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Not sure why you could call it a resto-mod. It's a two owner car, the last for nearly 50 years. Meticulously maintained with full documentation to back that up. Confirmed rust free car with recent very high quality cosmetic restoration and pics to confirm.
I used to restore early Corvettes and I can't begin to tell you how many of those cars had the wrong engine primarily because it was always much cheaper to just go out and buy a better used engine than to rebuild the original. It just wasn't that important back in the 60's, or at least it seemed better to go for more horsepower, than to keep an original anemic engine. That's what happens when manufacturers improve and update an existing motor. The swap is better than the rebuild, and just as easy and certainly less time consuming. Blow your engine on Sat, replace it on Sunday and away you go.
Back in the day I actually traded cars and motors with a guy. I had a '59 Vette, he had a '65 425 HP 396 Coupe. He wanted to go drag racing, so he got my '59 and kept the 396 engine, i got the '65 and put in my worn 327 from the '59. Win Win right. At the time it felt like it, but I cringe now when I think of what we did to the long term value of two Vettes. I had another guy whose 425 HP 409 in his '61 Bubble top Chevy wasn't running right. He just needed his transportation back so I traded him a worn out, but running 283 for the 409 that ended up only having two bent exhaust valves. We were both tickled pink. Not so much now.
I guess my point is that things happened back then that would make us all cry today, and it certainly wasn't done out of mischief, but to improve on what you already had. Porsche Speedsters back then were known as the closest thing to a race car coming out of Stuttgart, but they didn't have a prayer against American muscle on the streets. If I had a Speedster back then, I probably would have been very tempted to just swap in a later more powerful engine if one was available. Not trying to write a documentary here about the 60's, but I sure do understand the owners thought process when he changed the motor in this Speedster in 1970. With all the documentation, I can tell you that the original engine was well maintained, and didn't need to be changed for any major problems. A newer, better, more HP engine was available and he grabbed it. It doesn't show any malcontent on his part and certainly in that time frame didn't create a resto-mod, but a better car. I think everything that's been done to this car was with the intent of creating a better car. I've owned 6 volt cars and I can tell you that it gets scary trying to drive at night, constantly revving the engine to see the next corner approaching. I can see the logic of upgrading the car to 12v. I just wonder how many early cars have been maliciously modified to make them look totally original. There was a Speedster sold on Ebay last year that looked like it had been half way into a crusher when someone yelled stop. It was a rusty, nearly useless shell only and sold for as I remember around $53k - $57k. It brought that number because it still had an original vin plate on the car. I suppose with enough money it will be brought back from way beyond dead, but you have to wonder when, where, and how it will show back up. There has to be some value on this Speedster even if it's only 95% original rather than call it a resto-mod.
No offense intended, just expressing my point of view. I am not wanting to start any arguments, but only want true opinions on the value of the car for resale purposes knowing what it is and why it's that way. I am not a broker that deals in classic Porsche's but only a guy trying to do a favor for a friend and do it to the best of my ability.
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