Take a close look at that photo – how many Porsches do you see? Well, there’s one less in the second owner’s driveway now that his well-loved 1977 911 Targa is up for sale, but the red coupe is still safely tucked away (that’s an understatement!) in his garage. The Targa, however, is a nice consolation prize for any P-Car hunters. Check out this survivor-grade ’77 here on eBay where bidding is already over $30K.
The second owner (and kudos to the seller for being honest about how many owners the car has had) bought this car off of a local doctor who purchased the 911 new. It didn’t exactly languish in his driveway, despite what the above picture might depict. Yes, it was stored under a tarp outside, but it was well-loved and cared for in that time. The 911 may not be the most desirable year, but it has some nice equipment from the factory, and remains almost completely original.
As you can see, the original paint is in excellent condition. It was ordered from the factory with the blacked-out Targa bar as opposed to the more frequently-seen chrome roll hoop. The 911 also received sport shocks from the factory, along with fog lights and a Blaupunkt radio. The recommended maintenance book is full of dealer stampings, indicating a long history of factory-backed service. Though the body has some blemishes, it is said to be an accident-free example.
The interior looks just as good as the outside, if not better. How crazy is that period car phone, installed by the original doctor owner for taking business calls on the road? It’s not hard to imagine this 911 cruising through downtown Los Angeles with a hotshot doctor wearing aviator sunglasses and yakking into his oversized car phone. Bidding is extremely active for this survivor-grade 911 Targa, but I still think I’d rather own the red ’72 hidden in the garage!
Looks like a very nice survivor but I think they overdid it on the cleaning. You can see the armor all dripping off…
I don’t know if they fixed the body flex issues by 77, but the 74 targa I drove flexed like mad over every bump. With the top removed, the doors didn’t close properly. Had to lift then up and slam them shut.
Sounds to like there must have been something wrong with that car you drove because 911 targas are among the stiffest “convertibles” out there. I’ve had several pre 74 as well as a few later than 74. All drove fine with no issues whatsoever like the one you you mention. The car should drive exactly the same with the top or without. It doesn’t provide any of the structure for the car.
Good to know. We ended up selling it wholesale to another dealer more knowledgeable on them. I suspect it was rusty but it was 15 years ago so I don’t recall much other than it seemed like it was going to fall in on itself.
Looks like a very nice, solid car. Are those sport seats? Didn’t see them listed on the options list but those bolsters look a little more substantial to me, admittedly no expert.
Nice to have a car with all that documentation but why the 1990s white license plates? What happened there?
45K miles in 3 years and then 38K miles in 37 years? Hmmm, unless there is ironclad documentation via continuous service records or log book, I don’t buy the claimed mileage.
Price is already quite high if you factor in the generally low desirability of a 1977 2.7 liter Targa, weak paint and unknown mechanical needs acquired from sitting so long.
P.S. No sport seats.
Targas have come into their own, especially after 991 Targa came out. I personally liked Targas for their versatility on the road. Maybe that’s why I ended up with a 300ZX t-top at one point in my life.
The price being paid here is for originality and low # of owners. interior looks great and the paint is actually quite good considering that silver and gold hued German cars of 70’s and 80’s suffered from pigmentation and paint oxidation.
I watched the video but would have liked to see the exhaust under revving, which almost suspiciously appears to been avoided. My biggest question is what’s up with the Get Smart phone in the front passenger foot well…. )))
Not surprising that bidding has gone to $33K with more than 3 days left, even if it is a ’77 with the problematic 2.7 liter engine. It’s a documented, low mile, near flawless appearing L.A. car with only surface rust on the rotors and a few engine bay parts. The underside looks like the car has never been anywhere but on Mulholland Drive.
Maybe the no-reserve Ebay auction strategy will work for the seller, but if I were selling it I would put it in one of the major West coast auctions with a reasonable reserve and bet that someone who had to have a near-perfect vintage West coast Targa in silver would bid whatever it takes to own the car.
But I would definitely need to hear it run and drive before I would bid whatever it takes to own it.
The 2.7 gets a bad rap because there were problems when they were fairly new but most have been re-built multiple times by now so the problems are really a thing of the past, much like the IMS problem will be 20 years from now.
The rear blue plate was stolen off the vehicle before it was covered around 2008 owner mention. The title does prove it was a blue plate car as the original plates are still in the title.
I’m a fan of the 3.0 engines myself- much more reliable. My ’79 911SC Targa must have been one of the last “bargains”- I bought it in scruffy but drive-able condition 16 years ago for $6,500. At that time, you could buy pretty much the cleanest 911SC in the country for around $25K. I wonder which of today’s “bargain classics” will become tomorrow’s big-dollar collectibles? I like the pop-headlight Supras from the mid 80’s, maybe an MR2 from the same period? Certainly first and second generation Miatas- very simple and fun cars. BMW e30 M3? How about American iron? Early Viper? Which are the best ‘modern’ Mustangs and Corvettes?
Replace the head studs and the 2.7 is a great engine. They started using the rust resistant metal in the pan and rockers in ’76 so that’s not a big factor. Rust was a big factor in the ’74s and ’75s, probably the cause of the flex Stang mentioned. Those seats were standard on the big bumper cars. Big improvement over the pre ’74s.
Mr. Stek appears to be a bit of a hoarder
Sold for $39,888.00 68 bids.