Can you register the porsche 959 in California

Absolutely. Make sure its meets emissions standards though, and the requirements of the time it was imported. And have fun!

Weld on a chassis plate from a scrapped 1967 912 & register it as a reconditioned car. If u could register it legally, & l recall that Porsche took steps to make sure that could not back in the day to preserve the US market incase they got around to certifying them, the end result would not be very representative of what the cars were like when they were new. Also, keep in mind that the regular 911 Turbos have exceeded the 959 is performance in recent years, even if they're heavier & bigger. If u have less money than Bill Gates, maybe the best idea would be to look for a nice 993 Turbo. They share many of the classic 911 design elements with extremely high performance & reasonable dependability.

Yes & no. depending on the car. The 959, as it was sold in the mid 1980s, remains illegal for road operation in the US. At the time, a few individuals had imported these cars into the US in hopes of having a way to get around these issues, but one by one, they were forced to remove them from the US (DOT being far more aggressive in policing on this particular vehicle than most). As l recall, the only car to slip through was a lone 961 (which could not be registered for road use in any case)..

A few years ago though, changing regulations made it possible to have these cars ''Federalized,'' & then the changed versions would be available for sale & registration in the US. l know Canepa Motors did quite a few conversions, & l believe Andial also did some (as l remember reports of 959s being seen at the shop during this time). These cars, & only these cars can be registered in the US (CA included).

It should be noted though, that while the 959 remains a great technical achievement for it is time, it is even more expensive to get with the updates, & it is also a car with an extremely high potential cost of ownership (check out the Porsche parts lists. ~$35k for a front bumper if u should need one, ~$15k for one new wheel rim, etc). And it is not a car that has aged especially well, showing it is connections to earlier 911s very strongly & seeming outdated in those areas, & (even with some performance updates) lagging behind the newer cars in outright speed. Though it still can boost the most advanced AWD system ever put into a car, & is a unique piece of automotive history.

There is a law that was passed by NHTSA called the ''Show & Display'' law. This law essentially allows rare vehicles over with various restrictions according to minimum miles driven & so forth.

Basically this was a piece of legislation pushed for by owners of cars like this that did not plan to drive them as daily drivers but still wanted the ability to purchase & own them in the United States. If l am not mistaken Bill Gates was the main proponent of this particular law. But do not quote me on that part of it.