Watch as legendary sports car left rotting under SNOW for 15 years is restored to its former glory
A LEGENDARY sports car that was left untouched and rotting under a layer of snow has been restored to its former glory.
A stunning Porsche 928 S4, one of the most iconic motors from the 1980s, was left neglected at the side of a house for 15 years in Upstate New York.
Such is the humid continental climate in that part of the US, the 928 likely dealt with snow and sleet, as well as very hot summers.
As a result, the German set of wheels was eventually discovered by a group of expert car restorers in a very sorry state; with dirt and mould encrusting the exterior, and even mice living inside.
However, determined not to let the iconic Porsche slip away, YouTube channel AMMO NYC set about cleaning and restoring the car
Initially found by a friend of the channel, the 928 – which is from 1988 – was described as “abandoned, or at least forgotten”.
The team then spent six months negotiating with the owner before they eventually let it go.
Then, the group at AMMO NYC set about giving it a complete cosmetic revival.
The white motor was caked in grime and dirt, but that was easily dealt with thanks to the team’s arsenal of detailing tools – including a professional power washer.
Even the interior of the old Porsche was in a sorry state, and required the use of a steam cleaner.
Upon completion, the 928 looked almost as good as new, with even the gorgeous leather seats given the VIP treatment with a special mousse moisturiser.
This 928 S4, which boasts a 5.0-litre four-valve engine that produces 316 bhp, is also a manual – making it highly desirable and somewhat rare in the US.
The 928 is widely loved by petrolheads for its mixture of performance, styling, and driving experience.
It was Porsche’s flagship model for an 18-year period between 1977 and 1995, and today is considered one of the most distinctive and iconic motors in their history.
Top Gear legend Jeremy Clarkson is a big fan of the model, once describing it as “one of the best-looking cars ever made”.
The heart-wrenching reason why Jeremy Clarkson loves the Porsche 928
Written by Michael Golson
The Porsche 928 is perhaps best known, especially in the UK, for Jeremy Clarkson’s heartfelt monologue in a famous episode of Top Gear.
In the show’s Patagonia Special in 2014, the 928 was Jezza’s car of choice to take on the challenge of driving across Chile and Argentina in a race against his co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond.
While his two good pals ridiculed his 928 for being “boring”, the legendary farm-owning petrolhead revealed, in one of the more emotional moments in the show’s history, that he once drove a 928 from London to Sheffield to make a final visit to his dying father.
He said: “I know Hammond and May think my 928 Porsche is a bit dull, but for one very good reason it isn’t dull to me.
“You see back in 1994, I was living in London and I got a call one evening from my mum to say that my dad was desperately ill in the hospital in Sheffield, and I needed to get there as quickly as possible.
“I had just taken a chicken out of the oven – I thought I’ll take that for my mum cause she wouldn’t have eaten.
“I ran outside and I had a 928 on a test that week, and when I arrived in Sheffield the chicken was still warm, and my dad was still alive; in fact he died half an hour later.
“The truth is, if I hadn’t been driving a car which could sit quite happily at 170 mph, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to say goodbye to my dad – so as far as I’m concerned the 928 is alright.”
Clarkson has since backed up this story in a Top Gear feature.
He wrote: “By rights, I should hate the 928; it was the first press test car I ever crashed, and I used one to go and see my dad the day before he died.
“I also disliked the dreadful ride quality in later models.
“And yet, even today, when one grumbles by, my head does the full Linda Blair.
“It is, I think, one of the best-looking cars ever made.”
For fans keen to pick up a 928, its price in the second-hand market can vary massively, with some examples starting at around £10,000, while around £13k is seemingly enough to get you behind the wheel of a 928 S with 90,000 miles on the clock.
Newer examples with less mileage can rise to well above £30k.
This comes as the chief designer of Porsche recently revealed his dream of designing a smaller and more compact version of the brand’s most iconic model – in a nod to its earlier years.
Car design guru Michael Mauer, who’s worked for the likes of Mercedes and Saab before joining Porsche in 2004, is keen for their next-generation 911 to be scaled-down – although he admits this could be a challenge.
Elsewhere, the mythical Porsche 959 is set to be reimagined for the 21st century – some 37 years after it was first released.
The supercar is an icon of the 1980s alongside the 928 and, at the time of its debut, was the world’s fastest street-legal car with a top speed of 197 mph.