Phx Bill Gates helps to federalize Porsche 959

http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=coverstory&loc_code=index&content_code=09282484

At Long Last: Federalizing the Porsche 959 has been a long road. Now, at least, it can be traversed

By DAVID COLMAN

Bruce Canepa has managed to finish what Al Holbert started, and that?s to import and federalize Porsche?s 1988 wundercar, the 959. The all-wheel-drive, twin sequential turbo 959 was conceived to serve as Porsche?s entry into the FIA?s stillborn Gruppe B rally-racing class. With 450 hp from 2.85 liters, and a top speed of 192 mph, the 959 stood atop the world supercar pyramid for many years after limited production ceased.

To this day, some still believe it is the premier supercar ever built. As Porsche celebrates the 40th year of the 911, the 959 can easily be called the meanest 911 ever. Though 230 copies of the 959 would be built, none were destined for U.S. sale until Porsche Cars North America racing boss Al Holbert stepped in. When Holbert canvassed Porsche dealers he found enough interest in the $295,000 model to warrant having 30 sent Stateside. Since the 959 could not meet U.S. bumper or ride-height requirements, it was going to be imported as a ?race car? rather than a street-going model.

After the first eight examples arrived at Holbert?s race shop in August 1988, the feds came to inspect them. They found what appeared to be street-legal examples with leather interiors and leather-covered roll bars. The only apparent concessions to race trim were roll-up windows and deletion of air conditioning and radio. Suspecting duplicity on Porsche?s part, the inspectors refused to authorize importation. After Holbert?s death, that initial order was returned to Germany and resold.

Since then, others have schemed to bring the 959 back to the United States. A few have been successful. San Francisco Bay-area resident Don May converted his 959 to true race specs and slid it under the radar in that guise, but it never raced. Enthusiast and publishing heir Otis Chandler gained an exemption by using his as a museum display, and agreeing never to drive it on public roads. Other 959s have come and gone, some shadily imported and shoddily federalized, others seized and impounded at the docks.

Enter Porsche specialist and car dealer Bruce Canepa of Santa Cruz, California. Through his company, Canepa Design, (831) 423-5704, he builds custom Suburbans and aerodynamic big rigs. Still, his love is vintage Porsche race cars, like the ?81 Le Mans-winning 936 he recently acquired, or the Interseries 917/10 he raced at Lime Rock?s Rennsport Reunion. Canepa imported a pair of 959s for Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen in the early 1990s, but the cars never made it past U.S. Customs officials in Oakland, California. Little did Canepa know it would be the first step of a frustrating and confusing, but ultimately rewarding, decade-long project.

His initial instinct was to declare himself a manufacturer to facilitate the federalization process. He quickly discovered that route was mined. ?Had we decided to become a manufacturer, the feds should have allowed it. But politically the car was a hot potato. So they stonewalled us.?

Gates, who was becoming increasingly frustrated at having his 959 eternally tied up in the Port of Oakland?s ?free trade zone,? suggested to Canepa that perhaps they could federalize the car by buying a number of sacrificial 959s to ?crash and test.? But Canepa felt that wouldn?t solve the problems.

No stranger to a courtroom, Gates suggested the legal approach, but even his attorney couldn?t untangle the mess. In the intervening two years, Canepa?s exhaustive research on the problem led him to believe Washington, D.C., attorney Warren Dean might help the cause. Representing Canepa, Chandler, Ralph Lauren, Gates and Allen, ?Dean went to EPA, NHTSA and all the major manufacturers, to keep everyone happy. We formulated a law?that if 500 or fewer cars were produced, if they weren?t currently produced, if they were never U.S.-legal, and if they we

 

Sweet Jesus! That's cool. I know Bill Gates had to be good for something...

 

Cool? The man just suckered the Feds into giving him his toy! What a big baby.

Um, that was Gates, not you Moe!

 

No, I mean it's cool that Someone finally got that Porche federalized. It's been killing enthusiasts for years that they couldn't have one.

Not to mention the car, after it's legalized upgrades, beats out the McLaren F1...Wow..

 

Finally........something that's faster than my landing speed

 

moral of the story: if something's illegal in this country, get someone really rich to make it legal.

i wonder if i can find a billionaire military aircraft fan to make owning F-18s legal for private citizens... although i would probably annoy my neighbors by taking up their parking spaces too..

 

drool...I want one...screw the 911 Turbo! lol

 

That is a really kool story, I want one too. It sounds like a really kool kick butt car.

 

moral of the story: if something's illegal in this country, get someone really rich to make it legal.

I will make it legal. --Where have we heard that before?

 

Yeah, cool about the car but Bill Gates is a whining, whimpering complaining little pissant.

Now let me tell you how I really feel.

 

Back in the day, it was illegal for Blacks, women, and other minorities to vote.

Blacks couldn't even attend the same schools, or ride in the front of a bus.

These were LAWS.

Luckily, someone whined, bitched, and complained to have these laws changed.

Grant it, to compare making a car legal in the US to civil rights is nothing alike, but the point is, someone made a stand and fought for what they believed in.

I say, more power to Mr. Gates.

 

I say, more power to Mr. Gates.

NNNOOOOOOOOoooooo!!!

The MicroSith already has too much power.

Bite your tongue Trooper!

 

First you said:
Yeah, cool about the car but Bill Gates is a whining, whimpering complaining little pissant.

Then you said:
NNNOOOOOOOOoooooo!!!
The MicroSith already has too much power.

Are you now not doing the same thing of which you are accusing him?

He only has the power the people have granted him by the use of his products. Is it jealousy that makes people resentful of Mister Gates, or is it simply a result of misunderstanding that his power is only there so long as the people give it to him?

 

Exactly.

Also, first off, I don't take orders from some "Sith wanna-be" who wasn't even good enough to be in *any* film.

Secondly, there is only ONE Mara Jade in this region, and even she can't order me around.

Now back to knitting booties for your little Jedi apprentices and leave me be before I blast ya one.






(It should be noted that this entire post is in character, and in jest, so cool yer jets.)

 

We're not going to get into a pro/anti-Bill Gates rant here guys, otherwise I'll be posting some stuff that'll get me banned. If you want to continue, please take it to PM and watch the flaming.

 

Back to changing my sig line to God Bless Void . . .

 

I agree with Kevin on this issue. Jada, don't let your opinion of Bill Gates influence you. If you had ordered something from Ebay only to have it confiscated you'd fight just as hard to get it released.

 

OK, all y'all need to go buy yourselves a sense of humor. My comments have been purely jest.

I wonder how defensive people would be of my comments had it been a woman . . . say Madonna, the Olsen Twins or another woman with money and power who had gotten the federal government to legalize their car.

Think about it and then Go flame someone else.

 

I'd feel the exact same way actually. The gender of the person makes no difference to me, so long as they fight for their beliefs.

I may not agree with those beliefs, but I certainly defend your right to believe them, no matter if you pee standing up, or sitting down.

 

//sigh// Sorry, Jada, my comments really weren't intended to offend. Just trying to present a diffrerent point of view.

And just for the record, no, I could care less about the gender of the person involved.