Sentimental barn-find Porsche 930 Slantnose Cabriolet hidden for decades is restored then emotionally shown to owner's son

Published on Apr 17, 2026 at 9:32 AM (UTC+4)
by Callum Tokody

Last updated on Apr 17, 2026 at 9:34 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by Callum Tokody

This legendary Porsche 930 barn find recently emerged from thirty years of storage to undergo a high-stakes Slantnose restoration in Southern California.

The rare car sat forgotten in a cluttered Los Angeles garage since the mid-1990s before the owner’s son finally located it behind a wall of household items.

A small team spent hours clearing construction materials and debris to reach the air-cooled machine.

Behind the layers of dust lay a mechanical mystery that raises questions about the history of this specific German model.

The mystery behind this Porsche 930

The team at WD Detailing discovered the Porsche 930 required basic mechanical attention before any detailing work could start.

Because the car was a neglected barn find, the tires had fallen off the rims and one wheel was missing from the hub.

Once the team found a spare and inflated the rubber, they moved the Porsche 930 to a workshop in Englewood to assess the condition of the chassis.

This specific Porsche 930 is a strange puzzle. The serial number identifies it as a factory turbo chassis, yet the engine currently in the car is a naturally aspirated unit.

It appears the Slantnose was modified or had its original engine replaced at some point during its three decades in storage.

The physical restoration of the Porsche 930 body was a slow and difficult process.

Parts of the Porsche 930 were caked in dried plaster, and several panels had deep scratches from an unfinished sanding attempt years ago.

The workers used a heavy polishing tool to grind down the surface damage and find the original black paint buried underneath.

Inside the Porsche 930, the red leather seats were removed to clean thirty years of dirt and trash from the floors.

The team found 1990s video games and a small wooden gift the owner had made for his father as a child.

Every part of the Slantnose was scrubbed by hand to preserve the factory finishes and the vintage Nardi steering wheel.

Saving an iconic slantnose legend

Prices for an original Porsche 930 remain high, especially for cars with the rare Slantnose front end.

This barn find is a significant discovery for collectors because it is the rare convertible version of the 930 generation.

Gray, the owner’s son, noted the emotional weight of the project, stating that the car was the only thing his father left behind for him.

He mentioned that while he remembered the car from his childhood, he never knew where it actually was until he opened the garage door and realized the Porsche 930 was still there.

Finding the wooden “Dad” piece he carved in school still inside the cabin confirmed the car had remained exactly as his father left it.

This restoration project serves as a look at 1980s car design and the unique flat-nose styling of that era.

Now that the Porsche 930 has been cleaned and polished, the owner plans to address the mechanical needs of the car.

The future for this Porsche 930 involves a total engine rebuild so the performance eventually matches the quality of the new exterior.

Gray expressed his commitment to getting the car back on the road, fulfilling a responsibility to his father’s memory.

The sight of the polished rims and the feel of the steering wheel served as a final connection to a legacy that had been hidden for thirty years.

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Callum has vast and varied experience, presenting a radio show and founding his own magazine, to name just a couple of his accolades. Most days, he can be found liaising with the most prestigious car brands in the world to lead SB website’s daily news output.