37 replies to this topic

[T-Bone]

I read a post earlier regarding a wider belt used in 1995 for the balance shaft. It got me thinking about other possible changes that were made for 1995. I'm sure there weren't many but I'm wondering if there is a list or a post somewhere?

Thanks.

[T-Bone]

Turns out that I do have option 718. I thought that there were 258 coupes made (or imported, can't remember) in 1995. Mine is number 208. So, you're saying that mine was made in 1994 but a leftover? How can it be number 208 then?

[jeff968]

Turns out that I do have option 718. I thought that there were 258 coupes made (or imported, can't remember) in 1995. Mine is number 208. So, you're saying that mine was made in 1994 but a leftover? How can it be number 208 then?

If your VIN is SS820208 then your car was a 94 leftoever and reVINed as a 95. Knowing that they started with SS820061 that would make your coupe the 148th 95 built for the North Amercian market.

What is the production date of your coupe (found on the driver's side door jam)? It should be spring of 94.

Jeff


Close, 259 produced for 1995 North American coupes (SS820061-SS820319).

[biotechee]

Here's another thing that I just noticed but am not sure if it coincides with any year in particular:

When you look at earlier cars (look in the press release stuff for example), you will see a large (1.5" x 3" or so) metal VIN tag to the slight upper left of the power steering (black with "ZF" on top) reservoir- right on the front of the strut tower or so. This is held to the body by two pop rivets. My 94 cab does not have the tag, but has the rivets. My 95 coupe, IIRC, doesn't have the tag but I cannot recall if the rivets are there or not. While at Pete's last week, we looked at some other cars and they had the rivets and no tag. I looked at a bunch of cars in the gallery here and I see some with the tag, some with just the rivets and others with nothing. My cab has not been in an accident and since I have seen other pictures with just the rivets, I know the area is original in my cab... Kinda interesting as I don't know if this was something that was on the very early cars and then stopped at some point during the model run. If so, why would they keep installing the rivets?

Things that make you go, "hmmmmm!"

[jeff968]

The answer is, you'll only find those tags on euro 968s. None of the north amercian cars have them so don't worry.
Jeff

[rmcguire]

Interesting thread, if it's of any help I own one of the last 1995's without the 718 code (#307) and I would be happy to take a picture of anything on the car or share what little knowledge I have of it. I did have a couple of conversations with the original owner (a doctor from Maryland) and he did special order it in the summer of '94. (It was built in October of '94). He told me that his order was cancelled then restarted a couple of times because they were running out of parts. (LSD's and center consoles were two items he mentioned)

regards,
Richard

[RS Barn]

My 95 was custom ordered from Germany and made from last production batch according to original owner. He told me there was a huge wait from order to production. It was really cool as a Polar Silver MO30 coupe with Sport cloth script seats and two tone interior .
Jeffs son and I both regret it moving to Michigan.
Pete

[jeff968]

My 95 was custom ordered from Germany and made from last production batch according to original owner. He told me there was a huge wait from order to production. It was really cool as a Polar Silver MO30 coupe with Sport cloth script seats and two tone interior .
Jeffs son and I both regret it moving to Michigan.
Pete

Pete,
I believe Richard, the poster just prior to you is the current owner of your beautiful car. Those were some great seats.
Jeff

[Bracer]

Pete,
I believe Richard, the poster just prior to you is the current owner of your beautiful car. Those were some great seats.
Jeff

I have #308, and of course would be glad to detail anything unique to my build date.

Jeff, do we know who owns either the first 968 built or the last? Or at least in our group, who owns the "oldest" and who owns the "youngest"?
So, mine was the 12th last made. Any younger than that on the list or in the register?

[jeff968]

I have #308, and of course would be glad to detail anything unique to my build date.

Jeff, do we know who owns either the first 968 built or the last? Or at least in our group, who owns the "oldest" and who owns the "youngest"?
So, mine was the 12th last made. Any younger than that on the list or in the register?

Bracer,
Your coupe is #2221 of 2234 and #246 of the 259 95s. That would be 14th to last. Richard (who posted above) owns SS820307, right next to yours!! We know the 2nd to last coupe and the owners stops by here. The last coupe is up in Canada somewhere. I believe the last cab is in California. If these cars are still around the owners proably don't even know how special they are.
Jeff

Edited by jeff968, 06 October 2008 - 06:06 AM.

[biotechee]

My '95 coupe is either 298 or 296 for the last three digits, so it's a bit older but still close to the end. No 718 option number on the sticker. EDIT- after closer inspection, it appears to be 296.

My '94 cab shows 559 for the last three digits.

Edited by biotechee, 06 October 2008 - 06:22 AM.

[jeff968]

My '95 coupe is either 298 or 296 for the last three digits, so it's a bit older but still close to the end. No 718 option number on the sticker. EDIT- after closer inspection, it appears to be 296.

My '94 cab shows 559 for the last three digits.

Jim,
Yes, your coupe is part of that last batch as well. Does it have an October 1994 build date? Also, do you have a center console lid and cassette holders? I show that the car does not have them.
Jeff

[biotechee]

Jeff-

I'd have to check on the build date because I don't know off the top of my head. I still need to take decent photos of the options stickers for both cars. So whenever my lazy @ss gets around to that, I can check.

And, you are correct regarding the center console- just the basic coin tray, no lid and no cassette holder. It was one of the items on my list of things that I wanted to do to the coupe- add the center console lid to increase (albeit minimally) storage capacity for things like an iPod.

Jim

[jeff968]

Jeff-

I'd have to check on the build date because I don't know off the top of my head. I still need to take decent photos of the options stickers for both cars. So whenever my lazy @ss gets around to that, I can check.

And, you are correct regarding the center console- just the basic coin tray, no lid and no cassette holder. It was one of the items on my list of things that I wanted to do to the coupe- add the center console lid to increase (albeit minimally) storage capacity for things like an iPod.

Jim

Jim,
It is your car BUT, that is actaully a very unusual and rare feature with your car. Option code 423 (console door and cassette holder) was standard equipment on every North American 968 coupe. Then, when they did the last batch you see some of them with the option and some without (Bracer's car has it, Richard's is like yours and does not). Euro 968s have 423 as a separate option. Why they made 423 an option for the last batch of NA coupes??? I don't know. But your car is very unusual because of it.

Let me know that production date (on the driver's door jam VIN sticker) when you have a minute.

You are a lucky man with two unusual 968s.

Thanks
Jeff

Edited by jeff968, 06 October 2008 - 07:23 AM.

[flash]

how the heck do you track the options? there are a lot of options that the dealers installed that do not show up on the "build sheets" but they do show up on the window stickers, which frequently differ from the trunk sticker (though i have seen a couple of reprinted stickers in the trunk to reflect the added options - i only figured that out by peeling back the top one to reveal the previous "as built" sticker)

[flash]

are you saying that every North American car had option code 423 or that it just came with the cassette dividers and no code?

[jeff968]

[quote name='flash' post='61202' date='Oct 6 2008, 11:27 AM']how the heck do you track the options? there are a lot of options that the dealers installed that do not show up on the "build sheets" but they do show up on the window stickers, which frequently differ from the trunk sticker (though i have seen a couple of reprinted stickers in the trunk to reflect the added options - i only figured that out by peeling back the top one to reveal the previous "as built" sticker)[/quote]

True (kinda, dealer installed options would never be on a window sticker, the car had to be spec'd with it to have it listed on the sticker), but some options/features are always listed. You are correct, a cell phone would not be listed on the build sheet or vehicle information sticker but would be on the window sticker. A power seat would be on all three. A standard feature (like cruise control, option code 454) is always listed on the vehicle information sticker because they made it standard on NA 968s were it was optional in Europe. Now some codes will vary by year like what we talked about with the hi-fi option. In 92 you'll always see code 494 indicating amps listed along with 490. In 93 you just see the 490 but from what we've discussed you still got the same two AMPs.

As for the console, the code was never listed on the vehicle information sticker or build sheet until after the 94.5s came out. Then both 423 and 425 (rear wiper) are listed. why the change? I don't know. They were still standard features for North American cars. I'm guessing it had something to with the sport and CS being introduced in Europe and not having the console/wiper as standard. What is interesting is that some of the "last batch" cars do not have the 423 console, an item that was standard on every 968 up to that point. I'm thinking that because many of these cars were ordered that the original owners opted out of the feature when given the choice. Still, very unusual.

Jeff

[quote name='flash' post='61204' date='Oct 6 2008, 11:32 AM']are you saying that every North American car had option code 423 or that it just came with the cassette dividers and no code?[/quote]

Bob

As I said above, 423 only appears after the 94.5s started being produced. before 94.5, they all had the lid/dividers but no code was listed. After 94.5 - 95, I've seen 423 listed (as well as 425 for the rear wiper). For the last batch of 95s, I've seen a handful without the 423.

Jeff

[flash]

yeah - i've seen a few "options" that were added and shown on the window sticker, but not on the trunk sticker - so far, all of them have been accessory types of things, like an 8 way power seat added where the trunk sticker showed a 4 way, 17s added where the trunk sticker didn't show them, phones, stuff like that - but they were added to the window sticker

[jeff968]

yeah - i've seen a few "options" that were added and shown on the window sticker, but not on the trunk sticker - so far, all of them have been accessory types of things, like an 8 way power seat added where the trunk sticker showed a 4 way, 17s added where the trunk sticker didn't show them, phones, stuff like that - but they were added to the window sticker

Really??? And they redid a factory window sticker to reflect the added option??? As you know, I was hanging around the dealer back in 94 and i can recall a 94 red cab which had its 17" wheels removed and given to another car. The dealer had a line (in pen) across the window sticker line item for the 17" wheels, and the cost deducted from the total at the bottom, again in pen. I wonder if he knew they could re-create a window sticker to reflect changes done at the dealer? I have yet to see one of these "re-done" situations. 17"s would definately be an example of an option that appears on the window sticker, the vehicle information tag, and the build sheet. Let me know if you find an example where the sticker doesn't match the vehicle information sticker.

Jeff

Also, can you show me a trunk sticker with a 4 way seat. I've never seen one. I've only seen the optional (437/438) 8-ways listed on the VISs.
Thanks

[jeff968]

FYI, Attached is a 94.5 coupe VIS with both the 423 and 425 listed.

Attached Files

•  rs820323.jpg   24.29KB   0 downloads

Edited by jeff968, 06 October 2008 - 09:52 AM.