Subscribe to RSSgoing, going, gone! A Fond Farewell for Classic 911 Porsche
When Nicholas Cage’s stolen 911 Porsche was pulled from the Lake of the Ozarks on a cold January day in 2002, local headlines flashed back to Cage’s car-boosting movie ‘Gone in 60 Seconds.’ To Jerry Hawken, eventual owner, the sale of this prized possession at a Las Vegas auction house last fall was equally stimulating. Hawken had nurtured the Porsche Speedster’s resurrection to near perfection before deciding to part with the 1989 classic. He declines to say how much he invested in the Porsche before shipping it to Vegas, but doesn’t hesitate to say it only brought $52,000 at the Barrett-Jackson Auction.
That was far less than the $200,000 he had hoped to reap, especially considering the car only had about 150 miles on the odometer when stolen.
The auction was the culmination of Hawken’s dream after he took ownership of the grimy, water-logged and damaged 911 Porsche Carrera in the spring of 2002 only a few months after seeing the story in a Lake-area newspaper.
“I saw the car in the first newspaper article,” Hawken recalled. “The picture didn’t do the car justice. I know German cars, and when I saw the headlight hanging out, I knew what it was. Once I bought it, it was in storage here at the Lake. I looked at it. It was caked in mud, looked like a sow’s ear. Nobody could see through the mess like I could. I saw it as a 911 Porsche, not so much about the story behind it.”
As owner of Hawken Body Shop in Osage Beach since 1984, and as a former Porsche dealership employee in Columbia, Hawken understood the value of the find. He had always wanted to own a 911 Speedster, but could never justify the expense. Now, his dream car was at his fingertips. The celebrity status of the owner wasn’t important at the time. Hawken wanted the car for personal reasons.
“I shared the story with my wife, and she said, go for it” and to “leave it up to God.” So, I did and I went for it,” Hawken said.
After contacts with the Camden County Sheriff’s Department, the insurance company and its local adjuster, and after some litigation issues in California were settled, the car became his. The process took nearly three months, but the reward was worth it.
“I had heard scuttlebutt around town about the car so I called the sheriff. He didn’t know who the insurance carrier was, so I kept on looking,” Hawken said. “Once I figured that part out, I saw the local adjuster one day at Kay’s Cafe©. The whole thing was phenomenal. When you believe in opportunity, God opens the door and things fall together.”
Hawken said he didn’t start the restoration process “until I had the paperwork in hand. I was chomping at the bit.”
The first thing he did was drain the oil in the drive train. “Clear water just poured out,” Hawken laughed. While that was an initial concern, there actually were few problems. He employed Greg Udulutch, owner of a European/import auto business in Sunrise Beach, to refurbish the engine.
Hawken, a veteran at auto body repair, rebuilt the damaged Porsche. The car sat damaged a long time. He wanted to restore it himself, didn’t want anybody else working on it except Russell Stamm, the senior paint tech.
“There wasn’t much wrong with it, and, besides, that’s my business, repairing damaged cars,” Hawken noted.
At the time, it was more of a keepsake than Nicholas Cage’s car. Hawken said he planned to drive it in parades and display it at the Lake of the Ozark Products and Services Show, but he didn’t want to put too many miles on the vehicle.
“It was a car that needed to be in a showroom. It’s a piece of art. To me, it was an asset, or I thought it was an asset,” Hawken said somewhat dejectedly.
In June 2008, he and a co-worker took a trip to Scottsdale, Ariz., home of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. Hawken had done some research about the potential value of his Porsche. As a triple-black Speedster (black inside, outside and convertible top), it was only 1 of 802 produced. Hawken began to realize its value not only as a classic car but also because it was once owned by the famous actor.
“We thought Barrett-Jackson would be the perfect venue for it,” Hawken noted.
After visiting with auction officials, who felt the Porsche might bring more than $200,000, Hawken decided to have the car transported to Las Vegas, the inaugural Las Vegas event for Barrett-Jackson. Arrangements were made, and in mid-October his prized possession since 2002 left Hawken Body Shop for the last time.
“It was all very exciting, quite the opportunity. The people I talked to at the auction just dug the story. There were people around my car all day,” Hawken recalled. “There wasn’t anyone around JFK’s Lincoln, but it brought $180,000.”
The eventual buyer of Hawken’s Porsche was from Delaware and represented an anonymous buyer. “The people who bought it were just sick about it,” Hawken said. “They were willing to pay twice the amount. He was honestly beside himself that we didn’t get more for it.”
Hawken said he felt the auctioneers didn’t give the car due justice. Announcers for the event noted the car had been under water, and I think some people just had too much fear. They didn’t look at the low miles. And, also, I think the economic conditions were a factor. There were a lot of people whining about the low bids.”
It was all a gamble for Hawken, who one time said he would be content if it brought $50,000.
“I have all kinds of regrets now, like not driving it more. And because of the agreement I had with Barrett-Jackson, I had to sell it. It was a no-reserve auction,” he said. “I’m just thankful to God for having the opportunity to play with it. It was a fun ride for six years.”
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