pre a speedster barn find

[Zeke]

I once had the 125th flat six made (according to the #) from the '64 911 series. I knew right away to sell it to a collector/restoration guy.

No good will come from anyone less than the best working on this car. I know that for a fact because as a young and lot less talented person than I am now (and that isn't to say I hold a candle to Willhoit and a hundred others), I tried to bring back a crashed '36 MG Saloon. Although it looked OK when done, I hurt that car more than I helped it.

Don't make my mistake.

[targa911S]

man that is a huge project/money pit. i would just flip it.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by milt

No good will come from anyone less than the best working on this car.

+1

It's hard to man up and admit you mangled a car. I had a 1954 RHD 23-window that was probably worse off when I sold it. I paid $5k for in '98, sold it in '01 for $10k, after doing a bunch of "repairs" (not a good car to learn on). That guy sold it to a limy in '04 for $45k. The last trade I heard was ~$65kUSD. The funny thing is, the bus is still pretty much in the same shape as when it left my hands. I think each person buys it sight-unseen, gets it, has a huge case of WFT? buyer's remorse and then starts planning the next flip.

This speedster find reminds of this: TheSamba.com :: View topic - VW38 found in Lithuania - a perfect example of an über rare car finding the right home before anyone tries to 'fix' anything. This car was a huge POS when it was found, but it went to the perfect home for restoration; there is not one single detail upon which I could have matched, much less improved.

[Eric 951]

Nice score Joe. You should trailer that thing as-is to the Porsche paddock at the upcoming PVGP--would definatley garner alot of interest, unless you don't want that type of attention.

Nice to know these are still out there--especially in Pittsburgh.

[billh1963]

Originally Posted by laneco

joe,

if i were in your shoes, i would sell the car. There is no way that i could restore the car and the car does deserve that. If you sold the car, you are still the guy who found it, still the guy brought it from the dark into the sunlight. You will always be in this car's history.

There is no shame in selling it to someone who does have 100k to drop on a restoration. Better than than let it fade away another time.

Angela

+∞

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by widebody911

This speedster find reminds of this: TheSamba.com :: View topic - VW38 found in Lithuania - a perfect example of an über rare car finding the right home before anyone tries to 'fix' anything. This car was a huge POS when it was found, but it went to the perfect home for restoration; there is not one single detail upon which I could have matched, much less improved.

What a great thread...356Joe, read up to page 35 or so. Well worth it.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by R K T

That's a great idea.
A shop like John Wilhoit would restore it starting at a 100 grand....and go up. But it at least it would be known as a Wilhoit Speedster and be worth at least what you spent on it. If you do an amateur restoration on it, it might very well be worth less.
I owned 80363 55 Speedster and at gas stations always got the "nice replica" or "which kit car company is that". I sold it to Nicolas Cage and he thrashed it, but now that it's a previously owned by a "celebrity" car it recently sold for 197,000.

Rob, gorgeous Speedster...Wilhoit would not restore the pre-A in this thread for less than $200k these days, I'm guessing. But since it sounds like Joe got the car for free, (more or less), it might be worth it.

[R K T]

Thanks Denis.
Wish I still had it! But I sold it to buy another 356....and I sold it for 30K more than I paid for it. But that was just before Speedster prices went nuts (kinda like old VW bus prices).
Time sure have changed....

[javadog]

Other than the serial number, I can't see much value in this car. I'm not sure even a pro would bother to restore it. It is way beyond what an amateur restorer could deal with.

"Barn find" and "Speedster" are two words that get people excited but you have to take a serious look at this thing and see it for what it is.

Flip it to somebody that is better able to do something with it and do the car, and yourself, a big favor. If you feel bad making a profit (and assuming that you can make a profit) give the money to the guy you bought it from. End of guilt...

JR

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by masraum

Yeah, but how much would it cost to restore it? Ferrari money?

It doesn't look like there's much there.

It's a Speedster. There was never much there!!

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by 356Joe

angela thanks for the advice but the problem with selling it is that I would have some remorse. For the amount I paid for the car and the fact that I bought it from a close friend I would feel bad selling it for profit. Again JoeBob thanks for the tips. I have a box that has around 4 sets of hubcaps so thats not a problem. I don't plan to sell anything or really jump into anything until I get a good understanding of what I need and what needs to be done and like I said everything needs to be done right when its complete.

I've been there and done that. Thirty years ago a friend gave me a '58 Carrera coupe that was much worse than your Speedster. He didn't know it was a Carrera. I wanted it because it had a good front clip. I traded it to a guy who said he was in love with it and "really, really, really wanted an old 356 to fix up" and couldn't afford anything better blah, blah... I traded to him in exchange for a supposedly good front clip a friend of his had. I got the car cheap and thought I should pass the good vibes on to a fellow 356 enthusiast. I even delivered the car half way to Chicago. A few weeks later a POS front clip, beat all the heck, arrived via motor freight. By that time the new 356 enthusiast owner of the car had sold it for $10,000 + . Turns out he was more enthusiastic about getting a $10,000 car for free than anything else and was just blowing smoke at me about how much he wanted to save that car.

[356Joe]

Thats my problem I truely want to save the car but not sure if I'm in over my head at this point. Trever's hammerworks seems to buuild quality front ends and right now that is the only thing I'm really worried about but if I go through trevers the car isn't original anymore.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by 356Joe

......I don't plan to sell anything or really jump into anything until I get a good understanding of what I need and what needs to be done.......

Slow down. Gather information. Even before you do anything to the car. One option would be to fully restore her. I think you will find that this option is expensive, but a good investment. Maybe later, after you have settled things down in your mind. Another option might be to leave her alone and sell her. Let somebody else do the restoration. Or just hack it a bit, to make things work, weld in a pan, drive it as a rat car, as you say. This would be a poor choice if your repairs are not done very well. The car maybe has been raced? If so, it has a provenance. Leaving it in unrestored but race-ready condition would be a cool option too, but the repairs would have to be carefully done.

Super-cool car! Just as it is.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by 356Joe

Thats my problem I truely want to save the car but not sure if I'm in over my head at this point. Trever's hammerworks seems to buuild quality front ends and right now that is the only thing I'm really worried about but if I go through trevers the car isn't original anymore.

Relax, and just patiently do the research. This car has a history. With a car like this, the history is part of the car's value. Send Porsche a letter requesting their records related to this car. It's a frickin' pre-A Speedster, for God's sake! Get on the 356 forums and let them dig up the information. Registry guys. Take pictures and send them to the world's finest restoration shops, and see what they say. Ask. Listen. Learn.

[Linderpat]

Joe, you're in Pburgh. Give John Raysich a call and talk it through with him (Porsche Specialists in Bridgeville; he's a p-car guru). He's had some pretty good examples in his shop over the years, and he'll know the best guys locally to start talking to about realistic resto work and costs. There is another guy out past Harrisburg - Kevin Michaels. He is a body expert - mostly 928s, but has done 911s and a 956 clone (I think it was a clone) that looked great (the best work I've seen). He may have done 356s too. You have really good resources right there who will know what to do with this car. Save it if you can. Good luck

[356Joe]

hey guys I know its been awhile I think I'm going to sell the car. My next question is how much is a fair price so that I don't get ripped off. The car is going to require more money than I am ever going to have to get done corrctly.

[R K T]

If it was at European Collectibles for sale......they would probably list it at around 50 grand, and sell it for mid 40s. I've seen similar cases sell pretty quick there for that kind of $. Amazing!

[Zeke]

This is a car for eBay. You will make a fortune. However, I thought that ran against your grain.

[billh1963]

Originally Posted by 356Joe

hey guys I know its been awhile I think I'm going to sell the car. My next question is how much is a fair price so that I don't get ripped off. The car is going to require more money than I am ever going to have to get done corrctly.

Not much chance of getting ripped off since you paid virtually nothing for it.

I would put it on ebay. Collectors constantly watch ebay for this kind of stuff. .... Especially the Germans...where this would probably go.

[billh1963]

Originally Posted by 356Joe

For the amount I paid for the car and the fact that I bought it from a close friend I would feel bad selling it for profit.

Originally Posted by milt

This is a car for eBay. You will make a fortune. However, I thought that ran against your grain.

As you know money talks and BS walks... He won't feel "real bad" for long....lol

That being said, go for it! Ebay is the right venue.