An Early 911 Restoration Project

Good Morning! And TGIF! After peaking on Monday, the Porsche market continued it’s downward trend yesterday as both our dollar volume and sell-through rate crept lower. But last Friday we saw a lift into the weekend, so there is hope.

THE MARKET

Sell-Through Rate (STR): 63%

Market Volume ($): $821,599

Market Volume (Units): 16

TOP SALES

1971 Porsche 911T Coupe 3.4L Modified $191,000 Bring a Trailer

2008 Porsche 911 Turbo Cab. 6sp $141,000 Bring a Trailer

2017 Porsche 911 C4S Coupe $93,000 Bring a Trailer

1988 Porsche 911 Turbo Cab. $85,000 PCARMARKET

1995 Porsche 911 Coupe 6sp $81,000 Bring a Trailer

SPOTLIGHT

PHOTO CREDIT PCARMARKET

Currently finished in Orange, this matching number 1965 911 was originally a Polo Red over Black leatherette. The car is presented well with pictures of many of the nooks and crannies you’d want to see when hunting for rust. And rust there is. Whoever purchased this car has their work cut out for them. But who doesn’t love a good restoration project? Especially when it’s a short-wheelbase 2.0-liter, the purest form of 911 around. Just remember, those restoration bills add up fast and one can find themselves upside-down very quickly.

Unlike most other 911s, it appears that the early 911 market has softened over the last five years with nicely restored examples fetching a little over $200k compared to the $300k+ fully restored cars were selling for pre-2019. Our Spotlight car sold for $52,913 and will be heading back to Germany.

So how will this seller make out post-restoration? That depends on how much of the work they plan on doing themselves. If they are just writing checks, a restoration worth of this car is $200k+, putting them a bit underwater unless the market takes a U-turn. If they are doing the majority of the work though, then things look a little rosier.

Either way, I’ve learned that a full restoration is not the way to make a quick buck when it comes to old Porsches. These things should be done for the love of the cars, to bring them back to the way they once were. Hopefully, we won’t see this one back at auction in three years instead, it’s ripping around German roads with its new owner.

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