It’s rare these days that we see what looks like a genuinely fair deal for an air-cooled Porsche. In this case, I think that’s what we’re looking at with this reasonably-priced 1968 Porsche 912 soft-window Targa. The car looks good with white paint over a black interior, but that’s not its original color scheme. The seller notes that it is a project with a variety of needs that seem reasonable in the grand scheme of things. The 911 comes with its complete drivetrain and some anecdotal evidence that the manual gearbox was rebuilt and the top end of the engine was refreshed, but there’s no paper trail to support it. The 911 is offered here on eBay for $38,500 or best offer.

The seller calls the 912 an “inflation hedge” and he’s likely not wrong these days. There’s a lot of evidence out there to suggest that certain collector cars may make wise long-term investments, especially if they happen to be of the vintage sports car variety. While I am not an expert in finance or investments of any kind, I do enjoy knowing that at least some of the cars I own are growing in value as they simply sit in the garage; I can’t say as much for those zero-interest bank accounts that have become the norm. Back to the 911: it has some previous rust repair and an average interior, but neither of those makes it a basketcase in any way. In fact, it looks far better than some 911s we’ve seen at this price point, and those weren’t even the rare soft window Targa variety.

The engine does need further assembly and attention, with the seller noting that “tins/peripherals” need to be installed to get the car running. He did source the engine tins, which he claims was no small feat. The state of the mechanicals is unknown as the seller purchased the car from what was presumably the estate of the previous owner, who passed away. This is always a bit tricky, as even if the engine and transmission were refreshed, the lack of paperwork makes it impossible to know just how far it went or how well it was done. The next owner could take a chance on just firing it up and seeing what happens, but most enthusiasts will likely resign themselves to doing some of the work again just to have peace of mind.

As far as that goes, I’d say you can at least rest easy knowing you’re starting with what looks like a very respectable car with good bones. The bodywork does present well, and while the respray is non-factory colors is a bummer, at least you’re not buying a car that’s covered in primer. The Fuchs are thought to be period-correct, but the seller hasn’t confirmed whether the dates reveal them to be installed at the factory. There is evidence of the 912 having dealer-installed air conditioning at one point in time, but some of those components have gone missing. Overall, it looks like a good project to pick up and carry through to completion, and the value of a genuine soft window Targa isn’t going down anytime soon.