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Tired Targa Project: 1992 Porsche 911 Carrera 2

Despite their immense collectability, the air-cooled Porsche 911 also spent a few years prior to the 993 chassis as simply a tired sports car that some second and third owners likely found too costly to maintain. The story isn’t clear on what led this 1992 Porsche 911 Targa Carrera 2 to sit outside with its targa roof panel removed, leaving the interior to be completely trashed by the elements. The seller indicates it hasn’t been driven in ten years and that he purchased it exactly as you see it here on eBay, where bidding is over $20,000 with no reserve.

That’s a pretty great way to protect your money: buy car, do nothing except neglect said car, and then haul in a cool $20K ten years later. This is assuming, of course, he bought it for less, which seems entirely plausible given 964s were once the red-headed step child of the 911 family, especially when found in targa or convertible form. The 964 has been rising fast, as older air-cooled models become increasingly hard to buy cheaply, and the 993 seemingly never lost a dime of value, even when it was just a gently used car. This 911 is, admittedly, a solid choice for a project, owing to not being an all-wheel drive model.

And, of course, not being rusty, which it doesn’t seem to be. The 911 is located in San Bernardino County, California, which has likely provided some shelter from becoming totally rotten inside. Yes, the upholstery is destroyed – no surprise there – but amazingly, the dash isn’t cracked, and even with the exposure to rain and other elements, I doubt the floors are trashed. The upholstery and carpets will have to be ripped out and replaced, along with the door panels, shifter boot, and likely the center console as well. This will be far from cheap to correct, but is far simpler than trying to correct rotten bodywork.

The 3.6L flat-six is still under the engine lid, but it may have to come out when the next owner takes possession. The seller notes that it was burning oil ten years ago when it came into his possession, and clearly he’s not addressed this fault in that time, so whatever issues it had then have likely only gotten worse. What catches my eye is the original, un-faded paint inside the engine bay – look over on the left hand side. How pretty this 911 must have been before entering this unusual situation where it was not only left outside, but left with its top removed and the windows down. What do you make of this $20,000 abandoned 911 Targa?

Comments

  1. bobhess bobhess Member

    Too much abandon for too much money. There isn’t much that doesn’t need to be done on this car and it’s not going to be cheap.

    Like 11
  2. Avatar alphasud Member

    I can’t believe someone is willing to pay 20K for a car that will need that much work. Why buy one with a checkered past when you can buy a nice one with a service history that is all so important with these cars.

    Like 7
  3. Avatar Steve Bush Member

    Although I know these are very popular, I’m still amazed that 23 bidders have bid this one to $20.3k. Even more when the seller hasn’t even bothered to clean it up or take decent pics.

    Like 4
  4. Avatar J_Paul Member

    This car is a mess, but still makes me go “hmmmmmm”….

    Blame it on drooling over too many Singer Porsche photos lately. All they need is a 964 shell as a base, right?

    (Well, that and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Damn it.)

    Like 3
  5. Avatar Todd Zuercher

    This is a perfect base for a Singer.

    Like 1
  6. Avatar Nicholas Fernandez

    I would be in at $7,000.

    Like 6
  7. Avatar lbpa18

    Much as I hate to see a 964 get cut up for a Singer, this is a perfect candidate as it would otherwise never go beyond its current state. Deep pockets and a deep vision of what it could be in the hands of a competent and professional build shop will likely make this a shining resurrection. Would love to see the “after” photos. Good luck to the buyer.

    Like 2
  8. Avatar gaspumpchas

    Look at the bid history, this has a couple of scam bidders with maybe a dozen bids. Gotta love ebay.
    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 6
    • Avatar pixelpusher

      How would you know there are scam bidders? Bidders with low bid counts aren’t necessarily illegitimate bidders, if that is what you are going by. I have one account I keep for specific photographic equipment that only has a few bids associated with it. Care to elaborate? Thanks!

      Like 1
      • Avatar gaspumpchas

        Yes,, Pixelpusher, I’d love to elaborate. I have recently sold 2 vehicles, and was plagued with low feedback sham bidders, so much that every day I would have to block these clowns. Sure enough, one scammer won one of the trucks, and I got no response when I attempted to contact them. I cannot understand why they are doing this, and who the hell these people are. This has happened to me on several occasions over the years. If you dont believe me, put avehicle up for sale. I usually have a plan in place with another buyer in case the ebay listing goes wrong. Nobody said it was easy and its so bad that its scared many away from buying on feebay.

        Like 0
      • Avatar Steve R

        Gaspumpchas, when the word scam is used in regards to an eBay auction, the default position is, it’s the seller running the scam to drive up the price a “real” buyer will wind up paying. If that’s not what you are suggesting it’s probably a good idea to elaborate in your comment so an innocent seller doesn’t get painted in a negative light and lose out.

        Steve R

        Like 0
      • Avatar gaspumpchas

        Steve R, I used the word scam to point out what these dishonest, fake bidders are. I hope my comments explain. It has come to the point where the buyers and the sellers have to use extreme caution and do your diligence. When I see a car with a lot of bids First thing I look at is the bid history, for some reason they will run the bidding right up. Bottom Line?? Repeat bidders with low feedback- be suspicious. Its taking the fun out of this. Ask me how I know, better yet, put a car up for sale and watch what happens.
        Cheers
        GPC

        Like 0
  9. Avatar douglas hunt

    and this why i will never have one :-(
    way too much dollas for me

    Like 1
  10. Avatar Kenn

    I wouldn’t expect an answer pixelpusher. Very rarely are there answers to questions such as yours. Sad.

    Like 1
  11. Avatar Ward William

    I looked at all the photos on the ebay site and I will go against the flow. I think this looks way worse than it really is.

    Even the paint may be able to be saved if treated correctly. The interior ok, it’s shot, but it is complete and finding a used interior or someone to redo the original seats and trim is easy and village idiot could change most of it out with a minimum of tools .

    The engine is an unknown but these are no harder than a beetle engine to restore. Anyone with a simple home workshop and some basic skills could bring this back to life.

    I restored a type 3 notchback here in Brazil and there is nothing scary about this car at all. What it has going for it is that is is complete, and appears rust free and straight.

    Like 2
    • Avatar douglas hunt

      i tend to agree, except from what i read on the web, the flat 6 may be a bit more difficult and expensive to rebuild, so the cost of the project may turn a few away and with that said …indeed an interior refurb can easily be accomplished, i am currently changing my roached out project audi TT’s blue interior to black, and i think it will look fantastic when completed

      Like 0

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