Original Cars:How many are still out there?, Where do you see the market in the future? Options

[EdwardBlume]

I have always been in the "do whatever you want" category for stock vs modified. As a former AX chair / instructor, I always thought I'd need a modified car to make me happy.

Now that's changing.

I have a flared 2.4 (3.0?) /6 and its a beauty.

I look at Dad's car and remember it for what it was. Stock. Add to the fact that all I really want to do is drive it around town, I've decided to take it back to stock at some point in the future.

Here's what I'll do:
+ Replace tires with SR 165s
+ Find real NOS wheel caps
+ Replace Tarrett sway bar with stock sway bar
+ Replace Eibach springs and Bilsteins with stock springs and rebuilt Boges.
+ Replace LSD transmission with rebuilt stock transmission.
+ Rebuild the original number's matching case with a 1971cc (vs 2056) and sell the 3K mi 2056 in it now.

Non-Stock items:
+ Roller bearings stay
+ Chrome bumpers stay
+ No tits
+ SSIs
+ The front sway bar was not a part of my car's build (partial appearance package), but a stock bar is going in.
+ Rear Hood Shocks - this will piss some people off, but I like this mod and its not worth reversing unless i decide to reshoot the car.

Call me crazy, but after years of wanting more out of the 914 than it was created with, I'm now wanting less, and wanting what it was created like.

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)

[somd914]

For 356s, just under 80,000 were produced over 16 years and was basically the birth of Porsche, thus a very special car.

It appears around 1,000,000 911s have been produced over 53 years, looks like perhaps 2,000 short wheelbase cars, and 80,000 long hood cars. The 911 is Porsche's icon. Mention Porsche to most anyone and a likely 911 pops into their mind, but not necessarily a 964, 993, 996, 997, or 991.

Approximately 118,000 914's were sold over a 7 year period and was meant to be the low-end model.

Numbers and production years speak to availability. Obviously with the 356 ending production in 1966, time has taken more of toll of availability let alone fewer produced.

Short wheelbase and long hood 911s are the most desirable, once again production numbers and age favor shorter supply.

I've noticed prices have stabilized or possibly fallen in the last year for SCs and Carreras as my son has been shopping for one.

Where will the collector market go? Who knows, but it doesn't matter to me. I do agree that original cars are always desirable, but as I mentioned in bbrock's Affect of Mods on Resale Value post, to me cars are personal as are houses, boats, etc and prefer to make them my own. Besides, all production cars are a compromise and can always be made better after the fact for specific purposes. I can say if 914's were commanding 911 or 356 prices, I wouldn't own them. Sure, I enjoy 914s, but for that type of money there are plenty of other cars out there that I enjoy more.

As for me, our collection will be passed to our kids, provided classic cars are still allowed on the road given our nation's ever increasing focus on safety, emissions, automation, etc. In the meantime I enjoy them and make them the way I want. For those who prefer bone stock, I appreciate seeing those cars, appreciate the time capsule perspective, appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that went into preserving/restoring them, however not something I want to own. But I'm glad we have options, for each their own, and I respect that.

[Dominic]

When it comes to original cars and value...I think this one just made 914-4 history: Looks like it sold at Auction for $85k (someone posted that on instagram..have not seen results from rmsothebys)

http://www.rmsothebys.com/mo17/monterey/lo...-914-18/1703704