Affect of mods on resale value Options

[bbrock]

I have a couple decisions to make soon on my restoration that could affect resale value of the car. So I'd be interested to hear opinions.

The car is a numbers matching (I'm pretty sure - need COA) '73 2.0L so on paper, very desirable. But it is currently a rust basket case, but becoming less so every day. I'm trying to restore it to a very high standard but it seems silly to think such a Frankencar would ever be a concours contender. I certainly have no interest showing it. But I am kind of a fanatic about originality with a few exceptions. I'm keeping the car very near original with a few "bolt-on" mods that are easily reversible like euro signal lights, reproduction parts for budget (no thousand dollar OEM interior light going in here), etc. The biggest mod is that the engine has been converted to carbs, including cam. But I still have the original FI and may start working on restoring that down the road. I'm contemplating a couple of mods that won't be so easy to roll back but I don't want to sacrifice potential resale value of the car. Below are the mods and my twisted rationale for doing them:

Delete Fender Warts - this is the biggie. I hate them and the warts I have are in bad shape. I hate to think of spending money to replace something I think is ugly and Porsche didn't really intended to be on the car. My rationale is that no warts and euro lenses ARE original in European markets. But if I sold the car, would that kill the originality premium?

Late style fuel pump location A PO relocated the fuel pump to inside the steering rack and did a crap job of it. I recently picked up a 75-76 fuel pump blister with the intention of cutting the firewall to relocate the pump the way the factory did. Makes sense to me. It's a factory improvement, right? But what would a buyer looking for an original car think?

Black anodized trim My car is performance group, but not appearance group so it has black bumpers which I like. Decades ago, I lightly sanded the scratched up window and targa trim and painted it satin black. I really like the look and am thinking of having them black anodized as part of the restoration. Or would it be smarter to go back to bright anodized to preserve resale value? Seems like this would be an easy one to reverse if someone wanted to.

I have no plans to sell this car but never rule it out. Just curious how far a person can deviate from dealer delivered original before the car loses that "all original premium"... And realizing that such things are impossible to predict.

[horizontally-opposed]

Older Porsches, unlike Ferraris in general and vintage Corvettes, seem to do just fine when modified—*if* modified tastefully with broad appeal. Translation, with rare exception: In a way that looks like something the factory might have done in a way it might have done it. A really well done 914-6 GT like Eric Shea's. Or a six conversion or real 914-6 hot rod done to a very high level. Or a 914-4 hot rod that's simply done really, really well. There are others out there who would rather have those cars than a perfect stock example, and will pay up for them. Some R Gruppe 911s and some 356 Outlaws meet this standard, as do certain modified 964s and 993s. There are other examples—and in some cases the cars can go for more than a stock example in similar condition with similar mileage. Pickled cars (ultra low mileage, as new condition) are another matter, and are generally king of the hill—save certain celebrity cars (McQueen 911S or 930).

So, to your question about the warts, I'd get rid of them with zero regrets (and did on my car). Porsche certainly did not view them as a visual upgrade, else it would have included them on all RoW cars. Those side markers were a compromise to meet US laws, and have never looked good to these eyes. Now, I wouldn't get rid of them on a perfect, all-original 914, but I have no interest in owning a perfect, all-original 914 (unless it's a 914-6 GT!).