Hi,
First of all a caveat from this first time poster ... although I've owned/own several late model Porsches, I know nothing of classic Porsches nor about classic vehicle restoration, so please be gentle.
The story:
A good friend recently moved into what is politely referred to as a transitional neighborhood. He ran into a neighbor down the street who used to be a car salesman in the 80s or something who said that he has a 1967 Porsche 911S that's been collecting dust for decades that he'd be willing to sell.
So we decided to go take a look at it today. As you'll see in the pics the whole situation is out of a movie. It took about half an hour to remove all the crap on and around the car for us to take a look at it.
Here's the information I have.
- We don't think it's a 1967, nor a S, the title says 1966 and I believe they made just a handful of Ss in 66.
- 65xxx miles (for what it is worth)
- 5 speed
- VIN# 302038
- Engine# 902196
- We're told it used to be blue but had been repainted red.
- Rust everywhere. Not just in the pics you'll see but tons of it under the dashboard as well, so presumably everywhere we can't see. The interior is beyond shot.
So here are the questions I have, and maybe you guys can either help me track the answers or point me to someone that could.
1. First and foremost I need to find out exactly what it is. It appears that VINs of that period aren't as specific as the ones today so different trims and model years of the same model weren't differentiated. My understanding is that the people that give out the certificates of authenticity won't do it unless one is the titled owner. Does anyone know how to get a true reading on this VIN?
2. Equally as important is finding out if the engine number matches the VIN ... again, any help would be greatly appreciated.
3. Is it restorable or has it decayed beyond the point of no return?
4. Who are the go to restoration shops that this car should head to? I would like to talk to them before I buy the car to get an estimate on what it would cost to restore to concours level.
5. I've been looking at the Hagerty's valuation tool and a 66 in excellent condition is about $150k concours condition is about $200k. Assuming it is a 66 what do you think it is worth in its current condition?
6. Since the classic Porsche restoration world isn't one I know anything about ... is there anything else that I should be looking at and considering that I don't know about?
Fundamentally I need to know if I found something special and if it is worth pursuing, both for the fun of restoring it and driving it, but also as an investment.
Thanks.
Serge
The pics: