Fate dealt this 1964 Porsche 356C a cruel hand when it suffered significant accident damage years ago. To make matters worse, the engine and transmission are long gone. However, the body is complete, and it has a clean title. Whether it is a viable project candidate will spark debate, and I will be fascinated to hear your feedback. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Curvette for spotting this poor Porsche listed here on Craigslist in Enumclaw, Washington, for $7,500.
Porsche introduced the 356 in 1948 as its first production model. It aimed to produce a sports car with low curb weight and nimble handling, and although its engine produced humble power and torque, the 356 proved a giant killer on track. The 356C emerged in 1964, with our featured car a first-year example. It was once a glorious piece of automotive engineering, but what appears to have been a significant accident has reduced it to a shadow of its former self. The front-right and rear-left corners bore the brunt of the impact, and the A-pillar appears bent. I believe the passenger-side front footwell may also be bent, meaning any restoration would require significant structural repairs best handled by a professional. The deal includes some additional good panels and, surprisingly, the floors appear free from penetrating rust. The windshield is cracked, but the remaining glass looks okay.
The photos suggest that this Porsche’s interior is a “what you see is what you get” proposition. It retains its wiring harness, steering column, and pedals, and the tachometer and clock are intact. Otherwise, it is a blank canvas. Any restoration would go beyond a retrim, because the new owner would need to source hardware like seat frames and replace other missing components. The deeper we dig, the longer the shopping list gets, and the higher the invoice pile could climb.
Ferdinand Porsche strongly advocated rear-engine mechanical configurations, arguing that it put weight over the driving wheels and kept most of the noise, smell, and heat as far from the car’s occupants as possible. The 356C followed that philosophy, with its air-cooled 1,582cc flat-four sending 87hp and 91 ft/lbs of torque to the road via the back wheels and a four-speed manual transaxle. Those figures are modest, but the featherweight 356C still provided very impressive performance. A healthy custom market also let owners extract a few additional ponies, which was a common practice. This Porsche is missing its motor, transaxle, and most of its suspension and steering components. There are a few minor parts, but most of the significant items are long gone.
This 1964 Porsche 356C is a sad sight, and with so many parts missing and accident damage, it might initially seem like a lost cause. Any restoration would require significant cutting and welding, and the buyer would need to source almost every mechanical component and a complete interior. Their wallet will be significantly lighter before they can start bolting it together. You can occasionally find a driver-grade 356C for around $50,000, though better examples start at $80,000. From there, six-figure sale prices are not unusual for pristine vehicles. This 356C requires a massive capital injection to reach that point, but do you think it is worth it? I believe it is probably beyond the point of no return, but it will be interesting to read your comments.
I’ve replaced the front half of a 914 but haven’t worked on something this bad. Did pull panels out of a ’59 roadster to fix other cars or built them out of sheet metal, which takes time, skill, and if you are paying someone else to do it lots of money. Got unlimited funds and want a project, buy this one. ”front half” car in picture.
It would not surprise me if somebody actually pays 7500 for this car.
It’s already been scavenged but there is still easily $7500 worth of parts there, at least in the Porschesphere, where the parts are more important than the cost.
‘Parts is parts’ as the old chicken commercial said.
In pristine condition a 1964 Porsche 356C has sold for $80,000-$140,000.
Looks like this one got the Malachi Crunch!
You can leave Tacoma and head south toward Mt. Rainier and turn off at Elbe before going into the the park and circle the mountain and come out at Enumclaw- some great roads we used on our “tours” in the Narrows Grand Touring club back in the 60’s. This Porsche may have been a victim of one of the many turns on those roads.
What are the actual 356 engines going for? If you are not a purist, a decent VW job would surely fit and give the same vibe. Would be fun if this body were not so expensive and a guy had time to kill and skills to show off. The result would not be a good investment, except one that would pay off in good times.
Put a VW engine in a ’55 cabriolet once. Very disappointing.
Don’t feel bad, I once bought a ‘56 1500GS Carrera coupe for $1100 with a 1600 cc VW MOTOR!
Guys that light their cee-gar’s with $500 bills will be lining up to get this one.
$7,500! They must be joking. But, anything with a Porsche logo on it is worth something.
It looks like a post-Thanksgiving turkey carcass.
The steering wheel nut looks restorable.
Aftermarket body panels are available for this car, that’s the good part, the cost for needed panels, roughly 30K, and that’s before you get to the nickel & dime stuff (actually $500 to $1000), and then there’s the interior pieces & where to find them I have no idea. Gonna be expensive to say the least
Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He’s got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.
When I saw the first photo (from the rear), I thought “savable,” but when I scrolled down and saw the second photo (front), I hesitated. The first thing to do with this car would be to put it on a Celette jig and straighten what is surely a twisted body. Finding donor cars to replace the bashed body areas will not be cheap, so at least this car could provide parts for another project. Restoring even a decent 356 properly and professionally will run well over $100,000. If you want a long-term project, fine, but if you want a car to drive now, or even soon, forget it. And driving is what 356s are all about.
some poor sap will be parted from his money for this piece of modern art. Send to those Asian body shops you see on you tube fixing trashed Lexus
Or even better, the machine shops in hill country Pakistan that rebuild a differential gear with a spot welder and scrap iron.
Parts schmarts, it’s a piece of garbage at this point.
A Porsche is never too far gone. There’s a place in town that specializes in restoration of classic Porsche’s. It is connected to the local college. The guy who runs it and the students he has do a remarkable job. Every car that comes out of the shop is concourse quality. If you bring him a glovebox door You’ll get a car back.
Oh sure, it’s possible, if you find the people to do it. However is how long can you wait and how much can you spend? Can you accept being like the Corvair guy who’s selling the car for 1/3 of what he put in it? Also as an aside, at what point do the MECUM Palm Beach crowd decide it has become a replica?
There IS a guy down in Brazil who specialize in rebuilding old VWs by hand from Cut sheet metal then formed w/english wheel & power hammer stamp press – seen his work on Tiktok – master craftsman restoring a VW type III sports coupe.
That’s the only guy I know of with the special skills needed – for a solid YEAR of work – original body panels are to expensive & hand formed sheet metal better for this rebuild project.
Only way a craftsman like that would take on this immensely time consuming project is if that broken scrap pile was Shipped & Gifted to him.
As is it’s not worth a damn dime.
For these 356’s the panels can be bought. This car is restorable, but it doesn’t make sense financially as you can buy a complete project for 30K. Buying the parts (drivetrain, interior, brightwork etc.) for this will set you back more than the 22.5K difference.
But if someone is skilled and doesn’t have 30K for a better project, it is a starting point. Get this and a 912 drivetrain and there is a starting point.
The carcass belongs on a giant pole for a car dealership, junkyard or used car dealer to draw in people…. The knowledgeable people will say ” What a shame!” and the ignorant people will say,”What is that?” It still may sell for $7500 as Porsche stuff goes into the stratosphere……. It’s hard to look at a car like this and realize at one time it was brand new!