Introduction
I don’t tend to birdwatch, I’m certainly not the kind to scrapbook, and I lost interest in my pressed penny collection years ago. Unfortunately, I tend to gravitate to expensive hobbies. As if cars and photography weren’t enough to keep me and my wallet constantly on bad terms, I’m also moderately into watches. Although I can’t afford the exotic ones, I believe they are incredible pieces of engineering and design in a way similar to cars. In many cases watches can also be invaluable pieces of family history. When a loved one passes, their signature watch is often passed down. Wearing the watch becomes wearing a piece of one’s father, grandmother, or other family figure. As wonderful as this is, cars do something more special in my opinion. I believe they do something that even the most unique watch cannot do: they carry the very personality of someone that has passed on. That is what makes this Porsche 911 so special.
Some Background
Let’s first discuss the car itself. For those of you out there unfamiliar with rare Porsches, you may be scratching your head at this one. An air-cooled Porsche 911… without the signature round headlights? That’s right. This is a “930” generation Porsche 911 Turbo with a hand-crafted slantnose conversion. Don’t let the word “conversion” scare you off though. This is the 911 that Porsche “purists” would own if they let themselves have fun. The Porsche 930 “Slantnose” or “Flachbau” as it is known in German, came about in the early 1980s as Porsche developed a one-off street-legal 935 race car for TAG Heuer co-owner Mansour Ojjeh.
After being revealed, Porsche owners began to beg for Porsche to create a similar car to be sold to the masses. Porsche obliged, offering the “flachbau” as a factory option through its “Sonderwunschprogramm” (special wishes program). Less than 1000 were made in total, with only 160 being brought to the United States. As mentioned previously, this is not one of those original cars… and that’s the best part. I’d bet my whole pressed penny collection on 99% of the original slantnose 930s being locked away in garages building up dust so their owners can brag to their friends about what a wonderful investment piece it has turned out to be. Luckily for us this car has a very different story to tell, and luckily for this car, it was owned by Rick Teer.
The Owner
It is impossible to talk about this Porsche without talking about its owner as well. Rick Teer was a long-time car enthusiast. Among the cars he owned throughout his life were two Mustangs, a Nissan 260Z, Alfa Romeo GTV6, and he owned a Ferrari 308 in the 80s before purchasing the 1987 Porsche 911 Turbo with its original round headlights. About a year after acquiring the car, he sent it to Jeff Baggett of Classic Car Motoring in Irondale, Alabama for a hand-crafted slantnose conversion which was done exactly to factory specifications. In November of 1988, Rick joined the Alabama Region of the Porsche Club of America. During his time with the AL PCA he was an extremely active member, filling every board member seat including president at least twice, before coming on as a permanent Member at Large. One of the things that Rick loved most about the PCA was the club racing. This is reflected in his 930 Turbo. This 930 was modified to be a racer.
Overview of Modifications
The modifications include the slantnose conversion (which, remember, was 935-inspired and greatly helped with aerodynamics on track), a Borla exhaust system, HRE 525 three-piece racing wheels wrapped with Nitto NT555 UHP tires, GT2 wing, Recaro bucket seats, an emergency battery kill switch, window net, and numerous engine modifications to name a few. (A more complete engine build list for those interested is included at the bottom of this article). Nearly all of the original modifications and race prep were completed in Georgia by a man named Galen Bridges, but later work such as rebuilding the engine, upgrading the internals, and maintenance were done by Bill Mitchell and Mike Nail of Eurasian Auto Services. This machine was built to boogie and boogie it did.
According to Mike Nail, “Rick and Galen spent years developing the car together and Galen did so many cool, trick little details that I had previously never seen before. Exact top speed is unknown, but I’ve personally been 170mph in it and I suspect it would reach at least 185mph.” All this passionate track development has paid off. “This was not a trailer queen. It didn’t stay garaged, it got really driven” said Diana Kennedy, Rick’s wife. “It has 77,000 miles on it,” she said, “most of which were on the track.” Most modern GT3 RS owners would faint at the idea. Show me the Porsche purist willing to use their car that frequently and I’ll show you the front-engined 911 he rode in on. “It’s just as raw and visceral as you can possibly imagine. You know, there’s no ABS, there’s no traction control, there isn’t even power steering!” This thing, more so than any “real” 930 Slantnose, was RACED. In my book, that gives it more genuine slantnose soul than any that left the factory in Stuttgart.
Rick Teer
Rick had a passion for racing. He did open wheel racing in his earlier years and raced Mazda RX-7s in the “Firehawk” series afterwards. He even raced superbikes. During his ownership of the 930, he attended the Jim Russell Racing School in California with some friends that also owned 930 Turbos. “He would fly out on Friday after work, race on Saturday, and take the redeye back on Sunday. He was living the high life for sure!” Diana said with a laugh. He won third place that season. He subsequently bought a 1983 Porsche 944 which he club raced with his son Michael Teer, which Diana still uses for track days with the Porsche club. That’s right, Diana is a racer too. She started racing with her Miata. “When Rick realized I was serious about it, one year for Christmas I got coil-overs and sway bars—Oh I was in hog heaven!” she said.
While he was passionate about racing, the Porsche club, and his cars, he didn’t let it eclipse his love of people. “He was one of those people that was just very welcoming” Diana expressed. “He always wanted to encourage people to get involved and to enjoy the experience.” In fact, this was how Rick and Diana met. Rick was part of the PCA and Diana was part of the British Car Club. They had a crossover meet and Rick enthusiastically added her to the “friends and family” emailing list for the Porsche club. “It was just because, ‘Oh hey! You’re passionate about this! You’re a car person! You need to get involved! We’re going to do this event’ or ‘we’re going to do this drive you need to come!’” In his 20 years going to Barber Motorsports Park, Rick never missed volunteering at a single event. At these events he was the first one there, the last one out, and always ensured you felt welcome and loved while being “gregarious and fun.” That was just the kind of person he was.
Legacy
Sadly, Rick passed on April 16th, 2023 from cancer. He may be gone, but he is long from forgotten. Rick was deeply loved. At the IndyCar event at BMP shortly after his passing, Zoom Motorsports showed their appreciation and love for him. “Zoom pulled out all the stops” Diana said, holding back tears. “They did a write up for him in the fan guide, they handed out pins to the volunteers who worked there all weekend in remembrance of him, they did an announcement during the race about him, and I got special permission to put the car on display in the fan zone.” Diana was overwhelmed by how many people came out of the woodwork to express appreciation for everything Rick did for them.
Rick Teer is really why this car is so special. “This car…” Diana said, “this car really represents him. And it’s neat when I get it out because people that knew him will see it and go ‘AH! That’s Rick’s car!’ and it is such a neat thing for them because it’s how we get to memorialize him.” Diana also voiced her love for sharing Rick’s car with the new generation through events such as Magic City Octane and Cars and Coffee. Diana has been a true caretaker for this car and for Rick’s legacy by extension. “When we pulled this car out of the garage, oh God, this poor car. It was so filthy” she said. After it had been just about “excavated” from the garage, Casey Hooper of Eurasian Auto Services took it to get cleaned up. With the help of Mike Nail and Larry Lamon, the fuel system was flushed, oil changed (all 11 quarts of it!), it was detailed, color-corrected, and had the paint touched up. Larry spent several hours on the ground meticulously fixing every rock chip on the front spoiler from years of track rash.
By doing so, Rick is memorialized. “Anytime you turn around,” she said, “somebody is saying something about Rick. I love it. I love hearing all these great stories about him… stories about something he’d said or done, or even how he had aggravated them!” she said with a laugh. Rick’s legacy continues through Diana, his daughter Brianna Teer who is doing track events now, and his granddaughter, Kelsey Teer, who is excited and passionate about learning everything about the 930 Turbo her Granddaddy owned. She’s been “bitten by the sportscar bug” as Diana puts it.
Conclusion
This 930 Turbo is much more than a modified Porsche. It is a car bought and uniquely built to the tastes of a man loved by so many. Each modification is a modification chosen by Rick to fulfill the purpose he had for the car. The car became an extension of Rick and his passions and it continues to be an extension of him to this day. In a way that few other material things can, cars have the unique ability to bring people together. For Rick’s family, this 930 Turbo connects him to his children, grandchildren, and wife even after his passing. It is a way to keep part of him alive. I never had the pleasure of meeting Rick, but it’s clear to me that he was a uniquely special man and we are blessed to see him memorialized through his uniquely special Porsche 930 Turbo. Sorry Porsche purists, the best part of this Porsche was its owner.
Detailed Engine Modification List
*This is a list of specs and modifications provided by longtime caretaker, Mike Nail:
· 3.3 liter stock displacement with 7:1 compression ratio (stock pistons and cylinders that came out of a genuine factory Slantnose engine after a displacement upgrade).
· Engine makes approximately 480hp at 1.3 bar (just under 20 psi) max boost.
· Stock 4-speed transmission with stock gear ratios (1) 2.25 (2) 1.304 (3) 0.893 (4) 0.625 w/ 4.22 final drive.
· Stock crankshaft with upgraded oiling (grooved center main bearing journal with cross drilled passages)
· Carrillo connecting rods
· Extensive machine work to engine case including “shuffle pins” which lock the main bearing faces of the case halves together
· ”Boat Tailed Mains” which improves airflow under the piston as it travels down
· Cylinder heads have extensive port work to the intake and exhaust ports – 36mm intake ports
· Stock valves
· Twin Spark Plug Modification
· Champion C63YC spark plugs
· Billet injector blocks port matched to intake
· Ported intake manifold, port matched to injector blocks
· Web Cam 993 GT2 EVO 563/564 grind w 0.480/0.460 lift, 264°/236° duration camshafts timed to 2.3mm lift on overlap
· Mostly stock CIS injection system with subtle mods to improve high boost fueling including HKS additional injector controller and HKS boost control
· Garrett turbo and a T3 exhaust housing
· Stainless oversized short tube header heat exchangers and Borla muffler
· Oversized aftermarket intercooler
· Intake tract between CIS injection and turbo inlet extensively modified and rerouted through LR inner fender for improved flow
· Electromotive HPX twin plug ignition system with Richard Clewett crank pulley and sensor bracket kit
· Engine and Transmission have been lowered approximately 1.5″ in the chassis for lower center of gravity and for the intercooler to clear the 993 GT2 decklid
· Stock braking system with Brembo magnesium 4 piston calipers & cross drilled directional cooling finned brake discs on all 4 corners.
· Stiffer torsion bars front and rear
· Bilstein struts and adjustable upgraded sway bars
Credits
Author/Photographer – Luke Adams (@shootwluke)
Owner – Diana Kennedy (@dianalkennedy)
Engine Mod List – Mike Nail
