A barn find knows no brand limitations! And while there is no reason that a neglected motor can’t be something as auspicious as a 1977 Porsche 911S, they’re generally something much more pedestrian. So with that thought in mind, let’s review this twenty-year garage dweller and see how it has fared over its lengthy slumber. This Porsche is now located in Elmhurst, Illinois and is available, here on craigslist for $49,500.
It seems peculiar that a car of this stature would just be parked in a Michigan garage and then forgotten but there’s no back story or historical timeline provided. The appearance of this 911S is fine, other than the twenty years worth of obscuring dust that hides some of the body/finish’s finer details. The seller mentions that the car “has not been washed” but before and after images always help with the sale – the dirt accumulation has no value. The seller adds, “The body is very straight with no evidence of any accidents or body damage, and the undercarriage, including the rocker panels, are very solid and free of any rot. The tires in most of the photos were replaced with brand new Pirelli P6000s, which Pirelli recently began manufacturing again. They are the tires Porsche specifies for this car” – that being the case you can ignore the images of the flat tires. The only real exterior detraction is the ugly “ramming speed” 5 MPH rear bumper but that was a Federal mandate and every manufacturer had to labor under that government-inspired yoke.
Being a 1977 version of the 911S defines this model specifically as a “K series” which I believe puts it at the end of the initial 911S designation, originally introduced in 1966. That being the case, the engine is a 2.7-liter flat-six that generates about 175 net HP – I have found several different ratings including 157 and 165 but those could be for the non “S” 911. Regardless, the seller has not tried to start the engine but claims that it spins free. A four-speed manual transaxle is placed behind the rear-mounted boxer engine.
The interior of this 911S is amazingly tidy (shows what leaving the windows up when storing can accomplish) with only some ground-in upholstery dirt evident. The carpet is a bit disheveled looking but isn’t showing signs of significant distress. The seller does state that the interior is in good condition with no sign of rips or tears and I’d agree with that assessment. The instrument panel, from what can be seen shows those fantastic. all-Teutonic Porsche gauges to be in a non-clouded state.
OK, that leaves us with the little matter of pricing. A 1977 911S is not exactly a tough car to find. I have tracked down several operating versions with claimed matching numbers, and similar mileage, covering a price range from the high $20’s to low $50s. That being the case, this example might be a bit rich but perhaps there’s some wiggle room in the ask. The great unknown, of course, is the engine – it’s great that it turns over but beyond that, this could be a risky proposition. What do you say?
Thanks to the seller’s lack of concern for buyers and the over the top price it’s as risky as it gets. Clean, running good condition cars sell. Dirty, “does it even run?” cars don’t.
Maybe the seller doesn’t really want to sell and is just fishing for offers, so he can decide if the car would be worth getting tunning or not, which I’m almost sure this car is dead in the water.
Note… The big rear US spec blobs of plastic can be easily replaced by the much smaller European versions.
Price is way out of line based on condition. The first concern is 77 was the last year for the troublesome magnesium case and is probably why the car was sidelined. So figure 15-20K to rebuild the engine. On the plus side is 77 bodies were galvanized which really helped with rust issues. It’s best to purchase a 911 with service records and to have it checked over at a competent Porsche shop. Another piece of trivia the 77 911 was the first year for power assisted brakes. If you do not live in an area that requires emissions these engines respond well to back dated exhaust and Weber or PMO carburetors or ITB efi.
Another dealer who thinks barn dust is made of gold. Flat tires and mold in the interior doesn’t seem like a positive to me. Unfortunately, this car isn’t that rare or special. It was not a good 911, slow and soft. And these cars are dangerous if they aren’t set up for handling with a stiff suspension, spoilers and wings. They can be a handful when you aren’t used to them, turn into a corner at speed and they just want to go straight on you. Not good with a soft suspension. Ok for a cruiser and looking cool I guess, but not a great performance car. And I don’t think these came with Pirellis from the factory and definitely not the P6000. They may have put Pirellis on the Turbo but I don’t think on these
a lazy dealer at that. Why not at least give the car a good cleaning then ask an even more ridiculous price? Dealers are becoming stupid.
JCA, Our ’76 came with Pirellis but me and everyone else in the Porsche world went quickly to lower aspect ratio tires to get better traction. Lowering the cars along with the tires greatly increased the handling. Takes your “slow and soft”completely out of the picture. You are spot on on your comments. Before we came back from Europe we autocrossed the ’76. Rest of the drivers kidded that we had the only car you could see both door handles in a turn.
At this price, seems like a joke.
Anyone know the paint code for that green?
Looks like “Oak Green Metallic” to me. https://rennbow.org/porsche-colors/OakGreenMetallic
Thanks!
In this case 20 years less wear & tear is not a good thing. Was probably parked because of maintenance issues.
Well all you can do is ask and you can keep dropping the price until it sells with all the YouTube will it run videos out there I’m sure someone will snatch it up.
Gee, I expected a POS rotted Mopar with chicken crap all over it. 49K. I want what this clown is smoking. Junk year. Junk. junk and more junk.
Hahahahaha…Hopefully he don’t clip a sucker on this!!! WTF too lazy to clean up and a price way out of line unless there is a few pounds of gold in the boot!!! Amazing WTF some people think of the public!!