There are plenty of people who harbor dreams of owning a classic Porsche but find the costs too prohibitive, That is where cars like this 1968 Porsche 912 can fit into the equation. This one has rust and accident damage, and it will require a full restoration, but with their popularity and values continuing to increase, that makes this a car that could be worth considering. Make no mistake, there is going to be some work involved in returning this one to its best, but the end result could be well worth the effort. The Porsche is located in  Simi Valley, California, and is listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has been extremely spirited on the 912, but it has still only managed to push the price to $3,850 in what is a No Reserve listing.

The first thing that I noticed with the Slate Grey Porsche is the lack of a door and front fender on the driver’s side. The owner includes photos of a collection of parts that are no longer attached to the car, and neither of these panels appears in those photos. I suspect that the Porsche has suffered some significant accident damage in that area, because there is a pretty severe bend in the rear section of the door frame, and it will take some work to bring that back into shape. It will almost certainly require some cutting and a new section to be welded in. Given the fact that this area is vital for the vehicle to maintain structural integrity, this sort of work should be carried out by a professional. One concern here is that given the severity of the damage that is visible in the door frame, the impact might have been pretty substantial. It would definitely pay to check whether the car has become twisted, because if it has, then that will just add to both the workload and of course, the cost. It looks like the shopping list will need to include a replacement windshield because that also appears to be missing. There is rust present in a number of lower areas on the body, including the lower front fender and the door on the passenger side. With that in mind, there is also a fair chance that there will be rust in the floors as well. I believe that the next owner will be facing a full nut-and-bolt restoration if the Porsche is to be returned to its best.

The Porsche features a 1,582cc flat-four engine and a manual transmission. It isn’t clear whether this is the original engine, or what state it is in. However, given the overall state of the rest of the car, I think that any potential buyers should probably budget for the engine requiring a rebuild. If it doesn’t, then that would rate as a pleasant surprise. Of course, I could be completely wrong, because these do tend to be pretty robust. However, the appearance doesn’t cause me to be particularly optimistic. With only 90hp on tap, it would be easy to think that the Porsche’s acceleration would be somewhat glacial, but the fact that it tips the scales at a mere 2,134lbs makes it quite lively. However, where the 912 holds sway over its larger-engined brother, the 911, is when you point it at a twisting piece of road. With less weight acting as a pendulum at the rear of the car, the 912 tends to be more responsive and controllable near the limits than the 911.

The “full restoration” theme continues when we look inside the 912. The interior is complete, but with the majority of the upholstery either cracked, faded or badly stretched, a retrim will be on the cards. The dash pad is also in need of replacement, while the dash and gauges will require a full restoration. This is an area where the next owner might be able to save a bit of money in this restoration because dismantling and reassembling the interior of a 912 is no more difficult than it is in a VW Beetle. Therefore, that is a task that could easily be tackled in a home workshop. I guess that given how much work, and money, will be required to bring the Porsche back to life, it is nice to find some aspect of the car that isn’t potentially going to cost the owner an arm and a leg.

I’m not going to sugar-coat it, because restoring this Porsche 912 is going to be a major undertaking. With rust and accident damage to be addressed, whipping the body back into shape is going to be a fairly expensive exercise. The drivetrain is an unknown quantity, so it could potentially add to the bill if any reconditioning work is required. If you look around the market at present, you can find some quite tidy and clean examples for around the $30,000 mark. However, there have been plenty of pristine examples that have sold for figures well in excess of $60,000. For my money, if the body and frame aren’t too badly bent from the accident, I’d be aiming at a high-grade restoration. It might cost a bit more, but it could potentially push the ultimate value towards those upper figures. Anything less, and it really would be a borderline case financially.