1987 G50 911 Backdated to 1972 / 1973 RS Spec - 3.2L California Legal

1987 Porsche 911 1973 Backdate Description

1987 Southern California 911 Entire Life, Backdated to 1972/73 RS

Purchased April 17, 1987 from Janaco Porsche/Audi, Norwalk, CA

Espo Restorations Backdated completed September 2017

Engine rebuilt (w/ new clutch) September 2017

Steve Wong (SWChips) DME rebuild/Performance chip

Current CA plates, 100% CA smog compliant (passed smog June 1, 2018)

Original window sticker/invoice/books/receipts/toolkit/jack since 1987 included

Over 250 pictures below of before, during and after restoration, plus paperwork/receipts

1987 911 3.2L G50 sunroof coupe backdated to 1973 RS trim completed in September 2017 by legendary John Esposito’s Porsche Restoration in North Hollywood, CA. During the 15 month restoration process, the original 3.2L engine was rebuilt by European Car Specialist’s in Newport Beach, CA to include a DME rebuild and performance chip upgrade by Steve Wong of SWChips, Los Angeles, CA. This car has the gorgeous looks of a vintage long-hood 911 with the reliability, performance and daily-driver ease of use and creature comforts of the highly desirable G50 3.2 911’s only found in 1987-1989 911’s. Additionally, under the backdate metal, it’s still a fully CA smog compliant 911 with recent smog certificate (June 1, 2018) and has current CA registration paid in April 2018.

Cars & Coffee Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PiAbYlxI0c

CAR HISTORY and BACKDATE TRANSFORMATION

Complete paperwork history of the car is included showing original purchase by Mr. Don Russell of Newport Beach, CA from Janaco Porsche/Audi of Norwalk, CA on 4/17/87. Original pristine window sticker, owner’s manual and maintenance booklet filled out up until 1/25/98, then all maintenance receipts to present are included. Its documented history shows it’s never left southern CA. I purchased this ’87 coupe in 2013 from the 2nd owner (3rd if you consider the father to son pass down) SoCal owner. In the words of John Esposito after it was stripped to begin the backdate transformation, “I wish all our cars started this clean.” Because it was so clean originally, I hesitated to start the project. But in the end I realized clean, accident-free cars make for the best starting platforms, and therefore decided it was the perfect candidate to build my vision.

My personal maintenance expenses put into the car from 2013-present exceed $65,000 (all included with sale). Simply put, this 911 has been extremely well cared for since new, never had a period of neglect, long-term storage or ever been in an accident and has been used and loved by three owners in southern CA since 1987. I have no doubt this is one of the most solid late 80’s 911 on the road. While the odometer currently shows 232K miles (with 7K miles since engine rebuild), the car performs better and feels tighter than every G-body 911 I’ve driven from this era, with many of those examples having less than 75K original miles. With the recent body and engine work, the new owner will be acquiring one of the best, correctly executed backdates by a renowned authority with a rebuilt engine that is bulletproof. If you’re looking for the gorgeous good looks of a vintage long-hood 911, yet want to comfortably drive it as an every-day reliable, worry-free car, THIS is the 911 you’ve been searching for.

To determine how I got to this point with the car, it’s best to provide the backstory of my history with it and why I chose to backdate one of the cleanest examples of Carrera’s I had ever experienced. At the time of purchase I owned a 1979 911 SC and a 1987 930 turbo. While I enjoyed those cars, both left me wanting for something more.

The SC’s 3.0 engine was a bit too slow and lacked the amount of low-end torque I desired, but its biggest downfall for me was its antiquated 915 transmission. While I respect the 915 transmission for its 1972-1986 911 work-horse lifespan, my personal opinion is Porsche should have updated it many years prior to ‘87. The 915’s vague engagement and the overall feeling of uncertainty always tempered my shifting enjoyment. To me, a 915 transmission 911 looks gorgeous, yet shifts like a VW Bug and therefore killed the driving experience for me.

As for the 930, it was fast on the freeways, but aside from the boost kicking in, it wasn’t as thrilling to drive as I had hoped. Having only 4 gears meant I didn’t shift a bunch around town and for me to really open it up and enjoy its boost, I had to drive at jail residency/car impounded speeds. Again, it simply didn’t THRILL me. Maybe I’m spoiled with some of the newer cars I’ve experienced over the years, but I was expecting to be freaked out behind the wheel of the fabled “widowmaker”…yet my personal experiences didn’t live up to that hype. Sure it was fun, but it wasn’t as special as I had hoped it would be.

Enter this 1987 G50 coupe. I found it advertised locally and had zero desire to purchase, but I wanted to experience the G50 transmission improvements I had read about for years. Also the 3.2 torque was allegedly a big improvement over my SC’s 3.0, so I set up an appointment to inspect the car with low expectations it would really be much different from my SC.

Wow was I wrong! From the moment I put it into 1st gear, accelerated to 2nd and then hit 3rd gear I could tell this G50 3.2 wasn’t anything like my SC. By the time I hit 5th gear I was hooked and HAD to have this car. The precision, butter-smooth shifts of the G50 transmission, the low-end torque and the handling of this ’87 blew me away. Simply put, this car was a million times more enjoyable to drive than my SC or Turbo 930. The fact that it was dark blue with tan interior and had a history of being a no-hit southern CA car with full documentation of low owners only sweetened the pot. By the time I ended the short test drive, I agreed to the asking price and bought the car on the spot.

It didn’t take me long to sell the SC and Turbo once my ’87 entered the stable. I just wasn’t driving them as my G50 3.2 hit all the right driver feedback buttons. Hell, I could finally execute a perfect heel/toe downshift with a simple rocking of my right foot…something I had never been able to easily execute on dozens of other cars in my past. This ’87 was simply setup perfectly for the true driver enthusiast. But in true 911 addiction fashion, I couldn’t stop looking at first gen long-hood coupes.

That obsession resulted in a 1972 Irish Green 2.4L coupe purchase to appease my long-hood desires. The ’72 was gorgeous and I loved looking at it…the only problem for me was every time I drove it I had to shift that 915 transmission again. Also, the MFI system was temperamental at best and the simple fact was I never had confidence leaving for work in my ’72 like I did in my ’87. Once again, I found all I was driving was this ’87 911, but I couldn’t stop looking at my ’72 and those glorious long-hood dimensions. So why not merge the best of both these cars via a backdate?

Enter John Esposito. I had read about his shop from numerous Petrolicious articles and decided I would start to research backdating to see if it was a feasible option. If interested, please see the following links to John’s company site and articles on his shop:

Esposito Porsche:

https://www.esporesto.com/

Petrolicious (articles on some of John’s projects):

https://petrolicious.com/articles/this-is-where-porsches-are-made-perfect-again-to-the-last-detail

https://petrolicious.com/articles/borrow-a-porsche-911-and-go-off-road

https://petrolicious.com/articles/driving-this-porsche-964-hot-rod-leaves-no-room-for-indifference

I was picky and didn’t want to cut up my beloved ’87 only to be disappointed with the end result. My goal was to build a 911 that looked as good as my ’72, but drove as well as my ’87. But the more research I did on backdating, the more I found that most shops won’t even attempt, and for the few shops that would agree to the project, many refused to do the work correctly. I was amazed at how many places didn’t want to relocate the front hood latch to mimic the correct, forward location of a true long-hood. Or guys would try to talk me into fiberglass, bolt-on parts to save time and money. My main goal with this build was essentially to be able to order any ‘72/’73 part and be able to fit it without modification. That required a shop that was willing to cut, weld and fabricate the front and back to factory long-hood specs. One meeting with John and I could tell he was the guy to take on my project.

I’m not a fabricator and can’t do justice to what John and his talented team did to transform my ’87 into the car you see now. I recommend researching John and his shop if you desire intimate details on how they accomplish their amazing backdate projects. Needless to say they are one of THE authorities on backdating and I wouldn’t trust anyone else to undertake this monumental task (short of having $500K+ and walking across the street to Singer). Instead of trying to explain what I witnessed them do during the 12+ months of the project, I’ll simply explain what I told John I wanted built and ultimately what is on the road today:

Misc cosmetic improvements during project + current mechanical condition:

Per Esposito’s Work Order, the following was officially done:

• Backdate to 69-73 style 911

• Replace hood

• Replace latch panel assembly

• Replace front bumper

• Modify front fenders

• Modify rear body panel

• Replace rear bumpers

• Replace rear center panel

• Replace front/rear turn signals

• Replace RT/LT quarter windows (pop-out style)

• Replace trim, convert to plating bright work

• Install RS rocker trim (rear bumpers), plus front bumperettes

• Refinish/Paint/Polish – Factory Albert Blue

On a recommendation of a fellow car enthusiast years prior to 2013, I started taking all my 911’s for regular service to European Car Specialists in Newport Beach, CA and have worked directly with the Porsche master mechanic and owner, Singh, for years. Singh got my 930 running better than ever, rebuilt my numbers matching ’72 2.4L engine and has fixed, adjusted or corrected so many issues on all my 911’s over the years it’s impossible to recount. When he initially inspected this ’87 in 2013, he quickly determined I had four broken head studs (and hated the fact it didn’t have an OEM air-cleaner), but aside from those issues, he gave it a clean bill of health. I planned to fix the head studs as soon as I needed major engine work, but 2013 turned into almost four years of driving my ’87 three days a week to work with zero mechanical issues. The car is simply bullet-proof and never left me stranded. That said, I have routinely taken the car to European Car Specialists since purchase and have always replaced/corrected any issue that has come up during routine driving. All receipts from my ownership (and past owners are included).

In 2016 with approx. 225K miles on the engine, the head studs leaking had increased to silver dollar sized oil drops every week. Therefore, once I committed to the backdate project, I had Singh pull the engine prior to shipping the car to John’s shop.

While the restoration was in process, Singh disassembled the entire engine and went over every piece and addressed all issues. A summary of the engine work completed is as follows:

8/28/17 - European Car Specialists (Newport Beach, CA) - $14,793.89

Engine Rebuild (OD reading 225,144) to include:

• Dismantled engine/replaced all head studs/complete overhaul

• Fitted new intake, exhaust valves & valve springs

• Lapped all intake/exhaust valves

• Adjusted all valve spring heights w/ new shims

• Replaced all main bearings

• Fitted new timing chains and guides

• R&R both cam oil feed spray tubes and pressure cleaned

• Fitted new cam bower oil lines

• Fitted new oil return lines

• Fitted new braided stainless steel fuel lines

• Installed new A/C compressor, replaced A/C receiver drier, vacuum tested system, recharged with A/C oil and A/C dye and rechecked system to ensure fully operational

• Replaced clutch slave cylinder and bled clutch hydraulic system. New OEM clutch installed.

• Replaced inner/outer axle shaft boots

• Installed Dansk sport muffler for 3.2L engine (dual in, single out)

• Installed Steve Wong (911Chips) performance chip and rebuilt DME

Machine work included:

• Replaced all cylinder head studs after removing four broken studs

• Replaced all valve guides

• Cleaned engine case

• Cleaned oil tank

• Ground both cam shafts and machined to correct factory specs

• Sandblasted alternator parts

10/20/16 – K&H European Auto Upholstery (Garden Grove, CA) - $2,568.04

• Front seats finished in champagne tan leather w/ houndstooth inserts

• Rebuilt bottom, back and side pads

The transmission wasn’t touched as it didn’t appear to need anything, but I had him inspect the clutch. While the existing clutch felt like it had plenty of life left in it, I was concerned that it always felt a bit too heavy. Upon inspection, Singh determined sometime in the past a 3.0 SC clutch had been installed instead of the correct 3.2 factory Carrera spec. Therefore an OEM 3.2/G50 clutch was installed and now has the same mileage as the engine, approximately 7,000 miles. A new Denso AC compressor was installed to finally make the system operational again (it never worked prior to the restoration).

Feb 2018 - After putting 5,000 miles on the rebuilt engine, vehicle returned to European Car Specialists for valve adjustments and installation of a new fan/alternator housing (OEM purchased from Sierra Madre) and fluid changes. Vehicle has since added 2,000 miles during weekend drives to work for a total of 7,000 miles on new engine and clutch.

May 2018 – Vehicle failed smog when renewing registration (first failure during my ownership). The original, worn out catalytic converter had obviously finally died. My mechanic recommended changing the cat during the engine rebuild due to its obvious poor interior & exterior condition (seen in some pictures taken prior to new cat install), but seeing as it had always passed smog easily, I didn’t want to replace until needed. Obviously my mechanic once again proved correct. Therefore I purchased a new performance OEM bolt-in cat from FabSpeed and passed smog as of June 1, 2018. Smog cert is good for 90 days (Sept 1, 2018). Therefore, if the new owner is in CA, the car can be transferred prior to Sept without having to perform another smog test.

Maintenance History Prior To My Ownership:

At the time of purchase in 2013 the engine had approx. 198K miles on it and ran extremely strong. Per the previous owner, here are the major mechanical updates prior to my purchase:

2005 at 191k miles: Service performed by Westside Motor Sports in CA

Engine pull-out service performed with top end engine rebuild. Front sway bar installed, 4 wheel alignment performed.

2006 at 193k miles: Service performed by Westside Motor Sports in CA

Oil service and tune up performed. Nology wires were installed, K&N air filter system installed.

2006 at 194k miles: Service performed by Great Bear Auto in Ca

Brake service performed. New rotors and pads installed. Brake sensors replaced, painted calipers Guards Red.

2007 at 195k miles: Service performed by C&F in CA

Oil service and tune up performed. Oxygen sensor replaced, catalytic converter replaced. replace oil lines to engine, adjust valves with new valve cover gaskets, replaced drive belts, replace front ball joint, 4 wheel alignment performed.

2007 at 196k miles: Service performed by C&F in CA

Minor service performed. Fuel filter replaced, fuel pump replaced.

2010 at 196k miles: Service performed by Westside Motor Sports in CA

Owner indicates vehicle was stored and performed services. Oil service performed, valves adjusted, fuel tank flushed and replaced fuel.

2011 at 197k miles: Services performed by Great Bear Auto in Ca

Clutch master cylinder and slave replaced, Hydraulic system bleed, Brake fluid flushed, oil service performed, smog inspection performed.

2013 at 198k miles: Service performed by ImGroup in CA

Engine oil service performed, replace K&N filter, replace burnt bulbs.

• Prior to 2005, OEM Maintenance Booklet filled out with routine work performed on vehicle since original purchase date.

If you’ve read this far, hopefully I’ve done justice conveying how much I love this 911. That said, I have no doubts the new owner will have zero complaints and like me, I’m sure will want to drive it non-stop. In the past 25+ years I've owned multiple C2/C3 Corvettes, late model Vettes, Vipers, 1st gen fastback Mustangs, early GTOs, Tri-Five Nomads, Cobra’s (not real), FJ40 & 60 Land Cruisers, Morris Mini's, K5 Blazers, 1st Gen Broncos, every era of Suburban, Rovers, Internationals, you name it, I've probably owned it (much to the chagrin of my wife) or at least driven it. ALL left me wanting something a little better or different for one reason or another…ALL but this 1987 911. THIS is my perfect car. THIS is the most fun, best feedback, easiest shifting classic car I've ever owned and THIS is the only car that I wouldn't change a thing when it comes to driving experience. I have spent five years taking this car to work and enjoying it on 1am California canyon and coast drives (seeing as I have four small children and therefore the only time I can really experience this car the way it’s meant to be driven is late night when the kids are asleep and I’m alone with the wail of this engine and smooth shifts of the G50).

That said, no doubt many are wondering, “If you love it so much, why sell?” Honestly, I don’t. But due to my young children and other commitments, the vehicle would be better served with a new owner at this time. Other family commitments and the expenses that come with raising a large family in southern California means I’ve made the difficult decision that the funds I have in this vehicle can be better served elsewhere. My asking price is below what anyone could build this car for today…it’s simply difficult to find a no accident, SoCal only, low owner history G50 3.2 coupe today and correctly backdate the car for less than my asking price, so I’m optimistic the lucky new owner will appreciate the value in this car.

If you are a serious buyer, please feel free to call me and we’ll talk about the car. I’m open to offers, but please don’t bother if you think I’ll give the car away. First auction went to $95K...but car is still avail. PLEASE don't waste your time or mine calling (or hitting BIN) to discuss the car when you don't have the funds available to purchase. I have no problem answering any and all questions from serious buyers and I'm open to reasonable offers...I'll never be offended by an offer, just can't guarantee I won't laugh. I would like $110K for the car, but open to offers.

Anyone that knows what it takes to purchase a clean, documented history G50 coupe, backdate correctly and rebuild the 3.2 engine knows the project scope can’t be done today for $80K…and that’s not even considering the 1+ year wait time it would require to complete the project, followed by 3-6 months of shakedown driving to correct all the minor restoration/mechanical bugs associated with projects of this type. I’ve done it all; this car is now turn-key ready to enjoy daily with zero headaches to sort. Furthermore, fast forward 5+ years; I have no doubt this car will be worth considerably more than today’s price, so the new owner is getting an excellent investment opportunity they will get to enjoy daily if desired. The car is located in Huntington Beach, CA and I can be reached directly at 714-756-0993 (text anytime, please no calls past 9pm PST). Lastly, please no offers for trades…I’m not looking to add any more cars to my stable.

Thanks For Reading and Good luck!