Porsche Classic North America has announced a rather unusual competition: forty U.S.-based dealerships will choose an elderly Porsche sports car and make their best effort to bring it back to peak driving condition.
Some of the cars admitted to the contest were produced as far back as the 1950s, while others are fairly recent mid-2000s models. The common point here is that they are all in dismal overall condition and require a complete makeover. Included in the list are multiple 356 models, front-wheel-driven 928 and 944, a first-gen Boxster, and a handful of iconic 911s.
To us, a 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster and an open-top 1988 Porsche 911 Turbo Slant Nose are of particular interest as exotics go. A 16-year old Carrera GT is the most recent restoration candidate on the list.
Dealerships will be given 60,000 OEM spare parts to work with. Nine out of the 40 total shops are long-standing Porsche Classic partners with some expertise in restoring rare and expensive sports cars.
A short list of three candidates will be announced in August, and the ultimate winner will be named in September this year.