Widebody Sacrifice: 1967 Porsche 911

While we all want to believe that every sports or muscle car gets another chance to live when it’s found in a wrecking yard, that’s not always the case. Still, we’re grateful that sellers like this one effectively saved cars like this modified 1967 Porsche 911 Targa from a grim death when it was just a used up sports cars years ago. The shame of this widebody conversion is that classic long-hood 911s like this one are now worth a pretty penny in survivor or restored condition; are they valuable enough to save modified cars like this one here on eBay?

The seller has listed the 911 with a reserve, and it has attracted two bids to $15,000. The widebody conversion included updating the bumpers to a later model as well, which is another downside to these modernization attempts. Sadly, they were all the rage in the 1980s when this car wasn’t worth nearly as much as it is now. The original engine is long gone, and it looks like whoever started this project never really finished it. The front fenders appear to be widened as well, but the wheels are sadly undersized for the aftermarket kit. I’m guessing it wore fatter wheels when the conversion was done, but those were either sold or stripped when the car was dumped.

The original engine is long gone, and in all likelihood, it wasn’t sporting its numbers-matching mill when the bodywork was updated. Whether this 911 was “hopped up” in period or was simply an exercise in cosmetic modifications only, it’s clear that the previous caretakers weren’t thinking a vintage 911 Targa would someday become collectible. As it stands, Targas used to be the most unloved 911, but that’s now all changed. Someone looking at this car may see an easy reversal back to stock fenders and a simple engine replacement with a flat-six they have sitting on the shelf.

I’m somewhat surprised to see standard gauges still installed, and not even cheesy chrome rings around the outside. The aftermarket 3-spoke steering wheel looks like it was a nice item at one time, but it’s severely weather-beaten now. The placement of old tires in the cockpit is something you wouldn’t dare do to a restored or survivor-grade example today. So, what does the Barn Finds jury have to say: should this 911 keeps it wild widebody or is worth going back to its original configuration?