studlee

Hi guys, I have owned a few water cooled Porsche and 1 air cooled. I’m not a specialist of Porsches just an enthusiast.

I’m at a point in my life I would like to restore a Porsche 911 air cooled or buy one that is restored. This is a vague and personalize question but which air cooled 911 is special and rare that it would be a worth while to restore?
I don’t want to spend $100s of thousands to have the car be worth half of what was put into it.
I’m just looking for suggestions and ideas. Thx

wildcat077

I know a well kept long hood car holds a high value , just look at all the current backdates going on.I’m guessing the more rare a car is the
more it will have a high value , but then again restoration will be in proportion.
I own an 89 Coupe and it wouldn’t be my first choice if i were to restore a 911, surely everybody would love to restore a 73-74 RS but you’d
be talking major dollars just to find a shell or restoration candidate.

Cheers
Phil

Speedster911

multi part answer:

1) best car to restore- one without rust.
2) best car to restore - any 911S 67 -73 would command a premium, a coupe over a targa, early 911s - sunroof were rare and are desirable, mid year 911s, slick top appear to be more desirable
3) best car to restore- On OEM " Bright, Fun Color) are pulling in a premium.
4) best car to restore - What do you want?, short wheel base 911, limited production model, performance for the MY (73 carrera, 356 Carrera, softwindow targa, early turbo) all have a cult following and for the right car done right, you can possibly stay financially solid .#s matching would also play into maintaining financial upside.


Not wanting to spend 100s of thousands - everyone's definition of a restoration is different. Restoration to win a parade event, to please yourself or a restomod?

Any " rare" car deserving of a restoration will cost 60-100k+ for the car and then the slippery slope begins. Metal work, dipping and paint 50-100K+. Motor, interior, plating , powder coating, finding the correct MY parts that can be unicorns - $$$$$$ and ... the key piece= Time. Are you doing much of the work or farming it out?

Budget for it and plan on it costing a minimum of 4x what you have budgeted and 2 x the time you have allotted.

paul_howey

So if we are talking about nuts and bolts restoration, I would say anything numbers matching pre-74, even a T will likely hold value. Possibly even more important than the quality of the restoration, is the shop that you have do the work. The right shop will put minds at ease and make wallets open should the car find its way on BAT.

If you are looking to do more of a light restoration/hotrod/drivers car, then you really can’t go wrong with anything 76 onward (galvanized body).

It’s highly unlikely that you will lose money going down either of these paths. Prices have gotten to a point that there really isn’t an aircooled model that isn’t worth the price of repair. However, nobody can predict what the market will be like tomorrow.

Now as far as truly “special” non-standard models go… those prices have gotten so outrageous that originality/patina would likely be far more valuable than any sort of restoration.

theiceman

restoring cars always seems to be a money pit of an adventure. people do it because they love it, and a lot more lose money restoring than those who make money.

69-912-SWT

Always buy the best car you can for your money, buy what someone else has spent their money on and is out of funds to finish !! Do lots of research as any air-cooled cars are expense to get any work on and the number of shops that can repair them are getting less every year.

theiceman

the best Porsche to restore is the one already restored

Tinkerer

The model you prefer that is already restored.

Ironman88

I would recommend contacting Nathan Merz with Columbia Valley Luxury Cars.

Nathan is one of the most knowledgable individuals on Porsche in the country (perhaps anywhere.) Plus, he's a great guy. I purchased my '87 911 from him.

https://cvluxurycars.com/contact-us/

pagoda69

Unless you have deep pockets, lots of time, and you are a professional mechanic and body man, the best advice in today's world is to buy one that is already restored or doesn't need anything major. I just picked up a documented 50K mile, original paint, 83 SC coupe, perfect body and stunning original interior. No accidents. No rust ever. I know some view the SC as "not the most desirable" G-body 911, but, I would recommend looking for a 911 that has a body that has not been damaged or rusted, and just have fun driving and "tweaking" it to your liking.

Tinkerer

I concur, I set a purchase number and searched for the best g-series for me and now enjoy making it better. It’s amazing how easy it is to improve/fix the little things on these cars.

pagoda69

Absolutely. The days of doing full restorations on "barn finds" and "baskets cases" are over.

theiceman

i have NEVER heard that , it is the same body exactly as the legendary Carrera that followed it, The G body is the timeless classic, and a motoring Icon, the last of the impact bumper 911s. .

paul_howey

A well-sorted SC is one of my favorite aircooled cars and is often the one I recommend to newcomers and seasoned enthusiasts who want something earlier than 964/993, don't want to spend 100k+, and want to spend their time actually driving. Sounds like you have found yourself an amazing car! Congrats and would love to see some pics!

Tinkerer

It’s just opinions that may not apply to all (studs, timing tensioner, brakes etc.) similar to the comparisons of the 915 to the g50.