2004 Special Edition "Car Zero"

[humble_programmer]

Here's a story for you guys: we were living in Stuttgart, Germany, and in June of 2006 were in the market for a new Porsche. A "friend of a friend" put us in touch with "Larry", a retired US soldier who has been living in the area--and collecting Porsches--since the '60s. Larry claims to own "...somewhere between 4 and 8 cars, depending on the time of year", and knows most of the Zuffenhausen factory sales reps by name. When we mentioned to him that we were in the market for a US-spec Boxster, he mentioned that he "...had a line on a unique opportunity".

He had found a 2004 Boxster Special Edition sitting in storage at the Porsche Zuffenhausen factory lot--papered as US spec, never titled, and with about 2,750 miles on it. He originally was going to buy it himself, but his wife didn't want another Boxster, so he showed it to us. I was already drooling as soon as I laid eyes on the car, but totally freaked out when I noticed the Special Edition plaque above the shifter: #0000 of 1953.

My "scam alarms" went off in every direction, but after running a VIN search, contacting the factory independently, and having a German neighbor who works for Daimler-Chrysler check it out, the car (and offer) stubbornly remained genuine. We ended up buying "Car Zero" from Porsche--with the hardtop option--for $55K and Larry didn't make a penny from the sale. I don't need to tell a bunch of Porsche enthusiasts about how sweet this car is, but the fact that it is #0000 just makes it sweeter.

Cheers!
Humble Programmer
,,,^..^,,,

[redman12]

Thats effin sweet dude.

Too bad... they had all the kinks worked out by 0001. J/K, very lucky. My friends dad has the first production viper in their basement or something along those lines.

[C5150]

Now you just need to clean the wheels!

White calipers?!

[CJ_Boxster]

You just bought yourself an effin sweet collector car, i mean #0000 out of 1954! Dont mod it, dont add your own accents, dont do bumper conversions and use a car cover and sell her at berret jackson auction in about 10-25 years.

[z12358]

Very nice Box, but looks like tires could use some protection from sun damage.

I still don't get it, though. Was this the first car from the series, and if so, was #0001 the second one? I would have assumed that #0000 (especially if still untitled after 3k miles) would be a pre-production (beta test) model that companies send to magazines for early reviews. What did you find out about the car after doing the research?

Z.

[wetstuff]

That's a great story. In the old days - before humble programmers brought us the internet - you would have read it in Road & Track. Good for you.

jim

[krn986]

Looks hot! omg... +1 on not modding it keep it BONE stock and baby the car.

[djomlas]

great story man.
it kinda sux couse now u cant do anything to it lol

thats what sux bout buying something as rare as that, or beter yet one-off

[humble_programmer]

Hmmm...taking pictures of shiny metal with a cheap digital camera is a lot harder than I expected. Hopefully the end result is still legible...

The interior is cocoa brown leather, and the only major difference from the standard S model is that the center console is missing: there's nothing from the shifter back to the carpet-covered firewall. Heated seats are nice, though...

The Special Edition plaque is mounted against the firewall, immediately below the dashboard, and the picture below is actually a little larger than "life size".

[jpcolin]

Nice car!

I assume the lower center console (between the seats) is alu look (or artic silver)
Could you tell me if the inside of the armrest box is also painted?
Could you take a picture please?


thanks

[boxsterx]

now that's a true collector car! sweeeeeet ride!

[986 Special Edition]

This is my first post, but I wanted to say great find! I noticed that the rear lights and the front side markers don't look like the US spec. Any thoughts as to why they're different?

[Y2BOX]

In the UK we would call that the 550 anniversary edition.

[joecristofaro]

Originally Posted by humble_programmer

Hmmm...taking pictures of shiny metal with a cheap digital camera is a lot harder than I expected. Hopefully the end result is still legible...

The interior is cocoa brown leather, and the only major difference from the standard S model is that the center console is missing: there's nothing from the shifter back to the carpet-covered firewall. Heated seats are nice, though...

The Special Edition plaque is mounted against the firewall, immediately below the dashboard, and the picture below is actually a little larger than "life size".

I have a special edition as well. #313 of 1953. Mine appears to be slightly different from your description of the interior. Mine has the silver trimming and has a center console covered with the brown leather (actually it is supposed to simulate oxblood).
The color of the interior and exterior of the car were specifically chosen. The 555 race car had a silver exterior and oxblood interior.
I absolutely love mine. Regarding one of the questions on the forum, one of the differences between this S car and another 2004 S car is the air filter. The air filter and box come from the 2005 987. As a result, the stated HP for the anniversary model is higher than the other 2004 986 S (264 hp).

[threpwood]

Limited edition no.0000? If I were you I would pamper it and keep it in garage as collectors car

[Tool Pants]

I think the humble programmer that found special edition #0 in a covered barn for years behind PAG headquarters has had a good laugh.

Once I asked for pictures of the VIN he went away.

Originally Posted by Tool Pants

I think the humble programmer that found special edition #0 in a covered barn for years behind PAG headquarters has had a good laugh.

Once I asked for pictures of the VIN he went away.

In all fairness, why should he send you a picture of his VIN. And, if you re-read your previous post, you never asked for a pic of the VIN.