Was behind a 959 yesterday....
 

....in traffic

Pretty surprised to see it on the road. He was driving it like he stole it when the traffic loosened up, too.

Aren't there only 2 of those in the U.S.?

My guess is that it is a 959 body kit, and that a normal 911 is under the skin.

http://www.insideline.com/porsche/959/coming-to-america-in-the-porsche-959.html

Good read

It's a 959 kit - the rear valance is incorrect.

Cheers!

His name is Paul, he lives on Middle Street one house down from Concord Provisions . :)

There is one in Orlando 959 proto type B.guy had it shipped in pieces to the USA and registered it as a 930 turbo with the DMV .

I know Bill Gates has one, and I've seen Ralph Lauren's 959. I also know there was a geinuine one owned by someone outside of Denver last year. So they're here.

I know that this particular 959 was transported to California where it remained for over a year while some expert readied it for emissions standards .

Disagree, looks completely correct. Even the tail pipes and mirrors are correct. If it's a kit, it's a perfect one.

There were 337 959s originally produced, incl. racers, prototypes and preproduction models.

In 1993, Porsche assembled an additional 8 from spares which were driven by Porsche Executives until offered to significant collectors by Porsche. These are the most highly prized and none have ever come up for sale.

None were produced for the US Market, but several 'Gray Market' cars were brought in (number unknown). Several, such as Bill Gates' and Paul Allen's, remained 'quarrantined' in EPA warehouses until the 'Show and Display' exemption was created in 1999. This allowed these cars to be driven a maximum of 2,200/yr.

Then, in 2003, Bruce Canepa of Canepa Design, did a US legal conversion to approx. 12 ROW 959s. This included new catalytic converters, Turbos and ECU mapping resulting in 610HP and 500 Ft. lbs. torque (compared with 450HP/410 Ft. lbs. torque in stock form).

At $575k from Canepa, the Canepa cars now command a higher price than other 959s, partly because they do not need the 'Show and Display' exemption.

There are believed to be fewer than 20 959s in the US.

Cheers!

This 959 is no fake. Not only have I seen the vehicle in person, but I also know the history associated with it . In fact, I believe that the purchase also involved the trading of a very sought after vintage 911 RS toward it .

Not surprised you know this guy. He was driving towards your old shop when I turned towards my house.

Wouldn't you? :dance:

Where do I get one of those black license plates?

Seriously,what was the point of covering a car's plate that you saw in traffic? Did it have you social security number, phone number or bank account number on it or something?

Jim, you crack me up! LOL!! :D

My guess is that he was being respectful and polite of the 959 owner.

Huh? :confused:

What's so hard to understand, Blue? It's a very-very rare Porsche. Worth about $400K. S&B posted up a picture of the car on a public road, and blocked out the plate numbers. I think that's being pretty classy and repsectful to the unknowing Porsche 959 owner.

Here's some pics of a 959 from the side. Some of the key trade-marks are the wheels and mirrors, and no rain gutters. Enjoy:

The rear view:

I could run the plate, find the owner's information (phone number, home address, known asoociates, etc). Knowing he probably is wealthy, I would presume his home would be fully stocked with things of like value. Criminals do their due diligence as well.

It's respectful to block the plate number so as not to provide easy searching of the owner's information.

Clear enough?

Rediculous. Anyone who sees the license plate could try to find someone's address. If it worked that way, criminals could just hang out at exotic car meets to make a living.

how do you know they don't?

How exactly would you "run" someone's plate ? Do you have access to LEAPS/CJIS ?

Point being that there are much easier ways to find someone's house than to troll a message board hoping someone will post the license plate of an expensive car.

I wish they'd bring something like this back, give it a bit of a revival. Considering this thing could still put a lot of modern sports cars to shame, it'd be interesting to see an all-out, teched-out (like this was for the times) supercar from Porsche, and before anyone says it, I mean besides the 918 Spyder. :rolleyes:

I never knew until maybe a few months ago that the body was partially made of Kevlar! :eek: How'd that not make its way into modern cars? :rolleyes:

It comes down to privacy.
For $30-$50, I can run anyone's plate (http://www.licenseplate.net/38_state_vehicle_plate/index.html). And that doesn't count the criminals that have connections to people at the DMV/Law Enforcement (they do for a reason). I have access to TxDot here, which allows me to run any plate (tx only of course), any time and it reveals a treasure trove of information about the individual. I'm sure there's people in every state with the same access.

Criminals can also use your plate number when they have a similar car, then when they commit the crime, guess who shows up in the searches?

Another aspect is that it can link you or incriminate you in a crime. I'm sure it's been posted on here that someone has "driven above the speed limit" occasionally. If I was someone's lawyer and I was able to connect a person's admission to speeding with their license plate as confirmation of identity, it's game over.

The only argument I've ever heard as to why they "don't care" about hiding their plate online is "hundreds of people see it everyday on the street." "Hundreds" is still less than potentially billions and once posted online, it becomes a "paper trail", a timestamp in history that you can't erase. It's also a lot easier to remain anonymous online than to walk up to someone's car on the street and take pictures of plates.

I could go on about privacy concerns and identity theft, but it's a simple decision. Don't mask it if it doesn't bother you. For some, who are probably a bit more privacy-conscious, it takes two seconds to black out.

Unless a person has an "official" position that allows them access to RMV information, the dissemination of said information is otherwise protected by federal law. In some instances, the RMV will issue a redacted abstract copy of a registrant's or licensee's information . Whether or not criminals in the State of Texas have "connections" is another issue. Personally, I thought most of the criminals in Texas were more interested in running for elected office, than they were running plates . :)

"the dissemination of said information is otherwise protected by federal law"
we're talking about criminals here. and I'm not just talking about people in TX that have connections, it could happen anywhere:
California: http://articles.sfgate.com/1996-11-23/news/17787950_1_car-theft-ring-auto-theft-dmv
South Carolina: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2007/sep/27/authorities_say_car_theft_ring_busted17372/

General consensus in Texas is:

http://www.discountbookdistributors....ep_My_Guns.jpg

The real criminals are already in office. :)

It comes down to paranoia and internet groupthink sensationalism.

How's your bubble?

What's your plate number then?

I've had pictures of my cars on several boards including this one and I've sold cars on boards and craigslist, all with license plates blazing. You're welcome to look up my posts, find my plates, and tell me my address.

But, that was your choice. Regardless of privacy issues, and paranoia, and etc., the classy and polite thing to do was exactly as S&B did. He covered the plate number. You seem to have a disconnect with this thought process. Sad.

And for the 959 lovers, back on topic :) :

Anyone know what the round thing is on the hood, on the driver's side?

Another good pic and color:

Exactly. That's why I asked the question. Are the guys taking these pictures being disrespectful? I can find thousands of car shows all over the country like this.

http://www.mercerislandcarshow.com/2010Photos.html

I guess the answer to my question is what I thought it would be, sad.

Listen, a lot of people out there don't like their plates posted in pics on the Internet.
This guy has a rare & expensive car.
I don't know him.
I wanted to share what I saw (a freaking 959!!!) with you fine people.
I took 2 seconds to black out his plate in case he would take issue with his plates being posted online.


P.S. - I saw him cruising around again last night. It is in fantastic shape.

My guess is a gas filler

Seen a gray one of these yesterday at the MotoGP in Laguna Seca. Beautiful.

Wayne Dempsey of Pelican Parts has a black one. Many articles on his forum about the car, as well as a ton of pictures.

There are Five 959 COPY's in the U.S.A.

They are 911's with 959 body panels and rims. It is identical to the 959 from where ever you look at from the outside, but a plain 911 underneath.

I know this because there was a red one at the dealership I worked at in Bensalem, PA 2 years ago. I had to do the research on it.

So if anyone ever sees a red 959 in east coast, it is probably a fake. I do not know what colors the other 959 copy's were.