Replacing body panels vs. repair

[tuonor]

I'm considering a longhood that was restored over a decade ago. The paint is excellent (and has held up remarkably well despite the age of the restoration). However, reviewing the paperwork it seems a number of the panels were replaced at the time of the repaint (more than two or three -- quarters and fenders, door skins, the battery support, hinge supports and a few other smaller pieces). Given that this is a restored car, how concerned should I be about this? Does the panel replacement impact value if the work was done to a high standard? Or is it a positive if any and all corrosion issues were fully addressed. Would the value differ meaningfully from another restored example where the many of the panels were patched and reworked but with original panel-to-panel welds intact?

Many thanks in advance -- for someone who has dabbled only in late model porsches until now, this forum has been an incredible resource to learn about these amazing cars.

[CamBiscuit]

In the SWB cars where the panels were stamped with the last 3 numbers of the cars VIN, originality of the panels will increase value.

Probably not so much of an issue for the long wheel base cars.

[davep]

I agree with Cam that the matching number panels will add value when present. Replacing the skin on a door where the number is stamped on the inner portion could still leave it number matching. Proper repair of the body is the most important aspect however.

Welcome to this forum. Please introduce yourself.
Dave

[StephenAcworth]

The body shop at my local Porsche dealer told me that they (used to) stamp numbers onto panels in restoration...

[tuonor]

I agree with Cam that the matching number panels will add value when present. Replacing the skin on a door where the number is stamped on the inner portion could still leave it number matching. Proper repair of the body is the most important aspect however.

Thanks. In this case its a '73 so it sounds like there wouldn't be VIN stampings. Is there any way to determine if factory sourced panels were used as replacements? The seller has invoices for the restoration -- while the listed part numbers correspond to the factory pieces it seems like sites like Sierra Madre also reference the same numbers for reproduction panels. The restoration invoices also list "GRV" next to most of the panels if that means anything.

Welcome to this forum. Please introduce yourself.
Dave

Thanks for the warm welcome. As you can probably tell, I'm pretty new to the early 911 world. I have a 997.2 GT3 and owned a 996 C4S previously but this would be my first air cooled car.

I was for a time looking for a 993 C2S but never found the right one. A friend suggested I consider earlier cars if "raw" was what I was really after...a 993 would just be a joy to look at in the garage but is still a relatively modern experience. As I started learning about the variants of the air cooled 911, I got increasingly excited about the cars we discuss on this forum...2400 lbs...non-assisted steering...gearboxes that require timing and precision...simple...pure...raw...

Hence the search began. This forum has been a tremendous resource in many different ways...there is so much to learn.