Poster Car(s) Winner Announced!

 

1985 Porsche 911 Speedster aka “Schutz Speedster”

 This stunning vehicle is “One-of-One.” It was a prototype and design study by the Porsche factory.

The concept was to create a car that could be used in different ways based on what you wanted to do and the weather:  A hardtop, convertible, a “slalom special” with a full tonneau covering all but the driver seat, and a Speedster (as shown).

This car has 5,694 original miles and has not been seen by the general public in 20 years.

Companion Poster Car:

2019 911 Speedster

 Porsche Grand Rapids had an allocation to build a 911 Speedster. They wanted it to match the prototype as closely as possible, so it was ordered in Guards Red with a black leather interior. It has the same flat-six engine as a 911 GT-3 today. This engine is much smoother than the earlier GT-3 engines, producing 504 HP at its 9,000 RPM redline.

Only 1948 examples were built (this is number 561), recognizing the year the first Porsche 356 was produced.

The Back Story:

This automobile was a surprise project.

Peter Schutz, an American, was President and CEO of Porsche AG from 1981 to 1987.

 Schutz directed an assistant to “go get a car” from the 911 production line, and “Don’t tell anyone.”

They sent an American-spec 911 to the unit that later became known as “Porsche Sonderwunsch,” or the “Special Wishes” department. Today, that department is housed in its own 30,000 square foot building with 70 specially trained technicians and an eight-year wait list to acquire any Porsche customization you could possibly desire.

 Over the next many months, they made extensive modifications to this cabriolet, including adding a hard top with a full windshield, creating a custom tonneau cover – perfect for autocrossing, making a 6” Lexan wind screen with side mirrors, installed a racing ECM chip, and did a raft of additional modifications.

 While the car was in deconstruction/ construction mode, the head of production at Porsche called Schutz in a panic and told him they “lost” a car on the line. Schutz asked for the VIN, and assured him, “It’s not lost.”

 The board was not as enamored with the concept car as Schutz was, so he was going to sell it to Bob Snodgrass at Brumos Porsche in Jacksonville. Bob, a friend of Schutz’, was excited about acquiring the car.

Meanwhile, a young American couple drove the car from the Porsche Development Center in Weissach, Germany, to Peter’s home. Lori Schutz was Peter’s daughter, and she and her husband Rick Riley were thinking about acquiring a collector car that represented her father’s tenure at Porsche. Peter asked them, “Why not this car?”

On flight home, they decided to do just that.

Rick and Lori heard a rumor the car had been sold to Snodgrass, but during a subsequent phone call, Lori made it very clear they wanted the car.

It seemed untoward for the CEO to sell such a unique car to a family member, but this guy Rick from Grand Rapids would fit the bill. Since Riley ≠ Schutz, the arms-length transaction took place around 1986.

 Rick and Lori are no longer married, and their amicable divorce involved a lot of car swapping, but today Rick is the proud owner of this one-of-one “Schutz Speedster.”

 As Paul Harvey would say, “And that’s the rest of the story.”

 Who was Peter Schutz?

An American, Peter Werner Schutz (April 20, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was president and CEO of Porsche AG between 1981 and 1987, a time during which the company tripled sales, primarily in the United States.

He is credited with saving the iconic 911 sports car, reversing an earlier decision by the board to end production in favor of more “modern” models, like the since-discontinued 944 Turbo, 944 S and 944 S2. He also successfully introduced the 911 Cabriolet to the U.S. market.

 The Type 911 is generally regarded as the quintessential sports car and has been available on the market for more than six decades.