We acquired our first 1988 924S Special Edition car about a decade ago. Not being too familiar with the whole “Special Edition” thing and given the fact that the car was not in “original condition” anyway, we made some modifications to make it a better track/autocross car. About seven years ago, we sold it to a local enthusiast who continued with the autocross theme while doing fastidious maintenance and making some additional performance and cosmetic improvements. A few weeks ago, we got the call – want to buy it back? The answer was, of course, yes.
If you know anything about 924S944.com, you know that we are avid fans of the 9242S Special Edition cars. We have several in various levels of restoration and show our 28K-mile original-condition car whenever we can, also using it for PCA and other events. “Original” is the key here. There are so few of them left, and very few in original, as-delivered condition. We knew that this particular example was one that could be “reversed” back to original spec, so we jumped on the chance to get it and restore it to new condition.
The basic car is in great mechanical condition, runs very well and is generally straight. The maroon carpet is in near-perfect condition, although the seats had been replaced when the original fabric seats wore out. We put in a bolt-in four-point roll bar and removed the back seat backrest years ago. It has an aftermarket steering wheel, manual steering rack, and clear front turn signal lenses. The previous owner installed a 931 hood and 931 lower front valance to match the 931 upper front valance that we installed when we had it. It has a Lindsey catalytic converter, changing the exhaust note. The body, while in great shape, has mostly original paint with some nicks, scratches and a few dents. The front fenders were “rolled” at one time – we think we did that a long time ago – and need to be replaced. It has the original grey/maroon door cards and the original Blaupunkt radio. It has the same 16″ by 7/8″ wheels that it had when we sold it. It shows 127K miles.
So here is our plan.
- Replace the hood, front fenders, upper and lower valances with original spec parts.
- Strip and disassemble the car for a complete repaint.
- Replace any worn body seals.
- Remove the roll bar.
- Reinstall power steering.
- Replace the wheels with proper 15″ by 6/7″ staggered phone dials.
- Replace the steering wheel and shifter with original spec.
- Return the exhaust to original spec.
- Replace the front and rear seats with original spec grey/maroon flannel.
- Replace the warped plastic dash cap (the dash is cracked – imagine that!)
We are sure to find things along the way that need to be fixed or corrected, such as the windshield wiper relay that is not working correctly. But this list is the “big things” that need to be done and will bring it back to the way it was when it left the factory in July of 1987.
So what then? Well, it will be for sale. We have not determined how we will sell it – BringaTrailer, PCar Market, or what. But it will be for sale as a great example of a well-sorted 924S Special Edition, back on the road in its original spec glory!
