Owners of a mid-year 911 will almost always tell you that their reputation is highly exaggerated. To be fair, no one should know better than the owner of a particular model, though no one has a greater vested interest either. In these cases reality likely lies in the middle and an emphasis on a particular car’s maintenance history becomes imperative. But at the end of the day the mid-year 911 remains a classic Porsche, and though the company went through significant adjustments attempting to accommodate changing emissions and safety requirements and these 911s were developed during a time when the long-term viability of the model seriously was in question, we cannot simply dismiss an entire segment, especially once we begin to adjust expectations relative to value. These are not the best performing 911s, that is the reality, and their style definitely rankled when first released due to the divergence from the smoother lines of the long-hood models. However, sitting here 40 years later the style is classic 911. The impact bumpers long have been accepted and are found on some of the most desirable models Porsche produced. The performance still lags compared to its brethren, but many classic 911s will only feel brisk relative to modern machines. So maybe they aren’t so bad and the price is surely right. This brings us to the example seen here: a Lime Green 1974 Porsche 911 Coupe, located in California, with 57,147 miles on it.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1974 Porsche 911 Coupe on eBay
Year: 1974
Model: 911
Engine: 2.7 liter flat-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 57,147 mi
Price: Reserve Auction
Only built for one year without the thermal reactor. This is a non-sunroof coupe with Fuch alloy rims, fog lights and AM/FM radio. Excellent body with very nice paint and interior. Solid and rust free example! Mechanical condition is phenomenal with unbelievable power, smooth shifting 915 transmissions and four-wheel disc brakes. Stunning color combination! This 1974 911 model is becoming very rare and hard to find! Complete with books, tools and records.
While obviously an extremely bright color this 911 shows really well and is incredibly striking. I’m also shocked to see such an early 911 and such an incredible color to be on offer with no reserve. I fully expect that bidding will climb quite a bit, but right now it sits at $21,100, an incredible value regardless of how unloved these cars may be among air-cooled 911s. Those last three words are important: this is still an air-cooled 911 and values should rise as buyers seek alternatives outside of the most sought after examples. In the end I’ll have an eye on this to see where this auction ultimately reaches. I do not expect it to be something astronomically high, but I think we still have a ways to go before the bidding plateaus.
-Rob
Of the “middies” (1974-77) the 74 is the best of the bunch for a number of reasons. You have to understand that the price on a middie 2 years ago would barely pass $20k even for very nice examples. Their flaws as compared to the other impact bumper cars ( SC’s and Carrera’s) were just too great to over look. In todays market all bets are off. This car will probably get bid to the moon given its color. Its a nice looking car.
Tasty. Lose the fogs, throw on H4s and a Momo Prototipo, and call it done.
Just wanted to update: the seller ended the original auction, stating there was an error in the listing, and relisted it as a reserve auction. I’m not entirely surprised by this as I had a feeling it wasn’t intended to have been listed with no reserve and the seller made no mention of it being a no-reserve auction in the ad. Anyway, I have changed the links to reflect the new listing. For those curious, the last I checked in on the previous auction it was a little above $26K. We’ll see where this one gets.