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Ned L of WA
Ned L of WA at PCA Porsche Escape Sun Peaks BC Canada 2010.

Frequently Asked Questions



Each time you visit this website be sure to check out the latest breaking site news!


This list is generated from e-mails that I receive from people viewing the website - some are owners but others are just interested parties. If you have a question about please e-mail me.



  1. What is an ?
  2. What is an registry?
  3. Why should I join the registry? - What's in it for me?
  4. What does the “” in mean?
  5. How many were built?
  6. What do the factory option codes printed on the ID label located on the underside of the front hood mean?
  7. How do I find out exactly when my came off the production line?
  8. What is the elastic strap sticking out of the carpet in the front luggage compartment for?
  9. How can I tell if a car is really an from its Vin#?
  10. What's the easiest way to tell if an was fitted with a Limited Slip Differential at the factory?
  11. Who described the as “the car that the Porsche Club of America built”?
  12. How do I read an Vin#?
  13. Where are the majority of located?
  14. What is the most popular color for an ?
  15. What is the most important modification I need to ensure has been embodied on my ?
  16. What do I do if my “exclamation point” red general warning light on the dashboard comes on every time I reach 35 m.p.h?
  17. Where can I buy “” and “” rear deck lid emblems and “”side decals?
  18. How much do sell for? and Where can I find one (or more) For Sale?
  19. Is it true that some had rear seats?
  20. How can I find out what number my is out of the 701 produced?
  21. What's so special about original factory seats? What are their advantages/disadvantages?
  22. How much did an cost brand new? What was the difference between the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) and the “sticker” price for a new ?
  23. Where can I find general specification data for the ?
  24. How many women owners are there in the registry? ...and what color do they own?
  25. Is it possible to feature pictures of my on this website? Can I get my own page on this website?
  26. Is the rear spoiler or “whaletail” the same as other 911 rear whaletails? - and if not, how does it differ the others?
  27. Where can I view all the s that have been sold through this website?
  28. Where's the ping-pong ball in my ?
  29. What photo's were included in the 1992 and 1993 factory press releases?
  30. What does an sales brochure look like, and where can I get one?
  31. What is the most popular of the four factory options? What percentage of cars had what options? and what percentage had all four or zero options?
  32. What is the reason that the is fitted with twin stowage bins behind the front seats, but the same model-year “Rest of the World” 964 was not?
  33. What is the most common mistake owners admit to making?
  34. What should be in an toolkit?
  35. Where can I find the correct part number for factory original Wheels?
  36. What manuals and handbooks came with the ?
  37. Where can I find road test articles?
  38. How does an compare with the original 1973 2.7L Carrera RS on a racetrack?
  39. What is the “M-Date” on an and where can I find it on the car?
  40. Which is the ugliest picture ever? [WARNING - this image is UGLY!!]
  41. What do I do when I pull the handle to open the rear deck lid on my and the cable breaks?
  42. Where can I get an .net polo shirt?
  43. What do I do when I pull the handle to open the front hood on my and the cable breaks?
  44. How much do original factory sport seats weigh?
  45. Where can I see some of the personalized license plates that registry members have on their ?
  46. What was the little known 5th option available when ordering a new from the factory?
  47. Did you know that Porsche Cars North America placed an ad in the New York Times specifically for the ?
  48. What is the significance of the phrase “If you insist on air conditioning ....” with respect to an ?
  49. Which Porsche factory racing driver is referred to as “The father of the ”?


The RUF front air dam and the wheels completely filling the fenders give Scott C of NC's black a “hunkered down & hugging the road” stance.



How many were built?

An excellent question!

Having personally researched this exact question for nearly three years, after consulting with the PCNA Customer Commitment Center here in the USA, and then requesting a validated production number from the factory archivist in Stuttgart ..... I now have the definitive answer!

.... and that is - 701

To view the factory response to questions regarding production numbers click here.

Research reveals an interesting array of opinions as to exactly how many were built - as is illustrated in the list below:

  1. “Porsche 911- Forever Young” Tobias Aichele states a total of 594
  2. “Porsche 911 Performance handbook” (2nd Edition) Bruce Anderson states 701
  3. “The Porsche Family Tree - Porsche models from 1948 to 1995” PCA says 892
  4. Letter from PCNA (T Sanders) to owner Mark T dated March 1995 says 649
  5. Letter from PCNA (C Belcher) to owner Emil Z dated April 1996 says 649
  6. “Original Porsche 911” Peter Morgan says 816
  7. Excellence magazine #75 Feb '98, #91 Feb 2000 & Feb '01 (Bruce Anderson) says 701
  8. “Porsche 911 Red Book 1965 - 1999” Patrick C Paternie says 892

Needless to say, a letter was sent to Stuttgart with a copy to PCNA asking for the correct number.

On 20-Dec-2003 I received a data package from Porsche AG stating the final production number was 701.

The range of Vin#'s of is as follows:

Production Table - Production date Vs Vin#

Production date mm/yy to mm/yy Vin # # made Model Year
Jan/92 - Jun/92   WPOAB296*PS418001 to PS418297 297 1993
Jul/92 - Apr/93   WPOAB296*PS419061 to PS419379 and PS419450 320 1993
May/93 - Aug/93   WPOAB296*RS419061 to RS419144 84 1994
  Total # made 701  
Where * is the randomly generated check digit “0” to “;9” or “X”.


Brian S of IL
An excellent example of a Grand Prix White owned by Brian S of IL.

How can I find out what number an is out of the 701 built?

If the Vin# of a particular is known, the above table can be used to calculate what number it is out of the 701 produced.

For example lets find out where Vin# PS419312 is out of the 701 made:

As it is not a “PS418xxx” series Vin#, the above table shows it is not one of the first 297 built. The first of the “PS419xxx” cars had
Vin# 061, so by subtracting 60 from 312 (Vin# being PS419312) we come up with 252 meaning it was the 252nd car in the “PS419xxx” series, which, when added to the first run of 297 cars means that this car was the 549th of 701 built.

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What do the factory option codes printed on the ID label (located on the underside of the front hood) mean?

The ilusive ID label
Factory option codes.

Another good question - but an easy one to answer.

To find out where to look for the ID label with the factory option codes printed on it go to the What is an RSA? page.

The most common three digit option codes you are likely to find on an ID label are as follows:

  • C02 - US market car (smog legal - fitted with catalytic converter) All 's should have this option on their ID labels.
  • C36 - Canadian market car. All Canadian 's should have this option on their ID labels - it signifies that in addition to having US required catalytic converters fitted, labels are changed from gallons to liters and the speedometer is in kilometers/hr in stead of miles/hr.
  • 220 - Limited slip differential (40% locking)
  • 331 - Porsche CR-1 Cassette/radio (see image below)
  • 573 - Air conditioning
  • 451 - Reduced radio preparation = speaker grills on door panels only - otherwise all RSA's left the production line “radio ready” i.e. fitted with amplifier, windshield antenna and 2 door mounted speakers
  • 650 - Electrically operated sunroof
  • 718 - Next years model - i.e. built in 1992 but the was a '93 model
  • 900 - European delivery - the original owner took delivery of the car from the factory in Germany

Jonathan T of ME
Option code “900” indicates the original owner got to experience Europe at the wheel of their brand new Porsche.

NOTE: the vehicle ID label (showing the option codes) is also on the first page of the maintenance manual.

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CR-1 AM/FM digital cassette radio
Option “331” the Porsche CR-1 AM/FM cassette radio with digital display.

The stock factory CR-1 Cassette Radio (Option 331) shown above was often not ordered from the factory as Dealers would frequently fit the more desirable Alpine single disk CD player which was new audio technology in 1993. A further benefit to dealers was that they were able to make money from the fitment of a CD player.

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How do I find out exactly when my came off the production line?

Every has the date it passed final quality inspection and left the production line engraved on its dataplate. This is known as the manufacturer's date code or “M-date”.

So where is this dataplate that has the “M-date” on it? Well, it is not hidden - but you do need to know where to look.

drivers door open
Open the drivers door.

in a jamb
Look at the drivers door jamb - below the latch.

Open the driver's door and then take a look on the driver's door jamb just below the latch. Here you will see the factory dataplate which is a black decal. This dataplate is considered to be the primary source of data on the to which it is attached. If you find the dataplate is missing on an , exercise caution. This means either the car had the dataplate removed because the car was in an accident and was repainted, or it might indicate something more sinister - such as the vehicle was stolen and the dataplate removed to conceal the original Vin#. In either case, the Vin# should also appear on a black metal plate on the driver's door pillar - which is best viewed through the windshield. If the car's Vin# is not visible in either of these locations, it might be a good idea to avoid the car all together.

M-date
The “M-date” on the dataplate on the drivers door jamb.

The dataplate gives a lot of data on your including Vin# etc. but ....... if you look up in the top RH corner, you will see the manufacturer's date code or “M-date”. This states the month and year that this particular vehicle passed final quality inspection and left the production line.

In the example above, the “M-date” shows that this particular left the production line in January 1993.

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What is the elastic strap sticking out of the carpet in the front luggage compartment for?

elastic strap
The elastic strap sticking out of the front carpet.

This is where the original leather document case containing the owners manual (with supplement), the warranty booklet and the maintenance manual were stored during shipping of the car.

Why ... you ask? Because with the fitment of passenger side airbags the glove compartment was now too small to hold said document case.

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How can I tell if a car really is an from its Vin#?

Vin#s are found in several places on the car.

One place is on a metal plate attached to the drivers side windshield pillar (best viewed from outside the car through the windshield). Other places are on the dataplate on the drivers door post just below the latch, or on the ID label under the front hood, behind the hood latch.

The amazing dataplate
The dataplate on the drivers door jamb.

In brief, for all s the first 8 digits of the Vin number the same, these are WPOAB296, then there is the check digit (see below), then PS for '93 or RS for '94, followed in all cases by 41 [NOTE: the thirteenth digit is a “ 1” ONLY if the car is an ] followed by the four digit serial number, the ranges for which and details of how to read an Vin# are below.

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What's the easiest way to tell if an was fitted with a Limited Slip Differential at the factory?

The simplest way to tell if it was fitted with a factory Limited Slip Differential is to look at the ID label either under the front hood or on the first page of the maintenance manual.

The hood is now open
Open the front hood by pulling the lever under the left hand end of the dashboard.

Yup, the hood is definitely open
Look up underneath the hood just behind the latch and you will see the ID label.

Label codes
This is the same label that appears on the first page of the maintenance manual.

The bottom rows of computer printout on this label are the factory option codes and if the car fitted with the 40% locking Limited Slip Differential, the code “220” will be present - as it is in the example shown above.

NOTE: You can find out if any car has LSD if you jack the back end of the car up in the air so both rear wheels are off the ground and then turn one rear wheel by hand and watch to see if the other wheel turns the same way. If the other rear wheel turns the same way - you have LSD fitted (not necessarily the Porsche factory original). However, if the other rear wheel turns the opposite way ... the car does not have Limited Slip Differential.

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Who described the as “the car that the Porsche Club of America built”?

Patrick W of CA
This exceptionally clean belonging to Lew P of NY needs factory decals on its flanks to warn others what they are dealing with!

This statement was made at PCA National Parade in San Diego in 1992 when announcing the introduction of the for the '93 model year. The dignitary who said it was .... can you guess?

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How do I read the Vin# of an ?

A sample Vin# would be

WPOAB2968PS419312

  • The first 3 digits are the World manufacturers code. WPO = Porsche.

  • The 4th digit is the body code where A = coupe, B = Targa and C = Cabriolet.

  • The 5th digit is the engine variant code B = USA & Canada only.

  • The 6th digit is the passenger restraint system where 0 = seatbelts, 2 = airbag

  • The 7th & 8th digits are the first two digits of the model designation (e.g. 964).

  • The 9th digit is the check character which is randomly generated from 0 - 9 the letter X

  • The 10th digit is the model year where “P” = model year 1993 and “R” = model year 1994.

  • The 11th digit is always an “S” for s because it the plant of origin i.e. Stuttgart.

  • The 12th digit is the last digit of the model designation when combined with digits 7 & 8 (e.g. 964).

  • The 13th digit is the code for the body 1 = , 2 = US Coupe with airbags, 4 = US Targa with airbag and 6 = US Cabriolet with airbag

  • The last 4 digits are the serial number of the car as detailed below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For s built Jan '92 to Jun '92 the serial numbers are 8001 - 8297 [Total 297]

PLEASE NOTE: Although these cars were built in 1992 they were 1993 model year so on their option codes on the bottom of the ID label under the front hood (or in the first page of the maintenance manual) they carry “718” which means “Next years model”.

For these cars the 10th digit in the Vin # is a “P” (see above).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For s built July '92 to June '93 the serial numbers are 9061 - 9380 [Total 320]

For these cars the 10th digit in the Vin # is a “P” (see above).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For s built July '94 - Aug '94, the serial numbers are 9064 - 9147 [Total 84]

For these cars the 10th digit in the Vin # is an “R” and they were fitted with rear seats [show me] in place of the dual storage bins that were standard on '93 .

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Where's the ping-pong ball in my ?

“Every now and then, I have clearly heard a ping-pong ball bouncing in the engine compartment of my .... what IS that?”

Looking for the ball ...
To locate the source of the ping-pong ball noise ... first remove the engine & gearbox ....

Nah! .... just kidding! The noise you hear - which does sound remarkably like a ping-pong ball bouncing around, is actually the heater vent flaps popping open and then slamming shut and bouncing when the heating system is not pressurized. You might have noticed that you only hear the noise when you close the last door of your car with all the windows and sunroof (if applicable) closed. In this configuration, abruptly closing the door causes a slight a pressure increase in the passenger compartment, which vents through the heater ducting causing the heating system air valves pop open and to then bounce closed.

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What is the most common mistake owners admit to making?

Whenever I take my to any kind of car event, it attracts the attention of other owners, and without question, the most frequent mistake admitted by owners almost always runs along the lines of

“I used to have an ...... and I REALLY wish I'd never sold that car!”

Former owners will go to great lengths, even to the point of chasing you through downtown traffic, during rush hour, waving and pointing as if your car is on fire, just to tell you how great their was (ask me how I know this).

..... maybe there's a lesson there somewhere!

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