CarreraX

So this weekend Im going to go get my old 911 out of storage. I drove this car in High School (Graduated in 82) and in 83 the 901 gearbox died. The car is a 1970 911t with approx 66k miles. It was originally bought by my mothers boyfriend in 1976 (I went with him to get it!!) from the original owner and I was allowed to drive it anytime I wanted. Anyway, he was my mothers boyfriend and basically my father since 1975. It has been considered my car since High School and it has been in a nice closed garage since then. We took the motor out and fixed the gearboxx and went through the motor at the same time. While the motor was out I decided that I wanted to replace the front fenders (rust in front of the door) and fix some rust in the rockers. Anyway, I pulled the fenders, hood, seats and bumpers off and basically got busy with my life and it has sat since. This is the first car that I ever drove!

Anyway, I have been itching to start restoring it and now it is almost time. We had him over for dinner a few weeks ago and he asked when I was going to come and get it. I went over last weekend and looked at it for the first time in several years. Im going to go get it this Saturday and bring it home and start slowly working on it. I didnt take pictures but i will this weekend before I dig it out. This is a car that I will never sell and I want it to be the car that my daughters drive for the first time (and no, I dont mean to drive to school etc). Luckily my girls are 3 and 4 so i have some time.

Ok, back to the color choices.....the car was originally Burgundy and we didnt like it much. We had it painted red in 1978. It has a black interior. I want to make it completely original looking (and PERFECT) but Im just not real fond of the Burgundy. I was thinking about Slate Gray but it seems that there are several of those out there already. My question, do you think changing the color will change the value much? Keep in mind that I am going to do this correctly. Or do you guys this the old burgundy color looks good? I keep trying to talk myself into the Burgundy but it is hard. What are your thoughts? I really really like the Slate Gray and that is the only other color that Im considering. Luckily I have plenty of time to make this decision. Thanks for listening

JonH

Hey Mark,
I've got a '74 that was repainted red myself and I would love to go back to the original gulf blue or maybe Marathon blue. I've talked to some guys up here and everyone says the same thing - paint it the color you like. There is a lot of cool '70s colors to pick from and with the effort in doing a 911 paint job right, you should definitely pick a cool period correct color and be happy. You already indicated that the car will stay with your family so I really wouldn't think twice about picking a new color. Plus, I'm trying to not get so worried about preserving mine, but having more fun driving it!

cal44

Stick to the original color. These cars look fetching in Burgundy. I can't tell you how many times I have said, "I will never sell". Guess what.......gone. Sooooo in conclusion early 911 cars are neat and the value is in originality. Some will say make yourself happy, when you sell it.....and someday you will, you want the most money for the car, will you be happy then?. I think you cannot go wrong with a lovely color such as that. Want to see red? look at the bill for a correct paint job.

robo356

Here's Tangerine.

robo356

ops. I guess I don't know how to attach a photo.

CarreraX

I have only seen one burgundy one in the last several years and it is actually half of a 911 coming out of a wall the Taj Garage. Other than that I am going on my memory of 1978. My wife likes the color and maybe I can talk myself into it. I would like to keep it all original. I honestly wont drive it that much. I have my 993 as a driver/track toy. It is more for memories. Have you guys seen that many gray ones? The fact that it seems there are a ton of gray ones makes me want to go with Burgundy..

TT Oversteer

If you're doing a correct restoration and resale value is your primary concern, definitely stay with the original color. Then again, life is short and if you're going to use the car and don't intend to sell it just go with the color you like best and enjoy. I personally like cars that I can use and would rather not cry when I get the first chip in the paint (regardless of color)!

CarreraX

Im not saying it will be a garage queen and i will drive it just not real often. Maybe 1k miles a year or so. Im not worried about rock chips so much. I just want to start out with it as perfect as I can. Im not a concours guy at all. I do want it to retain its value though. It will be given to my daughters (provided they want it and have interest) and hopefully it will be worth something. It seems like the old ones are really starting to appreciate it. Mine already has a perfect interior, dash etc. It has factory AC, S Gauges, no sunroof and a 901 box. The more I think about it, maybe the Burgundy will be best. Color changes on cars has always kinda bugged me. I know that down deep I may regret it if I change the color. anyway, I have quite awhile to decide. I just started this thread to make the day go faster

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Mark,

Some really good advice here,...

Mine: If retaining value is important, do NOT change color. Originality is thrown away and the spectre of a restored salvage car will always be present.

If value is not an issue, paint it any period color that makes you smile (and there are lots of them). Just do it right and that means the whole damned thing (not cheap).

CarreraX

Steve, Im glad that you chimed in! I am definately going to do it right and it is looking like the original burgundy will be the choice. It really is a nice car that means allot to me. It was a car that I had allot of "Firsts" in. The main thing is that even if it was totally stripped and had a full color change it would still bug me that it is not original. On the same note, I have a brand new set of PB Tweeks fiberglass front fenders that were never installed or even painted. I will sell them if anyone needs them. Im looking for a set of original steel fenders if anyone has any.

VNTGSPD

If the whole car will be original/stock condition, I would definitely stay with the original color. This is particularly true if the transmission and engine are original to the car as then you will have a "numbers matching" car which can bring significantly more money if you ever did sell.

Also, I have found that a nicely restored longhood 911 looks really good in just about any color - even olive green or gold!! That car with it's various chrome trim items will look outstanding with a fresh burgundy paint job - even it that's not your favorite color.

In the end, it's your car to do as you please - paint it pink if you wish.

CarreraX

Mine has the original 2.2 the dogleg 5 speed. It will be 100% original except frnders, and rockers. Actually, mine came with the chrome wheels and hub caps. They had some rust on them and I bought another perfect set back right after I put the car away. I am going to leave all the trim, chrome etc stock but I dont think I can stomach putting the chrome wheels back on. The car needs Fuchs.

Mike Murphy

In today's world where sliver/black were what we saw for the past decade as the color of choice, and it seems that white is the new black, I would think about going with a color that is fairly unique and particular to the old 911s and stay away from colors that are common today. Example: you made a good choice with your current C2.

Jay Laifman

Funny, I always loved Burgundy on 911s. It still is that "fast" red, but with a more sophisticated spin on that color.

JV911

go burgandy...its original plus its actually a nice colour