If you ask me what my favorite combination of features in a project car is, this 1979 Porsche 911 SC found here on eBay would be a textbook example. Survivor-grade car with some nice factory options – Fuchs wheels, headlight sprayers, sunroof and air conditioning – and then some very choice period-correct upgrades. The Recaro seats, even in ripped condition, are a fantastic addition and match the car perfectly. The Blaupunkt radio is the next best thing if the original unit has been replaced. Wisely, the seller has retained the as-found BBS RS wheels for separate sale, which presents further evidence of an original owner with good tastes. And finally, the Porsche Design / Momo steering wheel is just an outstanding find in a P-Car of this vintage. My eye also spies an original Fischer cassette box behind the gear stick, a useless but fun period option. Throw in a largely straight body free from major corrosion and the best exterior color possible – well, in the spirit of Jerry Maguire, you had me at “Barn-find 911”.
Although I had been recovering nicely, (even when you posted various Porsche projects, -which I could discount and attribute to the other years being worth more than my 79?), today’s post will send me straight back to see my therapist!! I was able to buy a 79 911 SC out of a garage about 5 years ago for dirt cheap. It needed a lot to be done right, so I let it go, saying to myself that I would be better to save more money and buy a nice one already on the road… That was just before SC models got sucked up into the Pcar bubble, too!!! Now I am suffering when I view today’s post!!…but I’ll save further laments for my counselor! :) (pic attached if it loads right)
Oof. Doug. See, this is why you should just never sell anything. Good luck with today’s session. ;-)
Looks like another zero-feedback flipper.
Given the prices of early / mid vintage 911s it’s no surprise there’s strong bidding for this Texas sun-baked car with no information on drivetrain condition. We should all own cars that generate that much attention when it comes time to sell.
But I would not call it a “brief rest”, as the seller claims, if the car has sat outside in the Texas sun for 10+ years it will probably need everything replaced that isn’t metal—the whole interior, every rubber gasket and seal, maybe some wiring if critters have gotten to it. And better hope the engine turns and holds compression.
I admit that I don’t get the Porsche “mystique” that these benefit from. Other than the terrific racing success, there really is no mystique that I can see. They are strong cars, but when they break they get very expensive to fix, which is OK by me if they are great drivers, but they aren’t. There are all kinds of disadvantages to the driving dynamics that make them really uncomfortable to drive, for me at least. And the power of these SCs is pretty modest at best. Some of the sporty tuned econoboxes can run rings around them.
The upside is that the body design and interior look great. I just wish they drove as well as they look, because I would have bought one of the many that I have test driven, and would likely still own it.