It’s been a few months since I visited what one of my favorite sellers on eBay has up for grabs from their enormous stash of damaged exotica, and they didn’t disappoint, as per usual. This time, the California junkyard with decades’ worth of old air-cooled Porsches and various other European collector cars is offering up a rare 1970 Porsche 914-6, that comes with its six-cylinder engine still mounted mid-ship. The seller doesn’t usually include any details on the vehicle, but it’s clearly a project. Find it here on eBay with a suggested opening bid of $30,000.
We’ve seen these photos before with the stacks upon stacks of Porsche 356s, all having left the road eons ago when one shrewd entrepreneur started grabbing wrecked sports cars and stashing them away. It was a good move, as this seller now sits on millions of dollars of desirable wrecks and parts. There was actually a book written about this place, simply titled Junkyard, and I recommend picking it up. It’s one of the only instances where an outsider was allowed in with a camera to document the inventory of a business formerly known as Foreign Auto Wrecking.
The 914-6 doesn’t appear to be a wreck like so many of the other cars they’ve listed in the past, but it’s clearly been neglected for decades. The listing notes that the registration on the California blue plates expired in 1976, so it has been stationary for eons. Also worth noting is it left the factory wearing one of the less-often seen paint colors for a six-cylinder model, known as Red Metallic. The seats are present, but that’s about as much as we can say there. The 914-6 will need complete restoration, but given it doesn’t appear to be a rot bucket, it could be worth it.
The seller provides the engine and transmission numbers, but doesn’t confirm if they are original to the car; hopefully, a Certificate of Authenticity can help with that. My favorite detail is that it still wears the original Competition Motors dealer plate frame, a well know retailer of the most desirable motors money could buy back in the day. Given the scarcity, someone certainly remembers seeing this 914-6 pounding the streets and race tracks of southern California before it was unceremoniously junked. Would you rescue a car like this?
Even though this is desirable, at the end of the day, it is still a sun baked, picked-a-part, junkyard car with a 30K opening bid. SMH!
With wheels off of a Chevrolet product of some sort… And in need of pretty much everything.
Save bigly, and just find one already done and ready to enjoy. You might be able to maintain a few hairs sprouting from the scalp. Buy this one, and become bald by self-inflicted yanking.
I think those are off a early 2000s Toyota Tacoma.
Just needs to be detailed! I had a 72 914-6 and had a few Ralph Meany modifications. What a car! The people with the 911T model got pissed at Porsche because my $4k 914-6 ran circles around them. This is one of the reason for it being discontinued after 72.
To think of how much money he has worth in all those cars in the racks behind this car. Big Bucks !!!!
This seller has had countess cars featured on this site before. They want more than top dollar for everything. Look at their active eBay listings, they have nearly 1,000, then compare that to what they have sold (by clicking on completed/sold) that will show results going back 90 days, you will see that they have sold a grand total of 46 mostly small items. It’s like they are on a permanent fishing expedition. It would be a mistake to equate their asking prices with actual market prices, though some people try.
Steve R
Steve R, I agree with your and the others’ comments about this 914 and the people selling it. Just what do you think their business plan is? I’m baffled! I always thought you’re supposed to make a decent profit and turn over inventory and they don’t appear to be doing that.
Steve, I have no idea what their business plan is. Whatever it is, it makes sense to them and it’s worked, they have been around for a very long time, according to a story I once found that I think was about them.
Often times people assume a businesses goal is to make as much money as possible sometimes through maximizing profit, sales or a combination of the two. When you break it down to any one individual, the priority often changes, it may be as simple as just covering their expenses for both the business and personal life. They could also have hoarder tendencies, who knows. I’ve worked for several small companies, often times they will limit the business based on the amount of work they want to put in. That sometimes worked out well, other times it didn’t.
Steve R
This car is only about a quarter of a million dollars away from being a $57,500 #3 1970 Porsche 914/6 Targa. By spending another hundred grand or so, you could hope to achieve a #1 price of $144,000. Restorations aren’t always rational decisions, but who is emotionally invested in this particular money pit?
I thought we all previously agreed not to feature anything from these vultures. The engine is toast from having the downdraft carbs stacks with no filters left open for moisture, bugs, dirt etc. to get in.
Then they are selling this piece of overpriced junk with Jeep wheels!! yes Jeep XJ steel wheels?!!!!
Love their place if only for wondering where the good stuff is, and the outright humor of what they offer in light of crazy Porsche prices.
All you people are nothing but gloom & doom. This is a straight forward project with huge potential when finished.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha I crack me up sometimes…
Pur it up on the rack with the other junkers.
“Missing oil reservoir tank and front bumper.”
Is that all? AHAHAHAHA!
A hidden Prince in toad clothing! Good luck.
The only thing I find interesting about this car is the obscene asking price. These kinds of ads always remind us that greed and deception know no limits for some people. Even with 100k to spend on a restoration, I would not take this hulk for free.
Coming from a long term PORSCHE family, (many cars, many years) one learns that life is expensive, and short. This will never be a BAT car, but will probably end up being passed on to many successive owners as each new one realizes the cost of time and money required here.
Love the PORSCHES, but hate the crap folks are trying to unload these days. YMMV
Suggested opening bid $30,000… I’m going to suggest a different car.
Luv to have one, just not this one …..
Item location:
Los Angeles, California
Ended:
Jul 16, 2021
Starting bid:
US $30,000.00
[ 0 bids ]
This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available
The fact that it is no longer available may be a clue to the business model. I don’t know anything about the seller or the car, so this is pure conjecture: Maybe the seller uses eBay as a way to advertise but most of the sales are done directly with the seller in a way that doesn’t violate eBay’s rules. The seller may have figured out that this is the most efficient way to list a bunch of items for sale to reach this customers, given they has an established presence outside of eBay.