I am a lifelong Porsche fanatic whose primary passion has been air-cooled 911's. About a year ago I started thinking it would be nice to have a more "modern" Porsche, one that had functional AC, would be comfortable for a weekend trip with my wife and one that was still a momentum car as the new high HP Porsche's don't really do it for me. I like to have to work the car and really drive.
With that in mind I decided I wanted an original 986, the purity of the original design drew me in. The problem was I had my heart set on just one color, Zanzibar.... I have loved that color since I first saw it. Luckily I found my ideal car, a 34k mile, all original 2001 Boxster. It's not heavily optioned and I would have preferred an S, but it was literally as new in every respect.
From there I had to start making it my own. Here is what it looked like when I got it (after I had detailed it... It was clean but not this clean)
I started with the mechanical items and tackled the following:
- Replaced IMS Bearing with Roller Bearing style
- New RMS
- Full major service including all fluids, filters, spark plugs, belts, etc
- New Battery
- Cleaned out the front radiators
Once I felt good mechanically it was time to upgrade the exterior appearance. The list included:
- OEM Litronic Headlight Upgrade
- OEM 2003-2004 Rear Tailights
- Clear side Markers
- OEM Sport Exhaust (wired the valves open all the time)
- OEM 18" Hollow Spoke wheels in Matte Black 7mm rear spacers
- Black Hardtop
From there I moved to the interior and did the following:
- Painted the Center console and dash trim in Zanzibar
- Deleted the center console and installed the GT3 trim
- Deleted the airbag warnings on the visors
- Black and Orange Cocoa Mats (not pictured)
Today was a great day as its the first time I have driven it since getting everything all done, it was done on a time available basis so 3 months of off and on. I am thrilled at how it has turned out and have just a few small items on the to do list. Thanks to the forum for lots of project ideas, FAQ and project guides!
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