This 1964 Porsche 356 Cabriolet is a mechanically restored project that runs and drives, and is in the desirable stage of just needing its cosmetics sorted out. As a cabriolet model, it comes with the rare and desirable factory hardtop to give you the best of both worlds in terms of multi-season cruising. The seller is a well known vendor of vintage air-cooled Porsches, many of which have been featured on these pages in the past, and this is one of the better projects we’ve seen given its relative state of completeness. There is some body filler noted so the next owner will have to decide how far they want to take the cosmetics. The 356 runs and drives, and you can see it here on eBay with bids to $49,900 and the reserve unmet.

The seller claims the 356’s reserve price is reasonable, which is likely still fairly high considering this isn’t a rot box and it’s had its mechanical components previously sorted. The listing describes a litany of repairs undertaken by the previous owner, including:  new brakes, new fuel tank, tie-rods and much more, along with a new gas tank. The tank has never had gas put in it, and an external fuel source is hooked up. Evidently, the project didn’t get to the point where the first tank of fuel was dropped in to fire up the rebuilt 912 engine that currently resides in the engine bay. The 356 starts and runs easily, so while the engine is non-matching, it’s a runner and makes this car slightly easier to live with considering it will likely never be a numbers matching example.

The interior looks to be in fair condition, with black bucket seats and door panels in very good shape. The seller still says the project is in the “fun stage,” just needing final body work, paint, and interior. The interior isn’t perfect, but looks clean enough that you could live with it for the short term and not have to incur the expense of restoring a vintage Porsche interior right away. The dash is missing the original radio, and in general, the details need fine-tuning to bring the cabin closer to factory specs. Other photos show a backseat in usable condition, but the carpet appears to be missing with a rubber floor liner in its place. Obviously, it’s not going to win any awards at a lawn event any time soon, but not every 356 has to bought for that purpose.

The engine bay presents quite nicely, and photos showing the undersides of the car reveal where the previous owner focused his energies and monies. The engine looks quite tidy and sounds healthy; likewise, the floors are in excellent shape and it’s nice to see a project-grade 356 that the next owner will not have to immediately begin fixing the common air-cooled trouble spots from cars of this vintage. The bodywork has been stripped back to primer and the next owner will have the choice of restoring it back to its original paint code of Light Ivory, or take it in a different direction entirely. It comes with a clear title as well, and is located in Ravena, New York.