No more love for the 959?

[nickd]

Top Gear UK new series will have the F40 v 959...... who bought as his first car a brand new 959 ????? a 19 year old Boris Becker (from the horses mouth on TGUK)

[targajoe]

Looking forward to the new season of TG!

Perhaps the style of the 959 has not aged well, although I still like it. Then again, perhaps I have not aged so well either :-)

[nickd]

so how many gears does a 959 have. I got to sit in the one at the Philly show yesterday and the gear know has R G 2 4 and 1 3 5 - so what's the G stand for ?

[Flieger]

"G" = "Gelande" (Off-Road) Sort of a short crawler gear and I believe it also locks all the differentials for constant 4 wheel drive.

[nickd]

thanks - learnt something today......

[72targa]

I'll have to find the picture of me standing next to one at Canepa's shop in the late 1980's (pointing out the filler door similar to the one on my '72). It was always a car that was out of reach, next to impossible to own in the US because of registration challenges. Then, being the overly complex car that it is, only a few could afford to own and maintain. An amazing car...but I am reminded again why I'm happy to just have my simple longhood.

[johndglynn]

What an iconic car but amazingly not much detail is known by most car enthusiasts and even Porsche followers. As much as the innovation was interesting, but also the drama and intrigue of Holbert's efforts to get only 28 cars into the US as 959Sport models. Unfortunately, it failed and the story of all that is almost as interesting as the car itself. I had a contract for one of the 28 cars and have a very nice scrapbook of all the letters from Holbert, the Porsche lawyers during the two+ years of the legal wranglings with the DOT, and even a several page letter from the DOT warning me about any efforts to bring the car into the country (I had purchased it after the import possibilities failed and sold it to a foreigner). And, of course the book signed by Helmut Bott sent to all who contracted one.

Jack

Very cool Jack! Looking forward to hearing that story in person some day

[gsjohnson]

Doesn't Wayne over at the bird own a silver one?

[Flieger]

His is black. And the 962 is white.

[JackG]

Very cool Jack! Looking forward to hearing that story in person some day

John, that would be my pleasure any time!! You come over and I'll put together one heckuva gathering with Ed Mayo, Bob Aines, and many others in my garage and plenty of beers for sure! Plenty of good stories would come out of that one.....

Jack