BaT Alumni Project Update: leokahn’s Ripe Olive 911SC You Should Know
BaT member leokahn became the latest custodian of this 1981 Porsche 911SC roller project when he won it from brentcline in a June 2019 BaT auction. After five years of work it’s back on the road, and he wrote in to tell us about it:
Mr. Cline was easy to work with. As soon as the auction finished, I went to the bank, requested a cashier’s check, and flew to Augusta, Georgia. I rented a car and drove to Aiken, South Carolina, where I met Mr. Cline and delivered him the check. That same day, we loaded the Porsche into an auto transport, which delivered it the next day at my shop in Miami.
I wanted to make a very special mention of Mr. Cline because his hospitality was out of this world. I also went around Aiken, which was a beautiful place, and I was treated superbly.
It’s been over five long years, but I wouldn’t trade this experience. All my family and team at the shop were involved, and the vision couldn’t have been dreamed up or finished without everybody’s help. And yes, it took five years. Being a personal project, it was never a priority at the shop. It was always left to be worked on whenever there was spare time. But it ended up leading a larger expansion and diversification project at my shop.
The body was soda-blasted to bare metal, primed with epoxy primer, and refinished in Porsche’s Schwarz Olive. Carbon fiber was also integrated into the body—the front and rear bumpers, the ducktail deck lid, and the 935-style side mirrors—to save weight.
Custom grilles and floorboards were engraved with a classic houndstooth pattern, and new LED headlights were done by DR Design.
The suspension was converted from torsion bars to KW coilovers with Elephant Racing 935-style spring plates.
The existing wiring harnesses were thoroughly checked, and luckily enough, all of them were in great shape.
As for the powertrain, the motor and transmission that we sourced came from a car that was the overall champion of the “Longest day of Nelson 2007,” a race that took place from August 24-27, 2007, at Nelson Ledges in Warren, Ohio.
Both the engine and transmission had originally been prepped for racing. Now, the engine has been tuned for power and daily driving reliability. Making 282.5 horsepower at the wheels, it hauls, and can definitely be street- and track-driven. The team at MGM Racing built and tuned the mill to perfection.
Bigger front brakes and a Turbo master cylinder were retrofitted to stop the (now more powerful) car.
Wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport tires, custom 17-inch wheels were designed with Rotiform specifically for this car.
The interior was completely redesigned and upgraded, with some parts being made in Europe. Other portions were locally reupholstered here in South Florida, and the interior came out stunning with houndstooth accents (an homage to the classic Porsche upholstery), leather, and carbon fiber throughout; it was thought out to be “classic meets modern.”
Sparco front seats with carbon fiber backs were installed.
No head unit was installed, but the car does have a pretty awesome audio system comprised of Morel speakers powered by two Morel amplifiers, all connected to a JL Bluetooth receiver.
Custom-made gauges by Speedhut were finished in red, and are complemented by a digital dash by AiM for more accurate data. This took the vehicle to a whole other level. And to endure the Miami summers, the car was retrofitted with a classic A/C unit.
Thanks for sending in this project update, leokahn. It’s great seeing the end result—beautiful color, too! We’ve included a full gallery of your build pictures below.
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We love to hear from satisfied BaT buyers and sellers, and a Success Story feature is a great addition to any car’s history when you’re ready to sell.
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