One of the more intriguing aspects of the modern sports car market is how many of these vehicles used to be consider ratty, track-day specials, with little regard given to how much they might be worth someday. The E30 BMW M3, the Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth, and yes, the Porsche 911 were all just used cars at one time. Obviously, they were always considered desirable, but not necessarily collectibles. That’s all changed, obviously, but cars like this 1975 Porsche 911 Targa wearing a 959 body kit here on eBay remind us that at one point, the best thing you could do to a throwaway Targa was modify it to look like a more desirable model. This gussied up 911 is listed for $32,500 or best offer.
While you can’t tell much from the other side of a computer screen, the 959 treatment looks to be of decent fit-and-finish quality, with no major panel gaps or roughshod patches. The seller does disclose there are imperfections up close, but given how many poorly modified air-cooled 911s we’ve seen that were given a slant nose treatment years ago, this conversion seems to have been performed with an element of care. The later Cup-style alloy wheels fit the wider proportions nicely, and the seller notes he has a “slicktop” roof panel he’ll include if someone wants to create a true coupe-style design.
The interior isn’t bad but it’s clearly seen better days; the steering wheel shows signs of age and the seats are cracked. The aftermarket speakers are a distraction as well, but that’s an easy fix. The seller notes the dash pad is not installed properly, and you can see a bit of a gap on the driver’s side where the headlight controls are. The 915 5-speed transmission is paired to a 3.0L engine from a 1979 911SC, and the seller maintains you can get in and drive despite the car still being a bit of a project. The targa top is said be a touch noisy but that’s to be expected of most unrestored targa-top cars; perhaps better weatherstripping or a replacement panel will take care of that issue.
There’s another 959-kitted 911 on eBay at the moment with a traditional hard top, but it looks tougher than this car which also have a fairly clean engine bay. The seller points out that there is no rust in the jack points but a few spots along the underside of the car. When the listing was initially written, there was rust in the driver’s side front suspension mount, but it’s since been repaired. The 3.0L pushes around 180 horsepower and 175 lb.-ft. of torque, and the seller is willing to remove it if you’ve got bigger plans for an engine swap. He’s absolutely correct that a good-running, air-cooled 911 for under $40K is a rarity these days, but it’s still amazing to see a 911 with an aftermarket body conversion selling for even this much. Would you return this 959-style Targa back to its original condition?
I’d take it just like it is but would work on a lower price. During the ’70s and ’80s Porsche owners were modifying their cars in all sorts of ways. This car is a good example of what’s going on today. If you don’t like this conversion there are plenty of stock examples out there.