1986 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Tribute Steel Backdate 3.2L Engine by Mayo E-Motion Suspension

I’ve always been a fan of backdated early 911s.  I even have one of my own.  They give you the great looks of the classic Early 911 with the reliability and comfort of a more modern example.  In my opinion, they make one of the best Porsches for touring events.

The key to building a great “backdated” 911 is to start with a great car.  So often, people make these from cars that have been badly damaged or even salvage vehicles.  This car was quite the opposite.  It had one PCA owner for nearly 20 years and was even displayed at Concours events.

This 911 was a very late ’86 example.  It was built in June of 1986 and sold new by Alpine Porsche + Audi in Colorado Springs, California on September 20, 1986.  The factory options include:

• Black Paint (L700)
• Grey Beige Partial Leather (QX)
• Blaupunkt Monterey Digital Cassette Radio
• Power Door Locks
• 16” Forged Alloy Wheels (Fuchs)
• Automatic Heating Control
• Power Seat, Right
• Cruise Control
• Sport Shock Absorbers
• Electric Sunroof

The MSRP was $39,847, which is $118,145 in today’s money.

The first owner was Jack Henderson of Denver, Colorado.  He kept this 911 for 18 years/95k miles.  He serviced it regularly at either the local Porsche dealer or an independent specialist.  He kept not only every service receipt but also had the maintenance booklet stamped.  This is one of the first maintenance booklets I’ve seen stamped from new until the present day.

On March 4^th, 2004, with 95,068 miles, Jack sold his 911 to Dave Bertrand from Brighton, Colorado.  Dave enjoyed this 911 for 5-years and added an additional 18k miles.  He had always wanted to build an RS conversion and was particularly interested in doing a backdated project.  By 2009, the original black paint was showing some age so the long and fully documented endeavor began.  He planned on using the stock drivetrain especially since he had just rebuilt the original 915 transmission.  Also, the suspension was recently refurbished and a completely new factory wiring harness was installed (over $7,000 in 2005 dollars).  The main focus was the steel backdate body.  A year later, the project was completed in the Porsche factory color Oslo Blue.  The work was done by one of the top shops in Denver.  Dave reassembled the car on his own as a project (fully documented on Pelican threads).  The car was finished with an RS look complete with ducktail and front/rear fiberglass RS bumpers from Getty Design.  The front conversion was done with correct factory steel parts (hood and front fenders) to retain that original/correct look.   The interior was still fairly stock as were the mechanicals.

Shortly after the project was finished (2011), a texting teenager ran into the car at an intersection near his home.  Although the damage was fairly superficial, Dave decided to do the build even better than the first build.  The same paint and body shop re-did the entire body.  It was stripped down to the bare metal and everything was completed at a much higher level.  King of Trim refinished all the bright work to its proper early finish.

Later that year, when the car was re-finished for the 2^nd time, he decided to sell the car to a Porsche friend of ours from Wyoming on September 11, 2011, with 120,327 miles.  This owner has joined us on many vintage car tours over the past decade.  He is a long-time Porsche enthusiast who was looking for the perfect car to use for vintage touring events.  He wanted something that looked the part but would be practical enough for long drives since he would be driving it from Wyoming to wherever the start of the event took place.

Shortly after he bought this Porsche, he began thinking about upgrading the engine.  The engine was still original with 125k miles and never touched.  He ended up connecting with Ed Mayo, owner of Mayo Performance in Euless, Texas.  Ed had recently built a 3.2 Carrera motor for one of his clients who, unfortunately, totaled the car by running into a donkey at 80mph.  The engine was pulled because it was a front-end collision and the motor was fine.  It only had 15,000 miles on it since Mayo finished it.

• Some details of the Mayo engine build include:
• Top end overhaul
• New valve guides
• ARP rod bolts and head studs
• New rod bearings and rings
• 964 Cams
• Backdated exhaust system
• Stainless SSI heat exchangers
• Steve Wong chip

The end result was a great balance of both power and reliability.  The engine has a bit more throttle response than a stock Carrera engine.  During this engine swap, he upgraded the suspension system as well as the heating and air conditioning system, which were extracted from the donor car.  The A/C system had just been rebuilt and upgraded to handle the brutal Dallas summers.  With the bigger ’86 dash vents, the car cools down quite nicely.  The system Mayo installed was a Kuhl retro A/C package with upgraded front and rear condensers as well as an improved compressor with a new receiver drier.  All the lines were upgraded for the R134a conversion.  It’s not the same level as you expect in brand-new cars, but it is quite impressive for a 40-year-old car and much better than it was when new.

Lastly, the interior was updated to a more RS-look with RSA door panels, reproduction sport seats (since have been replaced), and RS lightweight carpet with rear seat delete.  Shortly before we sold it for this owner, the fuel pump was replaced with a fresh Bosch unit.

On September 12^th, 2014 with 136k miles, we helped this owner sell his Oslo 911 to the current Orange County owner.  The current owner is a long-time Porsche enthusiast who has a large collection of new and old Porsches that’s always changing.  This owner purchased this 911 for the same purpose as the prior owner – vintage touring events.  For the past decade, the current owner has added another 10k miles of local car events and a couple of Targa California rallies.  Although this 911 has been a fun Porsche to use on these events, the current owner is going to be participating less and wants an early car to take to shows.  During this owner’s tenure, they were as fastidious as the previous owners.  Most of their routine services were performed by Haydon Bros. in Anaheim, California.  They also used Joey Seeley of E-Motion Engineering in Costa Mesa, California for suspension improvements.  Highlights of recent maintenance include:

• Disassemble axles, clean, lubricate. Rewire headlights (5/15 @ 137,867 miles)
• Mount and balance Michelin tires (10/15 @ 138k miles)
• Oil service, window switch, battery, wiper blades, fan belt (5/16 @ 138,514 miles)
• Brake and oil service (6/17 @ 140,561 miles)
  • Disassemble front brake system
  • New brake caliper seals
  • Resurface all brake rotors
  • Clean, lubricate, and repack wheel bearings
  • Sand existing brake pads
  • Brake fluid flush
  • Oil service
  • Install temporary cat to pass CA smog
  • Service A/C system/recharge

• Suspension refresh/upgrade by Joey Seely @E-Motion Engineering (2/18)
  • Front and rear sway bar bushings
  • Front A-arm bushings
  • Front control arm ball joints
  • Turbo tie rod assembly
  • Rear spring plate bushings
  • Rear inner trailing arm bushings
  • Front inner and outer wheel bearings
  • Bilstein B6 performance shocks and struts
  • Front and rear brake hoses
  • Flush brake system
  • Hood shocks
  • Install Original ‘70s era Recaro seats with sliders
  • Reconfigure seatbelt mount to work with Recaro seats
  • Install stock torsion bars
  • Set ride height and toe
  • 4 wheel alignment and corner balance
  • Install Porsche Classic Stereo
  • New Polk Audio speakers in door
  • Perforate door panels for speakers
  • New speaker wires
  • Total service $13,546

• 
• Oil service, fuel treatment, A/C service & recharge (5/18 @ 142,764 miles)
• Oil service, smog car, fuel treatment (4/19 @ 144,758 miles)
• Oil service and inspection (2/20 @ 145,114 miles)
• Recent services at Haydon (11/23 @ 146,100 miles)
  • Oil service
  • Inspection
  • Lube hinges
  • Reglue carpet and clean old glue
  • Interstate battery with new ground cable
  • Repair steering wheel horn and turn signal cancel
  • Install temporary cat to pass smog

This Porsche is one of the better-executed projects I’ve seen in a while.  It is clear that no corners were cut.  The exterior looks fantastic.  The gaps are great and the paint quality is quite good.  With around 33,000 miles since completion, there are some minor chips (mostly on the front nose).  The lower front spoiler has been protected with PPF (paint protection film).  The brightwork and glass are in great shape.  All the glass appears to be original except the windshield.  There is some light road rash on the windshield, but no major chips, cracks, or scratches.  The 7×16 and 8×16 Factory Fuchs are finished in the proper RSR finish with no major flaws.  They are wearing Michelin tires with plenty of tread remaining, however, they were installed nearly 9 years ago and should be replaced soon.  The brake pads have more than half-life remaining and no major lips on the rotors.  The underside of the hood is signed by Chad McQueen (Steve McQueen’s son), Jeff Zwart (Pike’s Peak champion), and Patrick Long (Porsche Factory Driver/LeMans Winner and Founder of Luftgekühlt) who are all friends with the current owner.

The interior is equally as nice.  The period-correct Recaro sport seats are from the ‘70s and wear their original cloth fabric with print inserts.  The thigh support manually pulls out.  These seats are extremely comfortable and easy to adjust.  The fabric is in great shape with no tears or rips.  The headrests appear to be covered in a velour-type material and don’t quite match the seat fabric.  The headliner has no tears, stains, or sagging issues.  The RS lightweight carpet fits nicely with no stains or heavy wear marks.  The RSA door panels are tidy and work properly.  The original dash is in perfect condition with no cracks or warping.  A rare period-correct Momo “Martini Racing” leather steering wheel was fitted.  It has a warm patina that matches the interior and feels great.  All the gauges work, including the clock.  The power windows and sunroof work properly.  The A/C system blows cold and the upgraded Porsche Classic stereo sounds great.

This 911 Carrera drives great.  It starts easily on the first try and holds an even idle with no surging or stumbling.  Once at operating temp, the power is strong and consistent throughout the rev range.  It has a sporty low-end throttle response.  The transmission shifts smoothly through all the gears with no grinding.  The clutch engages properly with no slipping.  The handling is confidence-inspiring on a twisting backroad while still providing a compliant ride on uneven road surfaces.  E-Motion did a great job of setting this one up for the perfect balance of different driving conditions.  The Carrera brakes have a great pedal feel with an excellent initial bite and no brake fading.  This example would be fantastic on the multi-day vintage car tours that we like to do.

The previous owner was a bit of a fanatic and put together a beautiful 3-ring binder documenting this Porsche’s complete life.  It appears every service from new was documented in this binder and/or in the maintenance booklet.  The current owner has also added to it with their own recent services.

California registration is current and paid to June of 2025.  The car will pass California’s strict smog test with the catalytic converter test pipe fitted that Haydon Bros. made.  They would install it every 2 years to pass smog.  It’s available for the next owner if they will be registering the car in California.

This 911 comes with 2 keys, original owner’s manual with vinyl cover, original maintenance booklet with service stamps, 3-ring binder of all service receipts, copy of original window sticker, space saver spare, 2 tool-kits, custom Oslo Blue 911 baseball cap, and copies of previous owner’s titles from new.

**Note: VIN and other numbers withheld to protect against fraud.  All numbers including VIN, Engine, and color will be provided to serious buyers.