This 1974 Porsche 911 Targa is a project but one with an interesting history. It’s a genuine European-delivery car that has been off the road for some time and had its Targa top panel stolen while sitting idle in a carport. The 911 has rust but the seller contends it is solid in all the right places and does not need structural repairs. Photos reveal what looks like a very solid floor pan and the listing called it a “low reserve” auction which has evidently been cleared with the current bids rising to $14,800 with less than 24 hours to go. Find the 911 here on eBay and located in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
The tell-tale signs of this being a model bought new in Europe and then shipped to the States include the H4 / Euro-spec lighting and the bumper guards. The 911 spent time driving the great roads of Europe before arriving in North Carolina and being used for some time there. Aside from the carport storage, it was also indoors for a spell, but none of that has helped it avoid the ever-present threat of rust. Fortunately, what rust there is seems contained, but unfortunately, it looks like there is some heavy contamination underneath the rear glass panel, which could make for a tricky repair.
The rust is unusual in that the floor pan looks really good, almost like new, so the outdoor storage didn’t seemingly affect the chassis. The interior is also in decent shape, especially for a car with no Targa roof panel. The dash is obviously tired, but they’re all like that when found as projects, and that’s even in cars where the roof panel has been intact the whole time. The rust along the edges of the back glass is a shame because the seller’s assertion that the Targa is overall solid seems to hold water. It’s not accurate to say with certainty that it’s rusted through based on the photos, so you’ll have to reach out to the seller to get some added context for just how superficial (or not) the rust is.
The drivetrain is intact but doesn’t run; the seller hasn’t made any obvious attempt to get it fired back up. The listing also doesn’t clarify whether it remains numbers matching. It seems likely, though, given the black paint is claimed to be original to the car. The tires are obviously shot and full mechanical reconditioning is almost guaranteed at this point. The good news is the bidding seems quite reasonable at the moment as opposed to some of the over-heated sales we’ve seen over the last two or three years, so hopefully, the next owner can buy this tired Targa for $20K or less and have a real shot at making their money back when it comes time to sell.
Reminds of something I read in a magazine –
“You can park a Porsche in the garage,turn the lights out,
and hear it rust”.
Very true up to the ’76s when they started using galvanized panels and then started whole car dipping in a galvanized primer. Never saw a post ’73 as rough as this one. Having removed and reinstalled a few of the Targa rear glass I can say we held our breath throughout the whole process. Glass is available but will dig heavily into the kid’s college fund.
They did rust (early on). Saw these in Illinois, in winter, with snow tires on. 2-winters later, no heat or air into the cabin, rusted thru. At least the German cars were reliable, the English cars you needed a permanent tow strap hooked to the front. Still fixable…..
Oh so right about the British junk.
Sold for $15.2K. With crazy 911 prices you might be able to clean it up a little, take more/better pictures and market directly to Porsche people for a quick 20% profit.
SOLD for $15,200.
I actually bought this. Predictably worse than described but still good enough to be saved.