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Low mileage, but less desirable, models of the 911 always find themselves in an interesting place on the Porsche market. Generally, such cars are unloved because of engine issues or styling issues, or in the case with the car here: both. Here we have a 1977 Porsche 911S Coupe, located in Los Angeles, with just 43,000 miles on it. As the first models with the redesigned body with impact bumpers, the 1974-1977 911 was always going to struggle relative to its predecessors, but it’s the engine issues that really plagued these cars, dissuading potential buyers and holding down values. After all, the 911SC and 3.2 Carrera that immediately followed, each of which shares very similar styling to a ’77 911S, is well loved amongst 911 fans. But those models both have stout engines that easily reach into the six figures. A ’77 911S can be a very good car though, if all of the appropriate steps are taken ahead of time.
In its earliest years Porsche offered a variety of trim levels to suit a wider array of buyers. The 911T, E, and S each fit within their own performance window and provided buyers more opportunities to get into the 911 that most appropriately fit their performance needs and budget. For the 1967 model year Porsche introduced the 911S. With 160 hp, along with revised chassis and braking, the 911S offered captivating performance for its time and began to establish the 911 as an iconic sports car. The example featured here has recently undergone a full restoration: a Sand Beige 1967 Porsche 911S Coupe, located in California.
The used-car market can be funny sometimes. Certain models, for any number of reasons, end up under appreciated and sell for significantly less value than similar models. And in this case we aren’t talking about a comparison of rare models to base models, but rather a short stretch of model years. Here we have an Ice Green Metallic 1976 Porsche 911S Coupe, located in North Carolina, with 122,486 miles. With an asking price of $37,000 it is being offered for significantly less money than a pre-1974 911 and, given the rapid appreciation of the 911SC and 3.2 Carrera, less than the cost of most any classic 911. To be fair, there are reasons for this lack of love: these models were the first to feature the impact bumpers, the engines were somewhat hampered by emissions equipment, and early models tended to have engine issues. Yet, this remains an air-cooled 911 in a truly fantastic color that is both period correct and very rare, and given the mileage and apparent care we should feel confident the engine is stout. While the market may not love the variants of the 1974-1977 911 that does not mean they aren’t still good cars worthy of our attention.
Newer 911s not your thing? For a long time in the 1990s and even into the 2000s, it was very popular to modernize older 911s with updated bodywork, wings and giant motors to make them more effective machines. More recently, though, we’ve seen a return to the original roots of the car; simplified, wingless designs with more narrow bodies, built in the style of the original cars. To me, they’re much more attractive versions of the 911, expressing the very pretty original silhouette; purposeful, compact, and aggressive. They’re even more neat when they’re in spectacular colors, and today’s 1971 is a shining example of just that:
I remember years ago my father recanting the story about how he almost bought a used Porsche 911T in the early 1970s, only for his better sense to kick in and find something a bit less expensive. Enter, then, the Fiat 124 Spider and the eternal nagging of what might have been. Frequently I consider what a great investment a car like this would have been, if it were kept in the family all these years. Then again, considering a car like this as an investment would have missed the point at the time, as we would have used it as intended. Sure to satisfy that sports car hunger, this 1969 911S for sale in New York has benefitted form a bare metal respray and a sympathetic restoration.
