One of the more confounding aspects of the long-hood Porsche world right now is there are some legitimately bad cars out there that still sell for ridiculous money, even in a down market. If you’re an owner of one of these fine automobiles, you’re certainly sitting pretty, as your investment isn’t likely to lose money any time soon. However, on the other side of the coin, it’s become near impossible to touch vintage 911/912 without spending real money for all but the worst junkyard-ready projects. This 1967 Porsche 911 listed here on eBay is a curious one, as it’s in reasonably sound condition but the original drivetrain was yanked eons ago for a DIY electric motor conversion.
The irony of a project like this hits me on a few levels: for one, the idea of converting a vintage car to electric propulsion is becoming a bit of a trend with well-heeled and environmentally-minded enthusiasts. However, when this conversion was done, it had little to do with one’s wealth or political world view. It was an electrical engineer with a blown motor who likely used some parts around his shop to put his aging sports car back on the road. This could be a genuine Irish Green example with some rough edges and rust here and there, but overall, it’s tidy for a project. The seller notes that it has been resprayed, so it may not be an OEM-correct shade; he also discloses that the floorpans will need work.
The interior doesn’t look like it needs much, but the exposed wiring under the dash – in a car converted to an electric motor, no less – gives me pause. However, if you’re ripping all of that out to go back to a standard gas-powered engine, perhaps it’s a moot point. The green paint inside the door jams could suggest it left the factory wearing an Irish Green finish, but you won’t know that for sure until a COA is ordered. As far as rot goes, I can see damage to at least one rocker in the gallery close-ups, and the seller already disclosed floorpan issues. However, the 911 is located in Denver, Colorado, which can go either way in terms of propensity for rust – so whatever rot it does have, perhaps it won’t be as significant as a car from the Northeast.
Given the values of long-hood 911s and 912s show no sign of slowing down, any car that is reasonably solid and presentable like this example will command a fair price. The next owner may wish to continue with the alternative powerplant just for the sheer entertainment value of it all, but the smart money is on removing that and dropping a suitable flat-six in its place. The seller mentions that the original transmission is included, which does add some real value to the overall package and makes putting an OEM-correct engine back in place even more compelling. Isn’t it incredible to think that just a few years ago, no one gave a second thought to swapping in an electric motor into a long-hood 911?
Have to disagree with you, Jeff. Given the rust and general tired cosmetics, plus of course, the missing powerplant (and, I would guess, more than a few other parts the owner binned when making the electric-motor swap), this doesn’t look like it’s “reasonably sound.”
And that’s a shame, because there are enough period-correct engines available to get this back on the road the way Dr Porsche intended. It’s just the rust repair, plus paint, carpets (at least), sorting out what was changed for the conversion and sourcing all the other necessities that could drive the price to an unrealistic level.
Granted, people are restoring early 911s that look worse, but I think this one would drive the next owner underwater faster than James Bond’s Lotus Esprit could.
I can imagine the laughing that erupted when Mister Wizard popped the bonnet on this 911, back in the day. Talk about ruining a blue chip investment. “And she’ll go 45 miles before a recharge!”
Where are the batteries in this? Am I just not seeing them? If you had them in the frunk you’d probably have a more balanced weight distribution and none of that widow making trailing throttle oversteer with the original.
or worse, too much weight bias in the front…understeer deluxe.
Rust? Maybe corrosion from all those lead acid batteries. Conversions back then were low tech in comparison and might get you 20 miles of range. EV conversions were normally done with run of the mill compacts or oddball cars, not one of these. Maybe it had a blown motor and the owner decided, “let’s go for it” and figured it would be cost effective.
Oh, no! A Frankenmobile. Ferry Porsche, is spinning in his grave in Stuttgart!
Fright pig.
Wow, someone decided to try and cash in on the EV rush way too late. Porsche is being inundated with complaints about the new Porsches not sounding like “real” Porsches. I have only owned air-cooled 911’s and one of the reasons I have never bought the liquid-cooled in the sound, which, in my opinion, doesn’t compare. It is very distinct, and you can hear one coming for a good distance. I can’t imagine a more inept engine swap. I like EVs, my wife has one, but not in a 911.
Talking about sound in the 9-11, i installed 15 years back on my watercooled 2001 Carrera 4, the original and more expensive 5,000€ Porsche sport exhaust (with factory on-off button in a reserved space in the console) and it sounds great plus a horsepower increase. It can travel more quietly in the neighborhood if needed, on the downside the wait time of 6 months.
911 engine sounds are part of the beauty of the cars. No beauty here including the paint color. Avocado?
just why?
Oh no no no.
Keep your fire extinguisher handy…
what a shame given the price of these Porsches
At the right price (somewhere close to free or the value of some body parts) this could be a good project.