Slipstream - February 2007

Question and Answer
by Ed Mayo
Question: Bear with me please, I have to "front load" some
information first. My uncle bought a brand new 911 T Coupe
(white / black interior) in 1970 in New York City. In 1975 he
moved to Florida and put very little mileage on the car. In fact, by 1985
he only had 45K miles on it. He kept his car immaculate inside and out
and always garaged. In 1985 however, it was involved in an accident
where the frame was bent. His Porsche Mechanic who had been the
car's "physician" for the last 27 years found him another 1970 911 T
Coupe (Robin's egg blue)that had approximately 111K miles on it but
said the body of the car is "perfect"!
My uncle bought this car and had his engine and drive train, suspension
system, heating system, and complete interior from his white
911 put into this blue 911. When the work was being completed, he
had his mechanic re-build his engine and tranny and a new coat of
paint (Robin's Egg Blue). The car was re-titled under the blue 911 vin
with the engine of the white 911. Since 1985, he has only put 13K miles
on the car. The engine now has 58K and the body / chassis has 124K.
The car is in excellent condition and still runs strong. I now own this
car...been in my family for 32 years.
The question is...What is considered original? It's all 1970 911 T!
What class may I "show" the car? I was considering doing some high
performance work to the engine. Would I destroy any "originality" to
this car considering it's history?
Answer: Well, I hate to say this, but I wouldn't consider that car
original any more. I realize "original" is a fun term you can play
with (the old Grandfather's axe handle" game). The easy
answer is that in preservation class judging at Parade concours, you
must present a cardex. Your's would show a different engine number.
Without the cardex (local low-key concours) it won't really matter.
Yes, it's all 1970 T parts.
If you do any performance mods to the engine that are visable,
then it's obviously not "original". If you do things that aren't visible
then it's between you and your car.
Ed Mayo - PCA WebSite - 7/19/2002
17