You Should Definitely Buy This Wild Porsche 911 Limo Originally Built For The Founder Of The Benihana Restaurant Chain

One reason why California often seems like home base for American automotive enthusiasm is because it’s the land that rust forgot. With low humidity and mild temperatures, it’s not difficult to find any car you can imagine and some that you simply couldn’t. Case in point: David sent me a Craigslist ad for this wild car. After the usual questions flashed through my head like “Why?”; “How much?”; and “Are those Gottis?”, I quickly learned that this stretched Porsche 911 has a weird and fascinating backstory.

This unusual cut-and-shut was built for Benihana founder Rocky Aoki. The wrestler, restaurateur, powerboat racer, and balloonist was a natural thrillseeker, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that he took a shining to cars. In fact, this very Porsche competed in the 1991 One Lap of America, and I’d imagine seeing it fly around tracks would’ve been quite the sight.

According to the ad for this car, two 1974 911 Targas were chopped up to create this long-distance machine, and then a 959 body kit was added, as was the style of the time. Remember when Porsche 911s were largely just old curiosities? Sure, that period of time led to some questionable mods, but it also meant that normal people could buy a 911 SC or similar. The use of two Targas means that this stretched 911 offers an open-air experience with a fully-functional rear targa top, although the fabric wrapping that open-air portal seems to be lost to time.

Rocky Aoki was a man of great means, so it shouldn’t be surprising that this Porsche has everything and the kitchen sink… literally. Mini-bar? Check. Full partition with roll-down window? Check. Custom sconces that look like airplanes? Check. VCR? You already know. When this thing was roadworthy, it even had a custom rear seat that turned into a bed for sleeping on the road. If that isn’t plush, I don’t know what is. Mind you, it is a weird touch considering how the ride quality of an air-cooled 911 isn’t exactly silky.

Weirdly, this isn’t the first four-door Porsche that someone has made. There’s the 989 prototype built by Porsche itself back in 1989, and the custom Troutman-Barnes 911 sedan built back in 1968 that featured magnificent rear-hinged rear doors. However, neither of these creation are quite as outlandish as the Aoki car.

Unfortunately, Rocky Aoki’s Porsche 911 limousine has suffered quite the fall from grace. The ad claims that the engine was stolen at some point in the past, and the paint is in a rather sorry state. Disintegration of the targa top has contributed to the outside world getting into the car, promoting surface rust on the floorboards. The front corner lights are smashed, much of the custom audio setup appears to be missing, and to add insult to injury, the car doesn’t have a title. While definitely savable, this custom 911 will require a lot of work to get roadworthy again.

On the one hand, $18,000 is a lot of money for a roller. On the other, this oddball Porsche is a piece of history that was once loaded with everything you could possibly imagine. It’s certainly not a car for purists, but could you imagine crashing Luftgekühlt in this thing? Anyway, if you’re feeling brave, hop this Craigslist link and make this weird 911 yours.

(Photo credits: Craigslist seller)

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