Classic Porsche Restoration in Louisville, KY

About the Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge

Each year, Porsche Classic hosts its nationwide Restoration Challenge, inviting dealerships to return a beloved Porsche sports car from the 1950s to 2000s to its original glory. Participating dealers will acquire a car that requires some expert technical attention and oversee the progress of the vehicle as it undergoes restoration in the most talented hands possible – Porsche-trained technicians who will have a portfolio of more than 60,000 unique Porsche Classic Genuine Parts at their disposal. Over 60 dealers participated in the 2022 edition of the Challenge, a 50% increase in year-over-year involvement.

“The mission of Porsche Classic and our dealer partners is to go above and beyond every day to keep vintage cars on the road and driving just as well as the moment they left the factory,” said Jonathan Sieber, Manager Porsche Classic with Porsche Cars North America. “With the Restoration Challenge, dealers and service teams are able to showcase their skills and capabilities while revitalizing these dream machines. Our inaugural competition in 2021 produced some truly stunning examples of classic Porsche sports cars, and we expect even more from our participants this year.”

About the Blue Grass MOTORSPORT 1982 911 SC

The perfect candidate for the Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge, this special 1982 911 SC has an especially unique backstory. It was first sold to its original owner by Jim Haynes, current Dealer Principal for Blue Grass MOTORSPORT. At the time, Blue Grass consisted of a single Lincoln-Mercury franchise. However, Jim purchased the vehicle from the local Louisville Porsche dealer, before he had his own franchise, on behalf of the original owner after he could not reach agreeable terms with the local Porsche dealership.

Dr. Goddy thoroughly enjoyed this vehicle for over 3 decades, driving his 911 SC to Car Clinics across Kentucky and Indiana. He often referred to a “therapeutic” drive on his commute to and from work in his “Little Black Car”. Equipped with an iconic 3.0-liter flat-six air-cooled engine, rear-wheel drive, and 5-speed manual transmission – this 1982 Porsche 911 SC is now ready to begin the next chapter of its life.

Episode 1

The Restoration team sends the 911 to Orlando, Florida to have the body “cleaned” through the use of a dry-ice process. Ryan and Jim contact the shop to get an update on how it’s going and realize it may take longer than they originally thought.

Episode 2

With the metal body of the vehicle still in Florida, the team invites Porsche Concours judge Alec Van Ryan to the shop to collect samples of the 911 SC original interior so they can find replacement interior components to match the original.

Episode 3

Dealer Principal, Jim Haynes, talks with Shawn Collier and Ryan Utke who are leading the mechanical restoration, and how Porsche Classic supports the project through parts availability, as well as involvement in the restoration challenge.

Episode 4

Cars & Coffee: The restoration team hosts local Porsche enthusiasts at our workshop in Louisville to talk about our Super Carrera restoration, and share stories about classic Porsche sports cars.

Episode 5

Ryan Utke, our lead restoration technician, explains some of the challenges our team has faced – from supply chain issues to unexpected body repairs, any restoration project can involve unforeseen hurdles.

Episode 6

The Body is Coming Together: With just over a month to go until the Concours d’Elegance, the team at Precision Collision is sanding the last of the body panels in preparation for painting the body. The clock is ticking!

Episode 7

Restoring Original Fuchs Wheels: While the body is receiving it’s final touches, Oliver from Precision Collision is bringing the original Fuchs wheels back to their original polished aluminum with Porsche black painted centers.

Episode 8

Into the Paint Booth: While other team members are restoring the wheels, and with the Keeneland Concours just 3 weeks away, the Porsche 911 SC body is sent to the paint booth for primer coats and final paint preparation.

Episode 9

Fresh Paint: New paint coats is applied to our restored body. Next, the painted body will return to the shop for reassembly and preparation for Keeneland Concours.

Episode 10

Re-Assembly: Our freshly painted body is ready for reassembly. In this episode we follow Erik Hildebrand as he re-hangs the doors on our 1982 Super Carrera.

Episode 11

On Display at Keeneland Concours: Our 911 SC wasn’t completely reassembled by the Keeneland Concours, but that allowed us to showcase the newly repainted body, rebuilt engine, transmission, and even a reupholstered seat — all separately so visitors can see full 360 degree views of all the restored components.

Episode 12

It’s Crunch Time: As the deadline for our Porsche Restoration Challenge entry looms near, the restoration team hustles to organize and install the hundreds of new and refurbished parts on the 1982 Porsche 911 SC before it heads to Atlanta for final judging!

Episode 13

The Finale: The restoration is complete! We review the project from the start, including interviews with all the key people involved in our restoration. With over 1,000 man-hours involved in this project, restoring our 911 SC has been a rewarding project for the entire team.