The repeat price drops on this barn find 1968 Porsche 911 tell the tale of how different the vintage sports car market is from a few years ago. I’ve been watching this car for the last few weeks for a few reasons I’ll get into below, but this 911 is compelling for being a desirable SWB 911 in a rare color known as Coffee Brown. It needs absolutely everything but it is a numbers-matching example and the engine still turns by hand, so it has a few things going for it. The 911 is listed here on eBay where the seller hasn’t touched it since dragging it out of a Connecticut chicken coop.
A few months ago, I was hot on the trail of an old 912, also a ’68 model. I thought I had a reasonable chance of getting it, too, just given my hit rate of making deals happen by virtue of being fair and respectful, and never a low-baller price-wise. Consider me shocked that the seller – who didn’t seem to be much into old, air-cooled Porsches – hit me with a price tag over and above the asking price here for a car in similar condition. While I’m occasionally prone to overpay for a car I really want, this was a bridge too far. Given the seller of this 911 has dropped his price twice since listing it, I’m guessing the new reality for anyone selling your “average” air-cooled project is that pricing goalposts have shifted.
As you can see based on the floors, this 911 needs extensive metalwork. While floor pans are not all that hard to install or source, there’s still hundreds – if not thousands – of hours of labor involved in restoring this 911 back to good health. There is rust in multiple body panels, even the bumpers, and the rockers are gone. The good news is you still have a relatively complete interior to work with and it seems likely that aside from the respray to what looks like a poor man’s version of Irish Green, the 911 hasn’t been previously restored or otherwise messed with. The seller notes he has a “…NOS factory green Porsche full under pan and NOS factory green front fender and almost new fender with minor rust for the SWB 911 pair,” which he’ll include for a full price sale.
I’m not sure I’d want to keep this 911 green, especially since a special order car color-wise is typically sought-after by the collector crowd. The respray must have been somewhat extensive and/or detailed considering the OEM engine warning label stickers were re-applied after the color was changed. If you have a numbers-matching 911 in a rare color with an engine that isn’t locked up – but the car requires extensive rust repair – what’s the price of entry? While it seems some air-cooled fanatics are willing to pay too much, I can’t see this making much sense for a buyer at any price above $20,000. What are your thoughts?
“My cousins sister in laws neighbors boyfriends dad worked for awhile at a foreign car garage 20 years ago and said he once saw one like this for sale on a car lot for $38000 so this is a bargain price!!!”
Yep, we’ve all heard it. Is there someone willing to pay this price? Perhaps, but hopefully they’ve got a boatload of cash to go with it and don’t expect to get out of it what they’ll be in to it for..
Short wheelbase, rust all over more than anywhere else, won’t get away without an engine rebuild at the most, and too high a buy in price. What could go wrong?
Options be darned, it’s going to need a complete restoration and done right is big big bucks. There’s a guy over in England who restores them, high quality work.
I have tissue paper that is thicker than the panels on this.
Barely parts!!
Given the rot, you’d think that that’d be an opportunity to buy an affordable Porsche. I’m aware that the sum of the parts is maybe at the pointy end of the ask, but I’d be looking for a zero to vanish before I went anywhere near it.
You can get a similar driving experience with a Skoda 120 – or 130/110 if you want the body shape. Fiat engines fit if you want the fear factor, too!
Rust
I can’t imagine how sickening it must’ve been back in the day to purchase a car like this new and have it evaporate before your eyes and a half a dozen years.
We get rust in Colorado too, but nothing that compares to this. I don’t purchase rusty cars, and there is no reason to, ever.
I will gladly drive halfway across the country for solid metal. It’s still considerably less time and expense overall.
I have no idea what a 68 911 parts car is worth, butthis is a terrific one For somebody……
Guy who bought it: “These are hot, so I bet I can get $30g’s for this dump of a project needing everything!” Someone will buy it……..
I had a comaro for sale. This guy asked me what was I asking for it? I told him $40–since my cousin messed up the title. He asked me if I would take $75? I told him I sure would and he paid me $75 for it. They are out their.hahaha. I gave away better cars the this porch. I had one gave to me. All I done was put tags on it and ran it. Best vehiclle I had–still have it.
I came across. 1966 912, in a field in AZ. Got it for $1,000. No engine, but decent shape. These are out there. You have to be lucky. If you look, you will see. If you see, you will know where to look.
Nice of the seller to include in the eBay pictures what appears to be his purchase bill of sale. $250.00!
$100 down toward $250? What year was that bill of sale from? What about that back clip buried under all of that stuff? Is that a spare part, or another car? That whole portion is rusted away from the one on the trailer. I grew up in Ohio and I have never seen rust this bad on any car. I did come close to buying a similar year for $1,100 which was in North Carolina back in 1985. As far as rust, it was a gem compared to this car.
The phone number is from Massachusetts, so guessing that the person who threw it in the CT chicken coop bought it for that.
Why would someone post that deposit receipt in an ad for a rusty basket case with a current asking price of $30,000? There is no context given along with no date, it does nothing to help them sell the car and only serves to remind people how cheap these once were.
Steve R
$30grand? Oy.
Can someone please explain what the difference is between a SWB 68 Porsche 911 and a LWB one.
Gordo, The 911 had a shorter wheelbase from beginning of production until sometime in 1968 ( for the 1969 model year). From 69-on, it was a longer wheelbase. It handled better and (in my opinion, looked better too) with the longer wheelbase. The original short wheelbase seems all the rage lately…don’t ask me why?
The ’65s through ’68s are the short wheel base cars. In ’69 Porsche moved the rear axle back 4 inches along with the wheel well opening to balance out the handling. The short wheel base cars had a tendency to wind up going backwards in corners. Also, they had puny front sway bars and none in the rear.
This is another example that proves my point that not a single 911 was ever crushed. They were all parked in places like old chicken coops and forgotten about for decades.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody tie one down by the door handle?
WOW nice comment!! I would think the door might fall off!
At the right price, make make a nice planter for flowers. What every Porsche dealership needs, the perfect planter to get potential customers in a happy buying mood.
Ha ha ha. What a rotten joke.
I’m watching because this is just like the one I had in college! Gotta find where I put that rotisserie?
Thered better be $29,995.00 taped under the hood.