1977 Porsche 930-Paint to Sample BMW Anthracite Grey 37k original miles!

1977 Porsche 930 Turbo-Paint to Sample BMW Anthracite Metallic

VIN 9307800417

Original Mileage- 37,255

If you are looking for a very correct 3.0-liter Turbo, in a rare Paint to Sample shade, with excellent provenance, this car is worthy of your consideration. This 930 was sold new at Trans World Motors in Goleta, CA on April 28^th, 1977 to John Price of Santa Barbara, CA; a real estate developer who would later become the US Ambassador the Mauritius and the Seychelles. Mr. Price owned the car for 36 years until it was purchased by Ryan Snodgrass of Kirkland, WA in October 2013 at 34k miles.

The car was delivered in the following specification:

• Paint to Sample BMW Anthracite Metallic (Paint Code 635-9-3)- $300
• Cork Walk Nappa Leather (5AH)
• Electric Sliding Sunroof (650)- $710
• Pirelli P7 Tires
• Engine number- 6870440 (matching)
• Transmission number- 770839 (matching)

It is apparent that Mr. Price was quite fond on this particular Turbo as it shows careful ownership. Thankfully it suffered none of the indignities often inflicted on these early Turbo’s in the era where many people couldn’t resist the urge to heavily modify these cars in the quest for more power, more 80’s “panache” and the like.

Body/Paint/Trim-

The car was refinished it its correct shade of BMW Anthracite sometime prior to Mr. Snodgrass’ purchase. The quality of the work was excellent and it presents very well. In 2014 in anticipation of some upcoming tours the front end and lower rockers were completely covered with XPEL Paint protection film. This allows the car to be driven and enjoyed and yet protects the finish from the inevitable chips, dings and road wear. These cars should be driven!

The body is laser straight with excellent panel fit and no notable issues. The hood on the vehicle has been replaced at some point in the cars history for unknown reasons, though appears to have had a minor left front impact. The window trim has recently been refinished by King of Trim, in the correct anodized black finish and looks remarkable. A close inspection of exterior trim and lenses reveals they all are correct and original parts, no reproduction parts found here!

The wheels are the correct 16” Fuchs with correct sized Bridgestone RE11 205/55/16 and 225/50/16 that were installed in 2013 at 34,982 miles. The Fuchs have some anodizing wear from previous detailing. One will note the correct anodized black center caps, rarely seen as most refinishers incorrectly repaint them when restoring the wheels. It’s the small details!

Interior-

For the 1977 model year, Porsche introduced new interior colors including this car’s Cork. Starting February 1, 1977 they switched to a new, higher quality Walk Nappa leather, which this car features. The interior of this car is 100% original including the leather, panels, carpets, dash, headliner and all trim. The seats are just starting to show just the right amount of “patina” reflecting 40 years of careful use. One giveaway of an incorrectly restored early Turbo is the carpets, they usually don’t source the correct long cut, plush Silverknit pile that such a distinctive feature on these cars. Being all original this cars original carpet has just the right 70’s deep lay to it that literally screams correct, amazing!

One will note the original US Spec Blaupunkt Bamberg (M389) with its auxiliary tuner mounted on top of the new for 1977 console and the removable microphone. An essential piece for a correct early Turbo, very nice!

As standard equipment, all Turbo’s came with Full leather, including the dash. Unfortunately while leather is gorgeous, its not an ideal material for a dashboard as its subjected to extreme heat and UV. Porsche introduced a new dash in 1977, featuring a center vent for the AC. Over time these dashes like to shrink around the center vent, as can be seen on this example. In discussions with many experts and an examination of the various “solutions” currently available, the decision was made to leave the dash as is since a suitable, correct option could not be sourced. I agree with this choice as the interior is 100% original and the various options I have seen first hand leave a lot to be desired in terms of fitment, leather grain, stitching, color match and sheen.

Mechanical-

The car is matching numbers and considerable attention has been spent to insure that he car is both fully correct and ready for any drive or tour. Attention to the smallest details such as rebuilding a correct, date coded 2/77 CDI box, installing a correct Warm up Regulator (WUR) and refinishing the AC compressor insure that the motor both functions well and would pass scrutiny of concours judges that value originality.

Driving this 930 is like stepping back to 1977, slot the transmission in first gear, slowly let out the clutch and watch the RPM’s gently climb until about 3500 rpm when a hard shove and a otherworldly mechanical cacophony greet your senses. Shift into 2^nd gear at 60 mph and do it again seeing nearly 90 mph at the top of 2^nd… One quickly realizes what all the hype was about! Settle into 4^th well into the triple digits and one quickly realized how supreme a wealthy German businessman must have felt cruising the A31 from Essen to Emden. Those 250 kilometers must have simply been magic on the Autobahn…

Accessories-

On any collector vehicle its important to have all of the as delivered accessories. This car is as complete as one could hope and includes the following:

• Original Monroney window sticker
• Certificate of Authenticity
• Service history since 2013 in an organized 3 ring binder
• Correct VIN matched service manual (including original service stamps from 1977), owners manual, Blaupunkt manual and correct folio.
• Complete and correct tool kit
• Correct white Webster air compressor and Owafix gloves
• Original style keys and key pouch
• Original unopened BMW Lackstift touch up sticks in correct Anthracite Grey Metallic for this paint-to-sample color

Provenance-

So many of these cars have passed thru many hands and have unknown histories. This fully documented, 2-owner example suffered no such fate. This car is currently owned by a well-respected early Turbo subject matter expert and author of the upcoming “Turbo 3.0: Porsche’s First Turbocharged Supercar”. The car is featured throughout the book and the purchaser of this car will be presented with a signed copy of edition # 417 matching this cars VIN.

Additionally this car was selected to be part of the Historic Display at Porsche Parade 2017 in Spokane, WA and will be featured in an upcoming article in Porsche Panorama.

Overall Condition Assessment-

Overall this is an excellent, well documented, very correct, early Turbo in a rare PTS shade. It has been owned by just two seasoned collectors and has never suffered at the hands of an uncaring owner.

Highlights of the Car Include:

• Rare Paint to Sample shade- 1 of just 5 early Turbo’s in BMW Anthracite
• Known 2 owner history from new
• Complete service history verifying 37k original miles
• $30k recently invested to insure mechanical health, aesthetic improvement and period correct details.
• Runs and drives as an excellent example should
• Excellent original interior
• Complete with all delivered accessories, details and literature
• Excellent provenance with prominent coverage in key literature and events.

Items of note:

• Car has been completely repainted to a high standard.
• Hood and front left fender has been replaced at some point in cars history.
• Dash has shrunk around the center AC vent.
• Car is currently very clean and tidy throughout, but to be competitive at a higher national level would need chassis detailing, a new heatshield pad in engine bay and high-level attention to the more minute nooks and crannies.

Overall I would rate this car a solid #2 on the Hagerty collector scale, which in my mind is ideal. Nice enough to command a win at a Regional type event, but no so pristine that its only time on the road is on the inside of an enclosed transport!

If you are considering the magic of an early Turbo, I think this car makes a strong case as the one to buy. Just close your eyes and envision the needle on the tach swinging past 4k as the boost needle is pinned…. Yes, you need this car!