While many consumers like to see their meal prepared in front of them at the hands of a chef who’s slick with a set of knives, I’ve never understood the allure of the Benihana restaurant chain. More to the point, I’m blown away at how much money it made its founder, Rocky Aoki, who owned this custom Porsche 911 Targa limousine listed here on craigslist for $22,500. That’s a lot of sushi!
The seller says the custom build consists of two 1973 Porsche 911 Targas somehow conjoined to complete the stretch job you see here. The practice of taking two decent cars to create a longer single version that loses all of the handling benefits of the original was quite common in the 80s, when big style dominated over rational thought. I’m sure at the height of his wealth and fame, Mr. Rocky thought a Targa-roof’d Porsche limo was the pinnacle of success.
What’s clear is that the custom limo hasn’t been near anyone with wealth in the years since it left the restaurant founder’s possession. The seller notes that the interior needs finishing, the engine is gone, and that is obviously needs paint. The gear shifter and steering wheel alone should tell you this once-choice 911 limo has fallen on hard times, but I also wonder if it was ever completed in the first place when commissioned by Aoki.
Aoki was an interesting character, having spent time as a wrestler and powerboat racer in addition to being an accomplished CEO. He was hit with some dustups around insider trading, so perhaps the 911 was underway when the U.S. Attorney’s office in New York arrested him. Regardless, some documentation proving the Aoki connection is needed for a car like this, but if it wasn’t originally a hack job, I hope this wild vestige of the 80s returns to driving condition and makes an appearance at Radwood in the near future.
Updating to 959 fiberglass kit does nothing for the looks of this thing. Interesting, yes. Ugly, yes.
Well, I am pretty good with a filet knife, but thank goodness never made enough money at it to have something like this built. Great find Jeff, nice write up! This is really going to T off the P-Gang.
What a stupid looking car.
Some people should not be allowed near cars.
The guy who did this is one of them.
Money can’t buy good taste
WHY would anyone do this ?
What a stupid car
You could pay me to take it off your hands. Take it to the crusher for you
for 2k.
You might want to proofread the text: “Aoki” is rendred “Akoi” throughout the article.
Fixed — thanks!
A LOT of hate here for a car that looks better than a Panamera.
He had a Corvette limo too.
No… just… NO…smh…
Even an Aztek or Rendezvous looks better than this…..
Theres an A$$ for every seat and id finish this project as in NYC it would be wanted for hire its a guarantee.
Is the concrete block included with the purchase ? That could be a deal breaker for me.
The Amalia Island car show is happening soon. Somebody should finish this and show it there.
Porsche Panamera concept.
Yes thankyou…Panamera concept.
A lot of hibachi is more appropriate than a lot of sushi.
I enjoy the flaming onion volcano when I go for hibachi.
All one needs or wants to know about this “car’ can be found simply by looking at the shift knob.
Find a third derelict, cut it in half, then cut this one in half, stick the ends together and turn this back into two pseudo-original cars.
And it doesn’t even have a radio…what kind of a Porsche limo is this?
$22,500.00? Perhaps $225.00 would be a fair price! Love the comment about the shift knob. How sad to see not one but two Targas used to create this slag heap. If anyone out there does buy it I suggest you DO NOT take it to the next Rennsport Reunion. The crowd will undoubtedly turn against you and you will never make it out alive.
The two Targas that were mutilated to make this horrible thing would be worth a lot more money than this thing was ever worth. An example of just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Like others said this is a Panera like concept.
Sorry, but this is a poor limo but not such a bad custom job.
Nicely restored with a scrap Porsche motor it is just the provocation the Porsche purists deserve for all their obsequious airs.
On second thought go electric, with wrecked Tesla motors and batteries, something like this will still be faster than any Targa and who needs range anyhow.
I recall seeing several VW’s done this way. This is worth showing at the car shows.
Nobody ever accused Aoki of having too much good taste but hell he did fine surviving the ’80’s in style.
I ran the 1991 One Lap of America event and Rocky Aoki was using that car. I helped him and his co driver at Charlotte Motor speedway with a clutch issue. I have a picture of me and Rocky together after fixing his car.
Barring what you think of the car, back then it was 80’s exuberant.
He had it set up with a bed so one person could get some sleep and it had some other amenities that made that week long blast around the country a little easier.
Great memories.
When I get home tonight, I will scan and post what it looked like back in 1991
I would really like to see the pic of the car
Thanks
waiting on pix, interesting story
Hello! Did you ever post those pictures? I’ve never been on this site. But I can assure you my father built this car
I did post the pictures, look down the thread . I may have met your dad in the body shop out side of Newark NJ if I recall close to the GW bridge.
I hate this as much as the rest of you all do. But after getting over that, and losing my breakfast to the garbage can next to me, I wondered:
Could it be possible…..in any way shape or form….to take this on, and make it good? Cool?
While it was a stupid idea to begin with (and I can say that because I hold the Guinness Record for stupid ideas), could this be salvaged by someone with vision, skills, and (most importantly) money?
I don’t like this car, but I like the fact that stupid stuff like this exists.
As I used to say to one of my kids, who took chances, but created some cool machines out of derelict bicycles, and wanted to take the Sawsall and cut off the top of our Dodge Caravan at the belt line, and then weld the doors shut for rigidity, after a tree had fallen on it and crushed the roof, but left the windshield and mechanical parts intact in order to make a three row parade car, and who ended up going to MIT and Stanford, “Why did you do that?”. “Because I could,” he would reply.
I’m told that Porsche is the most profitable car builder in the world. They must be doing something, umm, right?
Hi Philip, For what it is worth I read today that Porsche is the most trouble free car built from last year.
Here’s the stretch Corvette.
Might be a reason why Corvette never made a 4 seater.
Too bad Porsche does :(
Is that Rocky Aoki ?
Rocky, and cohorts must have been on The hashish to do this! Sacrilege!
This poor car was turned into an abomination!
Crack pipe. Wait, wrong website.
As I promised from earlier today, I scanned my pictures of Rocky’s car..
As you will see, it looked a little better back then..
Another view
Interior, you can see the bed on the left side
There was a bench seat behind those two bucket seats. And if my memory suits me correctly they would set a hammock up from corner to corner
Last picture
Thanks Carl, great pics. It must have been a great time!
It was an adventure I will never forget…. I ran the event with a Rover 2000TC. That was something that got Rocky’s attention and we both wondered who’s car would fail first….
We both finished
LOL! Being from rural Wisconsin, what is a Rover 2000TC?
Carl,
I ran the ’89 One Lap in a Plymouth Laser RS Turbo. That year, Rocky and Co. cruised comfortably in a Mercedes stretch limo from the 60’s. It was pretty awesome. I’m thinking that he didn’t want to give up on comfort, but was hoping for a bit more performance with this stretcher.
The term “Grosser Pullman” Stuck with me from way back then, and yep, this looks like the car! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf3jiAhz154
Is that video still up on youtube? Your link isn’t working
Pat, apparently not. Could not find it, but there are others.
Rocky’s Grosser Pullman was a 1966?
Well, at least he had fun with his money ….if ya can, why not ? Life is short… but not this car ! .. I would at this point , trade the car back to the current owner’s of Benihana’s for 1000 complementary dinners ! We have always had a good time at Benihana’s in Monterey,San Jose or San Francisco………
Wise up…..he might have bought two wrecks – one with the front damage and one with the rear damage. Hell they make Limo’s out of everything now days !.
I’m amused at the sellers note on Craigslist re: “keep negative comments to yourself”. Thin skinned perhaps? Offering that car with bill of sale only for 22,5 ? I should think he’d be prepared for the worst & you guys supplied some “Duesy’s” !
Thanks Carl for the “before” pictures ! Now I can even visualize what it looked like without all the sponsor decals etc. Rocky was certainly a character & I don’t criticize him nor car…his choices. I’ve certainly eaten at “Benihana’s”, though I prefer “Ron of Japan” or actually my local sushi/shashimi place. Anyway, were I younger, this would be great to restore and hire out here on the wealthy North Shore for Weddings and Proms…anything to be different !! And it would drive some local Porsche owners “bonkers” too !
Definitely worth restoring – just to annoy purists
I come across this car in late 80s or early 90s on the side of the road with some asians standing outside of it deep country North Carolina, i mean whonaint gonna stop to look at this monstrosity, I pulled over and offered assistance, turns out Rocky was riding in the back and they told me they are in a cross country race similar to Cannonball Run and that they have no feeling in the shifter, I took full advantage to get to tinker on this car, turned out the shifter linkage come loose, I drove up the road to my house and grabbed a Cotter pin and installed it and they were back in the race, They took pics with me (35mm) and rocky signed and gave me a book (I didnt read it) autobiography on how he made his millions, they asked me for my mailing address to mail me the pictures. Sure enough 2 weeks or so later i recieved the pics, i have no idea what i did with them. But at the time the car looked brand new, I bleve they also were in the Chiminy rock hill climb race as part of the cross country race. I’m originally from Miami Florida and used to eat at Benihanas once a month. I’ve told people this story and they look at me like I’m crazy, I went home and told my sister and they laughed like i made it up till those pics arrived, hehehe.
Man! I wish you still had the pics!