20 Oct 04
"A lot of the cars have been badly neglected by owners who don't appreciate what is involved in maintaining them," says Paul. "Many of them run and drive fine but as soon as you put your foot down the exhaust erupts into a pile of smoke: it's crankcase pressure from slightly worn rings that the engine's breathing system can't cope with. It's simple to put right but it does involve pulling the engine out and pulling it apart. It costs about £1500 and I can turn it around in a couple of days - or you can just live with it if you don't want to use the performance to that extent. It's worth checking stall speeds in the auto gearboxes." While rust is never really a problem because the cars were so heavily galvanised, the electrics can be "dodgy" if the car hasn't been used for a couple of years. Nothing that can't be set straight, though.
Interest in 928s is certainly growing. "A lot are being dragged out and used now, though it doesn't seem to be helping the prices. The later cars are still falling in value because of their relative complexity but I tend to get more requests for the early cars with the Teledial wheels. I find them faster - I proved it with my ¼ mile times on the drag strip - and I just prefer the earlier shape. The interior didn't change much, either."
You can get a good usable 928S automatic for £3500. The rare manual versions command a £1500 premium. "Manual cars are another game altogether, although the boxes can be worn, clutches are expensive to do and they are easier to crash..." Still, it's not a bad place to be if you do have a shunt. Paul shows me a 928GT that had slid off the road and hit a telegraph pole at 50mph.
"The guy got out with the engine still running. I've seen a picture of another one that came off the road at 150mph and the guy walked away."
Paul works mainly on his own and spends most evenings packing parts and replying to e-mails. He insists "you can run these cars on Fiesta money, almost, if you know where to find the parts and are reasonably handy with a spanner."
