When a car is no longer original but is actually infinitely better than the vehicle it once was, should the value increase accordingly? That’s the question in front of us with this wild 1977 Porsche 911. While it may look like just another once-cheap 911 that was modified heavily when one could justify such activities, this car is much closer to being a Singer of the 1980s than just some other fantasy build for someone who wished they could afford a better car. It has been modified heavily with mostly OEM parts along with the proper steel fender flares. The 911 is listed here on eBay where bidding sits at $35,000 with the reserve unmet.
The 911 is listed with a Buy-It-Now of $99,999, so it seems we’re a fair bit off from this one finding a new home. Back in the 80s, it was commonplace for older 911s and 912s to become slantnose models once the factory began offering this as an option. Along with that, the ability to order a naturally-aspirated car with the Turbo’s wider bodywork also took hold in the Porsche aftermarket, and of course, the classic whale-tail wing was a staple of air-cooled models that didn’t go nearly as fast as their bodywork suggested. This is not one of those cars, as not only is the bodywork done to a high standard, but it also features a turbocharged 3.3-liter flat-six engine sourced from a European-market 930.
To finish out the bodywork upgrades, the seller notes that it was completed using “…wide steel fender flares, original OEM boxed rocker panels, an OEM 930 Turbo whale tale deck lid, pop-up headlamps, and a 930 RUF style front bumper.” So, lots of money spent using parts that Porsche would have used to build a similar car for its customers. Inside, the cabin surprisingly doesn’t feature sport seats, but it’s still in nice shape overall. The paint was refinished – of course, it’s Guards Red – and the interior also features a color-matched roll bar. The seats were recently reupholstered and a factory three-spoke steering wheel, a nice OEM upgrade, is installed.
The listing notes that the engine was recently rebuilt, though it doesn’t say when; however, it comes with a decades’ worth of invoices, so hopefully one of those will explain the rebuild in greater detail. Upgrade-wise, the engine has been fitted with “…upgraded intercooler, cams, MSD Ignition, heat exchangers and exhaust,” and we can see what looks like a RUF-sourced intercooler. The seller notes that despite all of the enhancements, it still cruises nicely on the highway, and a set of Brembo brakes will help cool things down when congestion builds up. This is a compelling combination of upgrades, and a build that appears to have been well-executed and maintained ever since.
Nice one. A lot of these conversions are of poor quality done by body shops with no experience and using fiberglass parts. With the documented information this car stands out in that department. With the mechanical upgrades following the bodywork you get a good clone of the factory product.
It has A/C how cool!
Factory AC.
RUF components were of very high quality in their time. Lots of mods to this one it would be interesting to drive it and see how everything plays together?
“When a car is no longer original but is actually infinitely better than the vehicle it once was, should the value increase accordingly?”
Based on the bidding, I’d say the answer is no.
I find it humorous how little Porche guys/gals care about modifications (BMWs, too) compared to how positively apoplectic Jaguar people get. Swap the engine for an upgrade on a 911 or perform other upgrades and the value can increase dramatically. But if you have the correct Jaguar engine, but the numbers don’t match, in an otherwise completely stock and original E-Type, forget it. Subtract 30% from your sales price.
Ended at $47,700.
Reserve Not Met.
bobhess, please correct me if I screw this up. The “original” 930 had very high final drive. (Autobahn anyone?) And was tough on clutches. I drove the very first “Porsche authorized” one in the country. (My adopted Dad worked for Porsche/Audi before the split) and would always invite me to dinner when he had a car for test (test meaning R&D AND dealer responce to to the car) Driving out on the north end of the Tri-State Tollway headed north. I accelerated fairly hard (about 60-70% throttle) out of the toll booth. The acceleration did not feel that hard until about 70MPH. A short while after checking the speedometer (reading 70mph) I noticed that I was catching traffic at a high rate of speed. A glance at the speedometer revealed 160 mph! TIME TO BACK IT DOWN! A very nice driving car (as you can imagine) but too pricey for my budget. As for the price difference between original and properly modified. (356s not included) Porsche people appreciate well done modifications.
Don’t remember any mass problems with clutches but the folks who only drove their cars around town used up theirs faster. The gear boxes started out 5 speeds and finally wound up 6 speed. The first gear on both boxes would carry the cars to 50 mph very rapidly so putting around town wasn’t what they were built for. What Porsches really were was fun, and most of them got some form of tinkering by the owners. I didn’t do major mods on all of the 24 cars we had but all of them were just plain fun.
There was a legacy in late 60’s – 70’s in Greece that the 911 burn their clutches when driven in Athens’s traffic but this is the 1st time that there is some kind of confirmation of this.
bobhess, please correct me if I screw this up. The “original” 930 had very high final drive. (Autobahn anyone?) And was tough on clutches. I drove the very first “Porsche authorized” one in the country. (My adopted Dad worked for Porsche/Audi before the split) and would always invite me to dinner when he had a car for test (test meaning R&D AND dealer responce to to the car) Driving out on the north end of the Tri-State Tollway headed north. I accelerated fairly hard (about 60-70% throttle) out of the toll booth. The acceleration did not feel that hard until about 70MPH. A short while after checking the speedometer (reading 70mph) I noticed that I was catching traffic at a high rate of speed. A glance at the speedometer revealed 160 mph! TIME TO BACK IT DOWN! A very nice driving car (as you can imagine) but too pricey for my budget. As for the price difference between original and properly modified. (356s not included) Porsche people appreciate well done modifications.
Had a similar incident with a good friend of mine from high school, both 1st year students at the time. He had bought a Porsche 914 a few months before and was driving really fast at a 4 lanes road (not a motorway) in Athens Greece. At some point we both realized that the cars in front of us were stopped due to a red light. I shouted STOP while at the same time he hit the brakes. We stopped mere cms from the car ahead, probably partly due to the fact that the previous day he had changed all 4 tires with new ones. Good old days but for a few moments we were left breathless!