RS Rear Flares - Affect on Value

[nckzck]

Hello all. Would appreciate your opinions. I have a 1970 911T sunroof car that is rust free but in need of a total restoration, as the car has not ran since 1988. I have had this car for 10 year, and am finally in a position to begin working on it. My intent is to build it as a hot street car, with a 3.0 or larger engine, and a swap to a 915 transmission. My question is....what is the impact in regards to value when installing real RS (from Porsche) rear flares on a 911T? I have a body man that is exceptional (he has worked on a few Pebble Beach Concours level cars), so the quality of the install will be top notch. I plan to keep the car, and leave it to my son in the future, and don't want to kill the value of the car due to changing to a quality hot rod. I plan to keep the original 2.2 and 901, and any original parts I remove. Your input is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[pu911rsr]

On an original car I would have them removed but for a hot rod they will ad to appeal of car.
Phil

[csbush]

Mine had flares when I bought it, I made the decision to keep the flares- because I like them and they look really good with a ducktail. However, I doubt I would have ever added them on my own. They are fun little hot rods without the flares, and you could focus on other areas that need work. Unless you are racing it, you are not likely to notice that much difference in how it handles. If anything, having the slightly narrower tires on the back will make it feel lighter and more responsive.

[Fishcop]

Same as Chuck ^^

My car came with SC flares when I got it 15 years ago. Car has undergone a complete restoration with a hotrod bent and I left the flares alone, I like the look and I like the wider 8" fuchs on the rear.

[nckzck]

So far....it sounds like adding flares properly is not detrimental to value. I did not know if any T's or E's have sold recently that had RS flares installed? Any hot rods or RGruppe cars? As I said, my intent is not to sell the car, but to leave it to my son eventually, and I simply want it to hold value. If it was an S, I would not be considering this idea, but I am looking at a 300+ HP engine for the car, and adding wider rear tires seems like a logical necessity.

[Gearby]

It could be detrimental on value depending on what it is you're starting with. If you have a highly original rust free car then it will be detrimental on value to hot rod it. If your car has a lot of miles, missing a lot of original parts, or damage history or anything like that working against it then it probably won't matter.

[911kiwi]

So, my first question is how old is your son? You've had the 911 for 10 yrs already. If you still have another 10 yrs of driving and having fun in it, then be less concerned about any possible devaluation and build it for your own enjoyment. Keep the original engine and tranny and let your son decide what to do with it when it's his. Enjoy it the way you want it. You Only Live Once! And remember, you're living the dream ... you own an early 911.

[Harvey Weidman]

I plan to keep the car, and leave it to my son in the future, and don't want to kill the value of the car due to changing to a quality hot rod.

Are you asking for the value of your car in 20-30 years? That may be a little tough.
I have been asked the same question for 40 years and my answer is still the same....
I would build it as you like and enjoy it...If you like it, chances are others will like it too, enough to pay back your investment.
I have never built a Porsche that I lost money on even though that was never the plan....

I have friends that spend 50-75k on a American street rod and sell them for peanuts and then they do it all over again....with a big grin.
We are fortunate that our hobby isn't like most others that have little or no return on the investment.
JM.02
H

[nckzck]

Hey Harvey,

No crystal balling.....I was hoping members would share knowledge of recently sold (the last 12 or so months) to establish a reference of current value for nicely modified cars, not future value. And I agree with your sentiments. Modifications done in good taste with quality parts at least won't diminish the value of the car. I just remember so many cars in the seventies and eighties where guys took an early car and "modernized" them or turned them into slant nose clones, and killed the value of early cars.

I will be ordering RS flares through a Porsche dealer (Anyone have a suggestion which dealer might have the best price??). And so, I will start down the slippery slope of modifying my car.

And I too have friends that have done the american hot rod builds, and lost a bunch of money when selling them. We all are very fortunate, as the prices of long hood cars has gone wild over the last 8-10 years.

[PMNorris]

I like the idea of having a sticky for modified cars in the cars for sale section as an interesting reference point. However, I am 100% confident that I won't get back the cost of modifying my car, but like the American Hot Rodders, I've never considered the resale value when starting my next project.

If you're buying a second hand engine, then make sure its in good running condition with decent compression. You don't want to buy an expensive engine only to find out there's something seriously wrong with it.