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1968 Porsche 911S Coupe Barn find

In the early 60’s the 356 was nearing the end of its life, and was starting to be considered antiquated. Enter the 911, Porsche had developed a totally new GT car that was the higher evolution of the 356, but did everything just a tick better. With more interior room, better handling, and more power the 911 took Porsche to the next level. In the ‘60’s the highest evolution of the 911, was the 911S. In 1968, the 911S was not available to the US market, making these cars very rare on our shores.

This barn find for sale in San Francisco, CA is an example of an all original ’68 short wheel base 911S, and a rough one at that.

1968 Porsche 911S Coupe Barnfind on pelicanparts.com

Rare numbers matching 1968 Porsche 911S Coupe. A true California barn find hidden away for many years. A rare Euro only model and 1 of only 227 produced. A California car, since early 1970’s. Original Burgundy Red color. Odometer showing 80,170 kilometers. Original 2.0 liter 911S engine number . Very rare original Sportomatic transmission. The value of the short wheelbase 911S is rising rapidly. $24,995 obo.

No one can deny that barn finds are cool, it’s any car guys dream to be the one that exhumes a piece of automotive history from some old timer’s garage that is just the way it was when it was tucked away decades ago. I for one fantasize about it every time I’m on a road trip in the country. The more you watch the market, the more popular these types of cars are becoming, but where’s the line between barn find, and lost relic? To me the quintessential barn find has 3 major elements, originality, collectability, and preservation. While original, and collectable this car lacks the one element that I would consider to be the most important in a barn find; preservation.

The market for these early Porsches is certainly strong, as these cars are very desirable, with a full concourse ready ’68 911S commanding as much as $92K. That being said, any Porsche 911, especially early models are expensive to restore, since parts are so rare. So where does a car like this fit in to the market? At $24,995, this is a purchase that would have to be made as a labor of love. This car is priced far too strong considering that a restoration on a car like this could spiral out of control very quickly, and could far exceed the $92K high market value.

While few things are cooler than a barn find, but in this case I would say that it’s best to consider a sound, more complete car.

-Brian

 

5 Comments

  1. Dallas
    Dallas July 18, 2012

    >”This car is priced far too strong considering that a restoration on a car like this could spiral out of control very quickly, and could far exceed the $92K high market value.”

    So true… and remember that this car is a Sportomatic, which while rarer, will likely detract from the ultimate value of the restored car.

  2. KevinR
    KevinR July 18, 2012

    Short wheel base, Sportomatic that needs EVERYTHING. That is the exact definition of a money pit. However, Porsche guys (and gals) are a weird bunch and there will no doubt be someone out there who just has to have this car. They’ll drop $50k+ on this car and tell you in the same breath that you’re insane for spending $50k+ on a late model 997…

    A line from your comments caught my attention, but I reworded it slightly to reflect a different time:

    In the early 90’s the air cooled era was nearing the end of its life, and was starting to be considered antiquated. Enter the 996, Porsche had developed a totally new GT car that was the higher evolution of the 993, but did everything just a tick better. With more interior room, better handling, and more power the 996 took Porsche to the next level.

    I await the inevitable arguments… 🙂

  3. Larry
    Larry July 18, 2012

    Well played, Kevin. Unfortunately, there’s now a legion of Porsche purists on their way to your house with torches and pitchforks.

  4. KevinR
    KevinR July 19, 2012

    24 hours later and still no angry mob… I must be losing my touch.

  5. Larry
    Larry July 19, 2012

    Or, the air-cooled fanaticism is deflating, while the water-cooled momentum is gaining steam.

    Sorry, I’ll stop now.

Comments are closed.