When it comes to a Porsche 356, you don’t have to try too hard to make a sale if it’s still more metal than rust. But when it comes to having the other details right – like a matching-numbers engine, nicely preserved interior, and very little in the way of rust – well, your job just got even easier. This 1962 Porsche 356B T6 “Twin Grill” coupe is said to be a by-product of a restoration project that never got off the ground, but despite this, the car still remains incredibly original and is said to be free of rust. Obviously, the paint is poor and will need to be re-done, but in terms of a starting point, it’s hard to see how you can go wrong with 356 as your foundation. Find it here on eBay where bidding is at $44,625 with the reserve unmet.
The Buy-It-Now is $59,500, so we’re closing in on the magic number. The “twin grill” set-up on the engine lid cover is worth noting, as it was introduced at the debut of the T6 generation of air-cooled models. The 356 retains an awesome OEM-style luggage rack on the engine lid, and we’d love to see a matching one on the roof. The bumpers are not present in the photos, and the seller doesn’t mention them, so hopefully, they’re still sitting in storage somewhere (doubtful). That’s one of the bigger slippery slopes with Porsches of any generation, as any missing parts can quickly cause prices for restoration to spiral out of control. Buying a 356 or 911 cheaply may hold great appeal at first, but then you realizing how much of those savings are gobbled up by parts purchases.
The interior is a treat, looking far nicer than you’d expect for a car that looks like this one does on the outside. The seller confirms that the red leatherette interior is original, and the fact that it still looks this good speaks volumes about the previous owners despite the faded paint. Speaking of history and documentation, the seller claims this 356 has been with the second owner since 1971. Long-term ownership history is such a win for car sellers these days, as everyone loves a good story about how a particular car has been in the same family’s care since new, or other tales of longevity. This 356 clearly meant something to the second owner, as it appears he may have begun disassembling the car for restoration – hence the missing bumpers.
The 356 comes with a numbers-matching 1600 engine, and the seller notes the only major deviation he’s found is a non-matching transmission. It left the factory with few options, one of them being ventilated chrome wheels. The seller notes the original color was Ivory, which would look absolutely stunning with the oxblood interior scheme. The seller notes the engine does not fire up at present, but it turns over freely. This looks like an excellent project for someone well-versed in 356s so they can quickly assess what it needs, get it running and driving, leave the interior alone, and return to the outside for a possible respray down the road. I hate to say it, but the Buy-It-Now seems like a totally fair offer for an original specimen like this. Do you agree?
buy t now — nstant equty
Jeff, I hate to agree with you on the going in price but that’s about what it takes today to get what appears to be a rust free solid example of the these cars. In the land fill called Mt. Trashmore in Key West, FL is a cut to pieces white ’62 that we used for suspension pieces to build our ’59 Convertible D race car that was so rusty that it required very little cutting up to put into our trash cans over a 3 week period. Car was given to us by friends who bought it new and ran it until the rust made it unsafe. Example, when we pulled the seats out they fell apart.
At this point, the price of something like this has nothing to do with enjoyment, it is about profit. Imagine the car you could buy new off a showroom floor for 60 grand and how much pure automotive driving joy it could provide. This is a cause of lament. Too bad the people who have an emotional connection to something like this mostly can not own them because of out of control Capitalism and pure greed. Buying and selling in itself is not a bad thing, but taken to extreme it most certainly is.
@Gary, One man’s dream is another man’s unbridled capitalist greed.
Comrade, maybe life would be better if the government owned all the “people’s” cars, and you needed to apply for a permit everytime you (but not government bureaucrats) wanted to travel anywhere.
That would get rid of that nasty greed for sure!
How come every time someone here brings up obviously excessive Capitalism, someone else spouts off about Soviet totalitarianism? Is it too much to want what we once had in this country? The economics that made us the envy of the world? Where the cars most of us here crave were produced by men who could afford them? No one wants a strongarm dictatorship, just what we once had from say, 1945-1975. I am among the lucky generation who lived through it and am I wrong to want it from my grandchildren? A world where a few do very very well, yet most struggle just to get by causes strife. Look at the troubles we have now. Do you think even a small percentage of that would be happening if there was more economic equity and most people had a means to see a few dreams come true? It is hard to feel angry and alienated when your hard work actually pays off for you, not just for someone else.
Gary, you are correct.
@ Sonny, Thank you. I apologize for bringing this up, but sometimes it just gets to me and I have to vent. I wish that before I check out, I could see at least some progress in making life better in this country (and indeed, the world) so my grandchildren might have a fighting chance. We have at least two generations that do not understand what was lost before they were even born. The rich powerful elite have so much of what they see and hear cleverly twisted to keep them enslaved. You try to sit down and explain how the world should be to a young person, they often laugh. They don’t believe it was ever like that. Plus, they have been programmed to be so easily distracted by non issues so they totally miss the big picture. It is something I pray about daily, but I have resigned myself to the idea that our Lord watches over us and knows he will make the next world so much better and we will soon forget the torments that the Devil has stricken the earth with. once we come to him.
Well said, John. The commie trolls get old after a while.
I believe there are artisans out there who could make an identical bumper by hand and have it chromed for cheaper than looking an original new or used. Don’t ever underestimate the skills that some of these small backyard artisans who support classic cars have. 30 years ago a courageous mate of mine was riding a huge BMW touring/trail bike through the butt-crack of the middle east somewhere. He lost it on some loose gravel, dropped it and sheared off one of the aluminum heads. Rather than wait several weeks for a replacement, some little fella in a turban milled him a new one by hand, on his hands and knees out of a block of aluminum in his backyard shed, fitted it, all in two days, and by Gumbo, it got him home.