Detectives required for identification

[Showtime]

Hi Guys, can anyone help.
I'm the proud owner of a 944 Turbo, that frankly had seen better days and was abandoned in a barn. - The engine had been changed and remained unfinished.. I bought the car for sensible money and began the process of getting it all together again.
I've now reached the stage where I need to find some history on the car, the service records had been lost and the replacement engine is (supposedly having covered around 60K). believed to have come from someone who was a porsche club member.
So: Did anyone sell an engine in the last couple of years (good turbo engines seem quite rare) - It went to a guy who lives in the Fernhurst (Nr Midhurst) Area.
And doeas anyone have or can point me to whoever may have looked after this car sometime in it's life. - Its a Red 944 Turbo - Reg: F650 RYP (would have been RIP if I'd left it there). It's clearly had money spent on it, Tyres/Shocks/Brakes were all new on it, belts had been changed along with lots of other bits.
It's got original AFN number plates on it from new - so no accident damage methinks, with a Chris Turner Porsche Tax disc holder.
I'm agreed that I should not realy have purchased it without a good history..etc etc..but so far I've been really pleased with what state it's in, but if I sell it on - it'll seriously dent it's value - or will it ?
any info gratefully received - saved from the scrapper - and on it's way to becoming a beauty again

 

[PaulHere]

Well the registration number is from Greater London.

I thought I could check out the MOT status on
http://www.motinfo.gov.uk/internet/jsp/ECHID-Internet-History-Request.jsp
but couldn't.

Next step is to write to DVLA for a list of previous owners - there is a fee (£5 fee at time of writing) for this.
Expect to wait a few months for a result, and often copies of documents can be of variable quality, but usually the information you need can be gathered.

Then ring up the original dealership (if it's still around) and ask them to check their records.

Good luck with the restoration, let us know how it goes!

 

[Diver944]

Sorry I can't help Steve []

Unless you are very lucky I doubt anyone will remember this car. A 944T is not exactly a rare car like a 924 Carrera GT or 993 GT2, so individual vehicles are not known or remembered fondly.

If you get it up and running and in good mechanical order with plenty of documented proof pertaining to the work that you have done then I do not think its value will be hit too much by a complete lack of anything else. As long as it is HPI and accident free, then it is only the Concours show vehicles that 'need' to have a long line of history and provenance to bolster their value.

Did you buy it to restore and sell on at profit, or was it to enjoy yourself?

 

[Alpine]

if you go on the RAC website you can do a vehicle date check. I have done that against your registration number and it says the following

944 Turbo
red
manufactured 31/12/89
5 previous owners
last owner change 2/6/98

getting the previous keeper list from DVLA will tell you lots more

 

[Showtime]

Paul, Diver, Alpine,
Thanks for your replies, appreciated. I've fired off a letter to the previous stated owner on the log book, but I believe he's since moved to cyprus. You never know tho'. I'll also contact DVLA and get a list - thanks for that advice. I guess I was hoping some one would remember an engine being sold, but it was a long shot.
As for keeping it, I did originally think there would be a decent profit in selling it on, but they are such a good car that after all the work done, not sure if I want to sell it now. I hear they are a good track day car, so post MOT and a little more work it could be the way to go..Fun though, definitely is on the agenda.
Had my first drive in it Saturday, and it certainly didn't disappoint..It was on private land mind, but why is it you always get real nervous about that 1st go after a rebuild..just waiting for something to go bang !!