I don’t know if it’s sympathy or just blind faith that someone will buy this car that prompts a seller to even list it in the first place. There was a time when a Porsche 356 this badly damaged and rotten would not even have a chance to be sold; straight to the scrap heap was the only future for a car like this. Still, it’s 2019, and we now rescue or at least attempt to save every Porsche 356 out there, so take a gander at this floor-less 1963 “B” model here on eBay for $9,200 or best offer.
I want to be clear, that if I found a 356 like this in my backyard, I’d absolutely put it on eBay for $10K. Especially if, like this car, it had a clear title. Why? Because apparently, Porsche enthusiasts can still find value in a car like this, even without a motor or transmission, or really any components to realistically part out and hope to make some money on. I can practically guarantee this seller would take any offer over $3K, but you have to list it for nearly $10K on the off-handed chance someone actually has a spare floor pan and just needs a clean VIN.
If you have the ability to do your own work and simply want to own a vintage 356, there could be a shred of appeal to buying a car like this. Of course, in the not too distant past, there’s no way you’d consider taking it on, but all of that has changed. When I look at the junkyard-find Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 I purchased, I think about whether it’d be wiser to save up $20K for a good one, or hope that I can emerge far below that number with a running, driving car I can use in the summer months. It’s a tough question, especially on a car like this 356 where values of good ones are now over $50K.
Could you rebuild this car using your own labor and parts-sourcing for under that number? That’s the question, and likely what the seller is hoping a potential buyer will decide is possible by even coming close to the asking price. A spare roof and rear quarter panel is included to help address some of the worst areas of the car, but even after the bodywork is done, you’re faced with rebuilding every mechanical system, from stem to stern. It’s not for me, but perhaps one of you knows a Porsche fanatic crazy enough to take this one on.
We did a Speedster this bad but wouldn’t touch a B coupe like this one. Got to be someone out there with more spare time than the rest of us though….. and there probably is. This ’59 Convertible D race car took almost 400 hours of welding to get it back to driving condition. Said we’d never do another until the Speedster came along. Something about “just one more”.
Something ate my picture…..
The bungee cord reminded me of the ’56 I cd have bought for $400 in the ’70s. You had to get in ,then tie the doors together cuz door hardware was missing.
The bungee cord is the pull-cord to start it.
Once again we have an over priced clapped out rust bucket VW/Porsche Wow!
Porsche listings your new venue for stupidity Kieth?
“A fool and his money are soon parted.”
If Fred Flintstone owned a Porsche, this would be it
At least no air conditioning is needed!
I’m usually very optimistic about almost every car I see here on Barn Finds. I look hard at the pictures; try to figure out the potential work flow; the welding plan.
In a ‘money is no object’ scenario, I try to envisage which parts of the original could be incorporated. I normally end up enthused.
This poor thing is one of the first ones I’ve seen where the process above is hard for me to follow.
The seller is brutally honest about it; absolute kudos to the seller for that.
I’m fascinated to know; am I being too negative in seeing nothing much here that I could work with? Nothing that really inspires hope, that it’s just a VIN number?
I once spent over 400 hours welding a 1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta back together again. Those three words sum it up perfectly. The car wasn’t as bad as this.
It had an engine, gearbox, wiring, tank, axles, seat frames and so on.
If anyone does buy this with a view to restoring it; please could you provide a link to show how you tackled it?
I hate to see anything classic crushed; No sarcasm intended – I really would like to see how something as bad as this is brought back; what would remain of what we see here.
As I wrote above; poor thing 🙁.
It might get restored into an outlaw. No sense to bring it back to its original glory and hard core 356 people won’t lament that a good car got hacked up. You could do anything to it and it’s got a title. Google street view the seller’s location to see other beat up Euro cars. Is that a MB Adenauer in their lot?
Anspach Autos, 51 Main Street, Ono PA
The rule of thumb appears to be – for a Porsche in this condition there’s always a buyer. Love it or hate it – with the market where it’s at, we shall see these “projects” continue to sell.
Don’t laugh! A 356 was fished out of a lake, and sold quickly. You could barely tell what kind of car it was.
it’s like a porsche tent
Why is it that whenever one of these cars shows up it’s ALWAYS in the worst pos shape . Never see one that looks like a couple weekends and a semi large bank account can’t handle. It’s like it’s par for the corse that they all must look like they were sitting next to the Titanic.