[928uk] The ‘Derek Bell’ 928

[jonathan at netvue.co.uk]

Hi Tom,

 

Here are two car registration plates: H256POR and J256POR. They are similar but they year letter shows they refer to two different vehicles registered in different years.

 

It’s just the same with Porsche chassis numbers the year letter changes allowing the reuse of the serial number sequence, which would otherwise become a huge number. 

 

Letters offer 26 possibilities before you run out, versus numbers only offering 10. Okay, 24 possibilities if you exclude i and o for clarity. Nothing foolhardy or careless about it.

Best regards, 
 
Jonathan
 
 
928 GT 1991 Amethyst Metallic

 

From: 928uk <928uk-bounces at lists.928.org.uk> On Behalf Of tom.foulkes--- via 928uk
Sent: 23 February 2023 21:07
To: tom.foulkes--- via 928uk <928uk at lists.928.org.uk>
Subject: [928uk] The ‘Derek Bell’ 928

 

So I’m doing what I think we all do at one time or another.

 

I’m looking at old 928 articles on the internet.

 

And I end up at the Bonhams listing for the ‘Derek Bell’ 928.

 

And forgive me if this has been discussed at length on this forum before and if so, please just forward me the email thread as I’m sure it predates me joining the mailing list.

 

But the Bonhams listing has the car (which sold for €253,000!) as a ‘prototype’ and having chassis number WP0ZZZ92ZHS842014.

 

So out of interest I check the SE list and there’s a:

 

WP0ZZZ92ZJS842014 in the list of SE chassis numbers at about midway in the series at number 22 I think…did Porsche really have chassis numbers so similar but separated by a single H instead of a J? Seems a little foolhardy / careless if you ask me.

 

And then there’s the photo attached which is apparently of a (the?) Derek Bell car taken in c.92/93. Which shows it in the UK but still on German plates (not E709 LOW) but with weird white (GTS?) painted wheels and an aerial.

 

Isn’t this all a bit odd?

 

But I might have just gone down a rabbit hole and ended up adding 2+2 and making 5.