The first 930 Turbo in Japan, a venerable example
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[1] This is the first 930 Turbo imported by Mitsuwa Motors. It had been stored in a warehouse for about 30 years. [2] It has a completely overhauled 3.0-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder turbo. It still has a single turbo and no intercooler.
RENDEZ-VOUS is a company that operates a business called “shared car ownership.” It’s the perfect system for people who want a car but can’t afford it because it’s too expensive, or who are worried about maintenance. The process of ownership begins with applying for the car you want. Then, you’ll be matched to see if there are other people who want the same car. If you’re lucky enough to find someone with the same desired car, RENDEZ-VOUS will prepare the car, and the matched owners will then jointly own it.
The biggest benefit is that costs are kept low and there is no need to worry about storage or maintenance. For example, if six people jointly own a car worth 13 million yen, the monthly burden would be 44,000 yen. This includes maintenance, insurance, and taxes, so the only additional cost is the cost of the gasoline you use. Owners simply reserve the day they want to use the car. They can enjoy their dream car for a much lower financial burden than purchasing it, and even if it is a supercar or classic car, there are no worries about storage space or maintenance. Since the system was introduced in June 2024, there have been 425 applications, and 26 cars have been matched.
A new addition to Rendezvous’ fleet is a 1975 Porsche 930 Turbo. In fact, this vehicle is a historic example, being the very first 930 Turbo imported to Japan by Mitsuwa Motors, the official importer at the time. Rendezvous was approached by the previous owner’s son and decided to purchase and restore it. The orange 930 Turbo, which had been stored in a warehouse for around 30 years, was restored beautifully after a year and a half of restoration. After that, they solicited candidates to match it with, and four owners were selected.
Everything restored to original condition except for the sun visors
The interior has been well-maintained and the original floor mats are still in use.
The restoration work was carried out by Portec, which employs many former Mitsuwa Motors mechanics. Their work is impressive, with everything restored to its original state except for the sun visors, which they were unable to obtain. When we think of restored vehicles, we tend to imagine them as being completely repainted and shiny, but this 930 Turbo has been designed to maintain as much of its original form as possible, and the body has not even been repainted. This beautifully conveys the atmosphere of the time.
According to Rendezvous’s representative, Ryota Asaoka, the most common matching requests are for Ferraris and Porsches. Applications do not have to be for a specific model, and open-top or manual cars are also acceptable. If you can find the right match, you can easily enjoy these rare cars. Rendezvous currently has a base in Yokohama, Kanagawa, but is planning to open a second base in Futako-Shinchi, also in Kanagawa, soon.
