1970 911t

[JackWalter]

So a friend of mine inherited a 911 from his uncle and he really isn't a Porsche guy - he's had a couple of vintage Pontiac GTO's. So now he has a 1970 911T.

His uncle apparently bought the car in the early 1970's after the previous owner passed him on the freeway at a very high rate of speed. He was so impressed he chased the guy down and offered to buy the car on the spot.
The owner didn't really want to sell but Hank's uncle (who apparently was quite the eccentric and never married) had decided he really wanted that Porsche and kept raising his offer until the guy said yes.
He put about 120,000 miles on it and eventually parked it in his garage sometime in the early 1990's where it was entombed until earlier this year along with a Marcos coupe.

It's a 1970 911T with the 2.2 engine (which I love because its a short stroke engine that loves to rev - I had a 1971 911T). I think its got the 14" Fuchs alloys on it - forgot to look closely when I saw it for the first time the other day.
Its in really good shape with no rust and a just a few random dents - one of them caused by something that fell of a shelf onto the rear deck lid. Its just a good honest car that would be fun to get in and drive.
The paint isn't too great and the rubber weatherstripping is old and tired but its a nice Porsche. Hank has spent a little over $22,000 getting the car back to driveable condition after its long nap - all new brakes, shocks, tires, fuel tank & sender, clutch & flywheel, exhaust system, pressure fed chain tensioners, new ignition system and resealing the engine. He had the Zenith carbs gone through (they replaced the floats) and the car is running again after more than 25 years in storage.

I looked it over - especially underneath and at the front suspension pick-up points and there is no rust. A little bubble at the lower corners of the front fenders and some surface rust near the left front battery but the pan is solid and the car is remarkably original.
It has been repainted once in the original color but it could certainly be a driver for a while before undergoing a more extensive restoration. The suspension height needs to be adjusted and the remnants of the period aftermarket A/C system need to be removed but the headliner isn't in bad shape and the interior is pretty good except the top of the dash. I'm almost tempted to buy it myself but I'd want to give him a fair price.
So Hank wants to know (since he really isn't a Porsche guy) - what's it worth?

[JMS935]

That has to be one eccentric dude to get past by a 125 hp Porsche and get immediately smitten with it, especially with all of the muscle cars on the road during that time that could run laps around it. What a strange story and strange dude. How one gets so impressed with such little power, and then never moves on from it and upgrades when it was the speed that first impressed him...is beyond me.

[Matt Monson]

I dunno. A lot of 70s muscle cars get all floaty above 90-100. I wouldn’t want to drive most of the stock ones in anything but a straight line. They weren’t all Bullets. If this dude in his little T rips past him going 120, changing lanes autobahn tuned suspension planted on an interstate? Could impress a guy.

No idea on value. Has a repro fuel tank and non-stock mirrors. Still needs a bit more work

[vwsamba]

Wow he really got taken to the cleaners on the recommission. Worth around $40k.

[JMS935]

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

I dunno. A lot of 70s muscle cars get all floaty above 90-100. I wouldn’t want to drive most of the stock ones in anything but a straight line. They weren’t all Bullets. If this dude in his little T rips past him going 120, changing lanes autobahn tuned suspension planted on an interstate? Could impress a guy.

No idea on value. Has a repro fuel tank and non-stock mirrors. Still needs a bit more work

My entry Porsche into this hobby/addiction was a 1972 911 targa many many years ago, and there was nothing special about that car at all. It was a dog, and yet still probably quicker than this ‘70. Maybe it’s all relative, fast to one guy is slow to another. My ‘72 was just good enough for me though to catch the Porsche bug, and then I sold it within a year or so and moved up to the 930, and I haven’t looked back since. Go boost or go bust. If it doesn’t have wide hips and a turbo on it, it’s not a Porsche to me.

[NYNick]

Muscle cars are all go and...well, that's about it. They handle like oil tankers, at least in stock form. I had one in the 60's and then bought my first Porsche. There was no turning back. Porsches felt well built and drove great. Detroit manufactured muscle cars that didn't.

I relived my youth a few years ago and bought another 65 GTO to fool around with, while owning a few Porsches. They're cool, turn heads, go fast...straight. Fun to drive, but impractical as hell and pigs on gas. I'm glad I bought the car and enjoyed it, but I sold it after a few years.

I understand the guy buying the 70T back then. I've got a bit of a hard time understanding spending $22K to get the car running on a car whose value you don't know, but whatever. I can see that car going for over $40K. Good luck.

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by JMS935

My entry Porsche into this hobby/addiction was a 1972 911 targa many many years ago, and there was nothing special about that car at all. It was a dog, and yet still probably quicker than this ‘70. Maybe it’s all relative, fast to one guy is slow to another. My ‘72 was just good enough for me though to catch the Porsche bug, and then I sold it within a year or so and moved up to the 930, and I haven’t looked back since. Go boost or go bust. If it doesn’t have wide hips and a turbo on it, it’s not a Porsche to me.

Driving a slow car fast isn’t for everyone. I just know I’d rather bomb the Angeles Crest in an old 911 than an old Pontiac.

[Unobtanium-inc]

Originally Posted by NYNick

. I've got a bit of a hard time understanding spending $22K to get the car running on a car whose value you don't know, but whatever. I can see that car going for over $40K. Good luck.

It's easy to do, I spent about $15,000 getting the 993 mechanically sorted after sitting outside for 7 years, after the fire. I still had to deal with paint and body. The problem with bringing a car back that has been sitting is it's like an onion, many layers to peel, and you're crying the whole time...

---Adam

[techweenie]

I'm gonna agree with Miles on the $40K. the rust perforation at the fender doglegs is a $10K hit on value, since it'll be a lot of work to fix and paint (ideally spot paint, but that's gonna take a superb color match). The known rust can be fixed for far less than $10K, of course, but today's buyers have no patience for buying cars and then leaving them in a shop for 6 months. And of course, there's the rust that is so far undetected... Then there's the dashpad and probably a bunch of other niggly little things. The mirror bases may or may not have affected the paint outside the 'footprint' of Durant or 72-75 mirrors. Can't tell for sure, but it appears the passenger outside mirror was installed in the wrong spot.

[brianvb]

Oxford blue ? I like that color. I had one and unknowingly sold it to a “bait&switch” crook. He stuck an S on it and tripled the price. My car was the “switch” , he advertised a real S as the “bait” This can’t be it with the story though.

[SalParadise]

Originally Posted by Unobtanium-inc

The problem with bringing a car back that has been sitting is it's like an onion, many layers to peel, and you're crying the whole time...

---Adam

Words of wisdom. There you go.

[JackWalter]

Luckily those odd ball mirrors are mounted inside the footprint of the originals - and yes there is still some work to be done. The owner works for company that sells oil and supplies to automotive shops so he took it to a German car service that is one of his customers. I think the Hank has been surprised at how fast the bills mount up on an old Porsche - especially when things like new heat exchangers for a 911 are on the ticket. He's had a couple of muscle cars and was looking for another 1970 GTO but wound up buying a new Mustang GT convertible for his wife. He says the Mustang is way faster than any of his old GTO's and a lot more fun to drive.

He told me his uncle had an old T-bird convertible when he bought this Porsche so its no surprise that the Porsche was fast in comparison to what he was driving at the time. His uncle also had an English Marcos coupe in the garage with the Porsche so he definitely had a taste for odd ball cars.

[NYNick]

Originally Posted by Unobtanium-inc

It's easy to do, I spent about $15,000 getting the 993 mechanically sorted after sitting outside for 7 years, after the fire. I still had to deal with paint and body. The problem with bringing a car back that has been sitting is it's like an onion, many layers to peel, and you're crying the whole time...

---Adam

Yeah well, this one doesn't have a tree growing through the engine bay, Adam.

[pmax]

Originally Posted by JackWalter

After spending $22K, I would expect that to be fixed !

[SalParadise]

Originally Posted by pmax

After spending $22K, I would expect that to be fixed !

Saw that as well. It's a mess up there.