Question on Valuations, Value difference: high end 914/6 conversion vs same on original 914/6 chassis? Options

[Rufus]

Hi Guys - I'm at a major crossroads with my project and need to brainstorm with others in the 914 community.

As a baseline, this very nice conversion sold recently for $72.5k. Here's a link:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=343405

If *everything* else was the same, except the chassis was an original 1970 914/6 chassis (not originally a 914/4), and also that the original drivetrain is long gone, how would the market value differ? Please consider in both cases what fair market value is, and ignore the possibility this recent sale was a smokin' deal.

Looking forward to your opinions ...

Thanks,
Bob

[Rufus]

I often wonder the value of my six since she's without her original engine, but it's still a real 1970 six with a 77 911S 2.7 in her. No idea what happened to the original motor, she's not Irish Green and is flared now with real OEM flares. I've got her original bumpers & engine lid in the attic (other top is from my 74... damned headliner keeps falling off). I dread the thought of finding 6405211 because I'd have to face the economic question of de-flaring & restoring the Irish Green & I like my hot rod as is (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool_shades.gif)

@Johny Blackstain “I dread the thought ...” First, your car’s amazing. I agree about ever finding the original engine / case for my /6. Luckily that’s quite unlikely. And if it ever happened, I also agree with horizontally-opposed that storing it away for future sale with the car would be the best idea.

@horizontally-opposed “We’ve all got our ticks...“ You hit the nail on the head w/ me. About 15 years ago, I completed an ERA Cobra. Although driving it was a blast, I could never escape the nagging awareness that although it looked very “real”, it was “just” a replica. That cognitive dissonance bothered me. Then more recently, I drove my 1974 /6 (conversion, obviously) donor car from SF where I bought it, to Rothsport in Oregon. I felt the same deflated feeling knowing it wasn’t a “real” /6 that I always felt about the Cobra. That’s the reason for wanting to quantify how much extra it might cost in the long run to start with the /6. ... I.e. how much it’s gonna cost to cure my tick. And finally, IMHO, your car’s probably the ultimate sleeper ... ever.

[horizontally-opposed]

@horizontally-opposed “We’ve all got our ticks...“ You hit the nail on the head w/ me. About 15 years ago, I completed an ERA Cobra. Although driving it was a blast, I could never escape the nagging awareness that although it looked very “real”, it was “just” a replica. That cognitive dissonance bothered me. Then more recently, I drove my 1974 /6 (conversion, obviously) donor car from SF where I bought it, to Rothsport in Oregon. I felt the same deflated feeling knowing it wasn’t a “real” /6 that I always felt about the Cobra. That’s the reason for wanting to quantify how much extra it might cost in the long run to start with the /6. ... I.e. how much it’s gonna cost to cure my tick. And finally, IMHO, your car’s probably the ultimate sleeper ... ever.

^ Yep, that's one tick I am glad I don't have—though I've never lived with a replica and had to explain it, either. To me (as an owner rather than a bystander) a thing is a thing—so its utility matters more to me than its rarity, provenance, etc etc. Does it work for me? The rest is sort of irrelevant. And thus ERA's Cobras and GT40s are deeply appealing to me...and probably offer me more utility than the real thing because they can be used without guilt, without fear of being stolen (or less concern, anyway), and with a bit more abandon. But...I can also see where having to say, "No, it's a replica." endlessly would become annoying. One difference between the two you mention, at least in my book, is that the ERA has nothing other than its looks to do with the real thing (and is thus a pure replica) while a 914-4 converted to run a six is still very much what it is: a Porsche 914, built on the same line as the 914-6 with the same parts save the finishing work for the 914-6 at Zuffenhausen. When people ask me if it's a six, I say "No, but it has a six" or simply "No" with a smile. Given your situation, and your tick, I can see why you are making the moves you are and asking for the input you did. I don't think there's a wrong answer here—either way, you end up with a great car. :-)