As Porsche 356’s become more and more desirable, it seems that there aren’t many left that haven’t been restored, or that have survived as well as this 27,000 mile example. With 2 previous owners, and a repaint in the early 1970’s, this Porsche has managed to accumulate very few miles in its lifetime. The original drive-train is still in place and runs wonderfully. As the time ticks down on this auction, bidding has currently risen to $51,100. Take a look at this sweet 356B here on eBay out of La Quinta, California.
After piecing together the story of this Porsche, it would seem that it spent a great amount of time parked at one stage in its life. The current owner rebuilt the carbs, and cleaned the fuel tank to get this 356 running and reliable. I wouldn’t be surprised if other items were cleaned and or replaced, such as tune up items, engine seals, and perhaps the tar board on the fire wall.
The interior certainly represents the low mileage of this Porsche, though I wouldn’t be surprised is the seats have been reupholstered. There is some minor wear and discoloration to the carpet, but the rest of the interior appears quite nice. Someone went to an extensive amount of work to repaint this Porsche as the dash and door jambs are color matched to the groovy orange color choice. The dash and steering wheel is quite nice and the interior overall is in very nice condition.
Apparently repainted in the early 1970’s from its original blue color to what we see today, the owner took no short cuts in making the color change. The orange color is any and everywhere, but there is no evidence of over spray in the least. Currently the paint suffers from wear and chipping, but the overall patina of this 356 is just plain cool. There is some light surface rust, on the exterior and there are only two significant concerns for rust on this machine. One is a hole in bottom of the battery box and the other is described as a separation on the driver’s floor. I would assume “separation” to mean that rot has separated metal from one another. The seller was kind enough to show a photo of a folded pinch weld on the jack point, but not the rust concerns. Despite the repaint and possible rust issues, this 356B is a driver, and has a charm that many restored cars cannot match. What do you think this 356B will sell for?
So, it was purchased new in Los Angeles circa 1960, then repainted
a different color before 1967, and then in 1967, it was parked with 26,100 miles, and was left parked, until current owner purchased it, 50-years later,cleaned it up a bit,and has driven it an additional 900 miles to PCA events and such. Now for sale.
The photos provided do not indicate a 27,000 mile car. Possibly a 127,000
mile car, and/or broken odometer at some point (unusual), or a roll-back
by the first owner.
The ad says it was repainted in the early 70’s, where do you see before 67?
Ok, “apparently” repainted in the early 70’s…..hmmm, at real close to 27,000 miles, then parked? Till now? Which doesn’t compute with the quality of the paint job now. And those two streamlined mirrors atop each front fender?
And it is a Normal engine but the car sports the “S” hubcaps.
Yes, this 356 is a lot better than many we’ve seen on this site. But 27,000 miles? Just sayin’.
Compared to a lot of old / neglected / long-stored/neglected 356s this one looks terrific. “Virtually rust free” is a bit of an exaggeration, but compared to some of these that we’ve seen recently, someone could make that claim as a more or less reasonable argument.
Whether it has 27K miles or 127K miles doesn’t matter so much now, and for me, if I were buying this car, the general very good shape that the car is in, its completeness, and that big stack of original service receipts and the original owner’s manual would more than make up for any minor rust that’s on the car.
Way worse cars have been rescued, and now look like new. And with this car you could actually consider leaving the ‘patina’ as is / where is, and just check out the mechanicals and then drive it.
Single grills are the best. paint it the original blue.
I agree with “Had Two”.. most of us that were around in the 80’s remember when it was common for guys to disconnect the odometer cables and or change them out completely.. why all the repainting? only a purist would care about low miles..the story does not add up.. sounds like a dealer found it paid some ole widow $20k for it and now wants to strike gold (at least the color is gold)..
A pretty cool car that looks she has had years of neglect and now once again is owned by a person not willing to put any love into her.. maybe the next person will send her to the repair shop, cause we know at $50K+ it’s not going to be a DYI guy (that is for sure).. by the looks of the condition the new owner will have over $100k into this one..
What’s the saying.. penny wise, pound foolish… if you ask me
Merry Christmas..
I looked at this car because the hysteria around Porsche interests me. Yes, the car in general. I agree on all points regarding engineering, handling, great race provenance and all the rest of it and as a collector I still think prices are irrational.
I’m just amazed that we finally have a 356 that runs! And is not being held together by rust, paint and god knows what else. I guess there are a few still out there that haven’t been wrecked, burned, left out in the rain, etc.
Hope springs eternal.
Nice car has potential for right owner. Ask is painfully high for exterior paint condition so the price is inflated by many grades of condition that one could shop around for in this market.
As oil tanks further there will be many more vintage classics coming up for bid believe me. This car is a bid too high for this deflating market.
Bob
As oil tanks further, bid to high for this deflating market? REALLY.
Is it just me or is this one of the ugliest cars every made?
that might just be you
The Merc?
Them Mercs are ugly and sure is hard to see out of them.
This Merc is nothing but beautiful!!! One of my favorites since well high school when they weren’t all that old. They lend themselves to all kinds of great modifications. Hope this one’s got hydraulics. Need to get it over the railroad tracks!
I believe there is a giant production facility in China producing copies of 356 Porsches, GNX Buicks and 1978 Corvette Pace Cars. There is no other reasonable explanation why a new “find” shows up every other day.
The reason is many of these owners are aging out of the market, the pace car corvettes are 40 years old, GN/GNX’s are 30, many of the 356’s were probably bought decades ago.
This won’t be the doom of collector/muscle cars like so many pessimists pushing an agenda predict. The desirable cars, which were owned or lusted after will still be popular, it’s the less desirable models or rough projects will turn into financial losers. The four doors and less desirable models from the 60’s and earlier, unless pristine, will head towards zero. Muscle cars still have a strong following among people in their 30’s and younger, they are still prevalent in popular culture and are regularly featured in movies, tv shows, music videos and advertisements. They won’t be going anywhere soon, it’s just wise to be selective and patient when purchasing.
Steve R
The only people who are going to make money here are the present day flippers.
Who said anything about making money off of this car.
Steve R
Here is a possible scenario. The original L.A.owner gifted this 356 to his oldest son upon graduation, circa late 60’s. Nice 356’s were selling retail for about $2500 at the time. The title and registration were left in Pop’s name because it
was far less expensive to insure. Many auto insurance companies in the day refused to insure a Porsche owned by someone 21 years old, or less.
This would explain why maintenance documentation stopped in 1967. Sonny didn’t keep records. However, Sonny did have a friend connected with a Body Shop, thus the color change to orange, instead of the rather staid blue.
Run hard. Partied hard. Running when parked. Now for sale.
Nice example! However it’s not the Cabriolet I recently juped on! I should see it next week! It’s going to be a great challenge for my 2 sons, and grandson! I will supervise everything of course! LOL
Sweet !
No Billy, it’s just you. Your unnatural hatred for all things Porsche is painfully obvious. Maybe you have a garage full of Vegas and it just makes you feel macho to poo poo something that actually has a true following and a demand. So keep throwing stones if you must, those of us so inclined will keep watching for and enjoying previously hidden cars brought out in the open regardless of the condition or if someone’s trying to make a few bucks.
Ended: Nov 27, 2018 , 6:38PM
Winning bid:US $52,800.00
[ 47 bids ]