Update: Soon to be listed on BAT!
The original owner, Henry Taylor purchased the car from VW Pacifica in Culver City, California back in 1967. Per the COA he optioned it nicely with; Webasto Heater, Tinted Glass All Around, Loudspeaker, Antenna and Dunlop Tires as well as black leatherette interior and used it to commute to work. It wasn’t until the early 90’s when the story gets interesting. It was then the car started its long successful career in vintage rally events in Colorado, California and most notably in the La Carrera Panamericana in Mexico.
Running the La Carrera Panamericana had always been a dream of then-owner Jeff Gordon but he needed to find the right car that would survive the grueling 1,900-mile cross-country trek traversing up the spine of Mexico across deserts and mountains. It wasn’t until 2002 when Mark Barr, Jeff Gordon’s driver, found the perfect car in Northern California and had it shipped to his race shop in Austin, Texas. It was here the car underwent extensive race preparations and a mild restoration including a complete engine rebuild by Steve Henry of Eagle Racing in Dripping Springs, Texas. This is a grueling 7-day race and everything needs to work perfectly. The entire car was thoroughly inspected and all mechanical systems rebuilt including the original 901 transmission. During the restoration, the car was repainted with its original factory color, Polo Red and affectionately named “Conejo Rojo – Red Rabbit”. Final preparations included fitting Porsche race seats, a roll cage and proper timing equipment for rally checkpoints. It was now 2003 and the car was shipped to Mexico where it was entered into the La Carrera Panamericana. Here it won 5 of 7 stages, placed first in class and 9th overall out of 76 cars. After this victorious campaign in Mexico, the car was successfully raced on the American vintage circuit for several years.
The current owner purchased the car in 2014 and commissioned a mild restoration at Kundensport in California. More recently, the matching numbers transmission was rebuilt in 2018. Though the original matching numbers engine was taken out years ago, the current 2.0-liter engine (the same one that won the La Carrera Panamericana) is the correct spec 911S engine. The owner also sourced period-correct Porsche racing bucket seats which cost nearly 20k and added a Scart exhaust. The car has been featured on the television series Gas Monkey Garage and the clip can be viewed here.
Currently, the car presents as a very nice driver. Most recently the car was resprayed the original Polo Red and shows very well. All brightwork has been re-chromed and the original glass only shows a few minor scratches (windshield has been replaced with Sigla glass). The 5.5 in Fuchs are one year only wheels from 1968 and were refinished a few years ago but show well and are wrapped in Goodyear 195/65 R15 tires. The current owner elected to add a front-mounted oil cooler with thru body oil lines. All body panels are date stamped and original to the car. The strong historical racing significance of the car permeates into the interior as well with thinner carpeting, rear seat delete, radio delete, Porsche bucket seats, S-trim delete and a roll cage. This is exactly how the car was set up, minus a couple of stop-watches, for the 2003 La Carrera Panamericana race. Overall the car has been preserved very well and there are only a few minor areas of rust, which look to have been addressed during previous work. This car would make a perfect vintage touring car…who knows, I think registration for La Carrera Panamericana 2020 is still open .
The car comes with COA, most recent service records and a spare tire. 20200205_154821.jpg20200205_155821.jpg
Head to our website for the entire photoshoot. www.carparcusa.com
Cheers!