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

[Johny Blackstain]

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)

[Coondog]

Other then a couple original 6s that were at the Sierra Madre and Phoenix Club events I saw more 6 conversations then stock 914s. For me it was a pretty easy decision, 70 RWHP vs 212 RWHP.

[eric9144]

@Rufus just my 2 cents, sell your real /6 to someone who wants to put in the $$ and effort to have a restored factory 6, take the proceeds and go nuts on the rust free /4 chassis you have and turn it into the beast you really want to drive and enjoy the hell out of it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[horizontally-opposed]

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)

^ Nice car, and that paint is gorgeous. Your post is indicative of a decision faced by many 914-6 hot rod owners—and I hope relatively few will be cowed into "undoing" their cars. OEM steel flares on a real 914-6 may actually add to the car's desirability, and most "GTs" were built up from kits anyway—whether in period or afterwards. The flares are cool and desirable. And, since your original NB steel is gone, going back to NB is no more original than these—and those flares are now part of the car's history. Ditto for the rest. If you want to maximize your car's price for sale, that path is easy and will be boring to some: orange stripe/wheel delete, correct brightwork + bumpers, and period details throughout. You could do all that stuff in a weekend...and go back to how you have it just as quickly. A return to Irish Green would be the next step up, at which point the car would probably be highly desirable to a wider audience. But none of that speaks to value when it comes to who really matters—and your car looks great just the way it is. If you find 6405211, you could always just remove the studs and put it on a shelf—or build it up as a display engine for fun. Someone else can "restore" it later if that suits them. So long as you own that 914-6, you're the only nut that matters—and the rest of us can be thankful you've preserved a bit of 914 history the right way—by driving it.

My six conversion rarely raises as many eyebrows as wilder builds do (if any eyebrows are raised at all), which is just fine with me. There are a lot of little tweaks that I enjoy when I see them and/or think about what went into them, who influenced something along the car's path, etc. I love GT flares, but my car has remained narrow and part of the challenge became making it look "right" without flares. Way back when, that was driven by budget. As time went on, I suppose I could have flared it but I started to really like the original design once a bunch of little changes were made and I figured out how to fill the fenders. The car will continue to evolve, but one thing is clear: My 914 will never go back to "original" or "correct" in my time with it. As much as I respect original cars, this isn't that. It's a 250,000+ mile used car, and hopefully I can keep using it. So "period right" is good enough for me, and a fun bucket to play in. We've all got our ticks...

[Johny Blackstain]

^ Nice car, and that paint is gorgeous. Your post is indicative of a decision faced by many 914-6 hot rod owners—and I hope relatively few will be cowed into "undoing" their cars. OEM steel flares on a real 914-6 may actually add to the car's desirability, and most "GTs" were built up from kits anyway—whether in period or afterwards. The flares are cool and desirable. And, since your original NB steel is gone, going back to NB is no more original than these—and those flares are now part of the car's history. Ditto for the rest. If you want to maximize your car's price for sale, that path is easy and will be boring to some: orange stripe/wheel delete, correct brightwork + bumpers, and period details throughout. You could do all that stuff in a weekend...and go back to how you have it just as quickly. A return to Irish Green would be the next step up, at which point the car would probably be highly desirable to a wider audience. But none of that speaks to value when it comes to who really matters—and your car looks great just the way it is. If you find 6405211, you could always just remove the studs and put it on a shelf—or build it up as a display engine for fun. Someone else can "restore" it later if that suits them. So long as you own that 914-6, you're the only nut that matters—and the rest of us can be thankful you've preserved a bit of 914 history the right way—by driving it.

My six conversion rarely raises as many eyebrows as wilder builds do (if any eyebrows are raised at all), which is just fine with me. There are a lot of little tweaks that I enjoy when I see them and/or think about what went into them, who influenced something along the car's path, etc. I love GT flares, but my car has remained narrow and part of the challenge became making it look "right" without flares. Way back when, that was driven by budget. As time went on, I suppose I could have flared it but I started to really like the original design once a bunch of little changes were made and I figured out how to fill the fenders. The car will continue to evolve, but one thing is clear: My 914 will never go back to "original" or "correct" in my time with it. As much as I respect original cars, this isn't that. It's a 250,000+ mile used car, and hopefully I can keep using it. So "period right" is good enough for me, and a fun bucket to play in. We've all got our ticks...

Thanks for the praise and I return it to your red beauty. Looks like a factory six except for the exhaust.
I think I would box & shelve my engine if I ever found it because Irish Green with a Black interior is not my cup of tea. I got the car 13 years ago with the paint, flares, 2.7, side shift conversion & a hideous custom black/grey interior & have done my best to make her look like a 916. Ordered a COA asap & as usual it was very half-ass; no idea what wheels it came with which just adds to the dilema of how to restore her. I suspect it's an older hot-rod, figure early 90's since it's a 77 engine, OEM flares (both available in the 80's & 90's) & there was a history of different ignition systems on the firewall (Crankfire now).
As to her value however, it is what someone will pay but I wonder what ballpark because of "the patina" of being an older hot rodded six; now with OEM 74 cinnamon creamsicle interior (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Trying to read the market & get an estimate of value is tough because now I have to think of things like "patina & history" & figure that into the formula. Mostly I like the sound of the Webber's behind my head (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool_shades.gif)

[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. :-)