At first, you see a desirable long-hood Porsche 911. It’s even an interesting color, although not original. The Fuchs wheels are appealing, and basically, you see enough of a car to feel good about learning more. However, when bidding is safely under $10,000 and interest seems tepid, you know there’s more going on than meets the eye. I’ll keep you hanging in suspense for a little while longer because it even comes with what looks like a complete drivetrain. Still, bidding sits at just over $5,000 with slightly under 24 hours left. Find this ’73 911 Targa here on eBay and located in Los Angeles, California.

Heck, you hear California and it seems even more promising! But then, you peek inside the doors. Oh my. What happened here? There’s evidence of a few different shades of blue paint, which is never a good sign. But that is some formidable rust that has gotten into and all around the quarter panel and door cavity. At one time, I had a 1986 Honda CRX in my possession that looks reasonably solid from the outside. However, once you opened the door, it was rotted out behind the hinges. We eventually traced it back to a poor body repair where water had been able to enter via a part of the body that should have been water-tight; perhaps the same thing happened here?

As you look through the rest of the photos, it really does seem like the damage shown in that part of the driver’s side is an isolated concern, which makes it more likely that a poor repair triggered the damage versus prolonged exposure to salt or other rust accelerants. The engine bay looks reasonably solid and the factory stickers still present on the edge of the compartment also gives you hope that other areas are more intact. In 1973, a Targa in base form made about 140 horsepower from its standard-issue 2.4L flat-six. Higher output versions were available in “S” and “E” trim lines.

The interior doesn’t look bad at all, and the floors (from the top) look reasonably intact. The seats, steering wheel, instruments, and door panels all appear saveable. The seller doesn’t provide much info about this car, other than it being a project (obviously). The market for projects, even long-hood 911s, has cooled a bit, so it will be interesting to see if this car meets reserve. In addition to the total cost of restoration, the repair work to the driver’s side will be significant, and even more so if the damage extends down into the rockers. What do you think a fair price for this air-cooled 911 should be?