Almost a year ago we featured this stash of 356s. They were battered, bruised, and cut up, but with ever rising P-car prices, I was sure someone would want them for parts. They were all listed on eBay at the time, but the auction was pulled early so we assumed they had sold. Reader Andrew P just emailed us a link to a craigslist ad that says otherwise though. The photos appear to be new so I don’t think it’s a scam. The seller is asking $6k a piece and, if nothing else, they could make really nice yard art for a Porsche enthusiast. Thanks goes to Andrew for the tip!
We have seen rustier 356s sell for much more in the past. Those cars almost make these shells look like a bargain. The big difference here though is that these cars have been mostly parted out. There are no engines or transmissions and many appear to have involved in wrecks. No mention is made of titles either, so it’s probably safe to assume those are missing or branded. There might still be some sheet metal or trim there that’s worth saving. Just not sure if there’s $6k worth of it there.
As much as I’d love to own a 356, this is probably not the place I’d want to start. The asking price does make the proposition of taking one of these on tempting though. Pick the most solid one, pound out the dents, and stick a VW engine under it and you’d have an affordable 356 beater! I know, this is all wishful thinking and the chance of owning an affordable Porsche of this vintage is slim these days. Perhaps I could just park one in my shed and go out and sit in it on occasion…
At $6k each?….each?…Someone stopped taking their medication and should contact a doctor immediately for a prescription refill.
As much as I, and I’m sure many others would love to put a 356 together (even on a VW pan), someone needs to hit the seller with a dose of Narcan to bring them out of the funk that they are in. $6k for the lot…ok, but certainly not for each, not in any world. My 62 356b Twin Grille roller in “seriously horrible condition” sold for $3600. and I was glad to get that.
I totally agree. Not in my books.
Zora Arkus-Duntov (December 25, 1909 – April 21, 1996) JR.?
Nice Try—-some crazy “pipples” out there !
The price may seem crazy to most of us, but take a look at what 356 projects have been going for lately and it might not seem that bad.
I contacted him to see if he would sell two separately, but no response yet I think he wants all of them go as a lot and only two of them look to be in okay condition paying 2k for the good ones would maybe be worth it but the others aren’t worth 1k each.
I agree with Jesse. At least that one silver body looks ok. Maybe if you bought the best most complete one at his 6g price, my guess would be the silver car, he might let you pick around in the pile for any missing parts that would fit that car such as the missing window, bumper, ect. It could happen. If he says no, let him sit on them.
36K for a a pile of s $^t. Great buy… btw i have many triumph bumpers with good chrome for 30k. And i will deliver. Lol. There is more metal in the 10 bumpers than in that whole picture.
Such a deal!!
Got any Herald vertical bumper guards? I need front and rear in great shape (have beat up old ones already) ;-)
As long as you can get a clear Maine title and chassis ID, these cars are all most certainly worth $6,000 each.
I’m American, but live in Europe. Viewing from that perspective, it makes total sense.
If you are in the restoration business in Europe, you can import these cars and pay almost no VAT tax. Then you run them through your existing restoration business and sell, often for cash, and in some cases being able to legally tax exile that payment, for Europeans pay capital gains tax in their place of official residence, and unlike Americans are not subjected to taxation of their world-wide income. While you may not end up with much pure profit, per se, the business itself will have seen a significant profit. This is working well for many people I know, they are not getting rich, but they are covering their expenses and keeping their cashflow active. And for several of these people, these projects above would be straightforward, if not exactly “easy”. They have done dozens of 356s, they have the whole process down.
Back to the tax issue – if a German collector buys a 356 in America and ships it to the Port of Hamburg, they pat 22% VAT on the value or purchase price of the car, in order to register it in the EU. Would you rather import a $6,000 junk chassis and restore in Germany and end up with a vehicle which is permanently EU-taxed? Or would you rather import a $100,000 restored car – which even at that price would probably represent a good deal vs some of the recent German dealer sales.
I agree the high end prices for the 356 don’t seem to make sense, given the number produced. But – there is a thriving trade in these cars in Europe, and no enough cars to go around. But any barn find cars are worth much more than they actually should be, due to the tax advantage alone.
@ Ron-Thanks for the education. I appreciate knowing that.
Believe me on this, Adam Wright has known about this stash far before the initial posting. If he isn’t on it, there’s a reason. He is the sharpest tool in the 356 shed.
the barnfinds TVR for $ 4400 or one of these for $ 6000. interesting finds.
I drove past here in 2001 as a college student on a winter camping trip in a van full of other kids. As a 356 fan then I did a double take and by then it was too late, we were around a bend in the road and of course no time to stop. I tried to make a mental note of where we were at the time and vowed to come back…you can guess how that turned out. Recognized the photos tonight, 15yrs later right away!
If you have the skills & time you buy’em all & make 1 or 2 good ones out of the mess.
All I can say is WOW, I got a couple of 59 – 60 Chevy’s Impala sitting in my bone yard, that are more complete then these are, and 2 of them, the 59’s even have the power plant in them, and one of the 60’s is only missing the tranny. I will take 2500.00 a piece for them all day one (if I was willing to sell them). and they have been sitting on rollers in a concrete floored barn.
I like his shed. I’ve built a couple of pole barns myself with cedar poles, but I like this guy’s approach better than my own.
BTW, did you notice his ‘flooring’? At least they’re not in the dirt!!!
Something about the cars being located in ME and a cell phone number from CA seems fishy to me.
Pay me $500 and I will haul them to a junk
yard! Why would anyone in their right mind pay $6K apiece for junk? Would they have escaped from a mental institution?
Charles: Because, if you are European and you run a restoration shop with experience, you could make maybe $300k by purchasing these for $6k each and making them into new cars. See my post above.
A chassis plate together with a clean title for a 356 is probably worth $6k.
All depends if the buyer can get Maine titles issued for all six cars. If so, this is a good buy. If not – Charles you are correct, pretty worthless.
Yeah, Ron, great points! Not into European cars, but those who are, these would probably be of great interest and worthwhile purchase. Thanks, Charles