events/c1s
2015 Porsche Parade in French Lick IN – June 21-27, 2015
There is nothing like a Porsche Parade. I’ve attended three of them in the past and they are quite spectacular. Start with an amazing location, add in thousands of Porsches, and even more fans and the result is an event to remember. This year’s Parade promises to be right up there with the best of them largely due to the central location. We’ll see great Porsches from all four corners of the lower 48. I’m planning to attend for the beginning of the week. Let me know if you are thinking of going and we’ll be sure to get the 968ers together. You can follow along on the progress of this event using the link below. There was also a great article in the February issue of Panorama that outlines many details of the event:
https://www.pca.org/event/2014-11-05/2015-porsche-parade-french-lick-indiana
2015 Concour on the Avenue in Carmel CA – August 11th, 2015
Here’s a California event for the 968ers on the west coast. I was contacted by long time PCAer and current 944 owner Jim Borowske who is working on an event to be held in conjunction with Monterey car week. He is working to add a new category of Porsches to this world class event which would include the 924/944/968/928 series and is looking for some show worthy examples of 968s. Details on the event can be found in the link below. It sounds like a great charity event and a great time for any car enthusiast. If you are interested please feel free to reach out to Jim directly at jim@fredd.info
http://www.carmelconcours.com/home.html
968Register.org update
Progress continues with the new register website. At this point we are just working out the details. I’ll let you know via email when the site is ready. In order to help you fully understand all the great 968 stuff you can find there we’ll be having a “scavenger hunt” to launch the site with a prize going to the winner. There won’t be any better source for 968 production data site on the net. I promise you that. Continued thanks to Adam for his hard work on the new site.
Sincerely,
Jeff Coe
PCA 968 Register Advocate
If you’ve sold your 968 or would no longer like to receive this newsletter please contact me and I’ll take you off the distribution list. If you are looking for a 968 or know some who is let me know as I am often contacted with 968s for sale. If you plan to change your email address in the future contact me so I can update the distribution list.
Issue: 2015 #1
