Maxim Vintage Car Shopper: 1969 Porsche 911S
A perfect early 911 comes at an astounding price.
The Year: 1969
The Model:Porsche 911S
The Drivetrain: A 2.0-liter flat-six engine (hung out over the rear axle, of course) rated at 170 horsepower routed through a 5-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels.
Favorite Five Points:
– Today, most 911’s delivered are painted on the gray scale, but in the sixties, this rich tangerine color was a popular pick.
– 1969 was the first year that 911’s came with a slightly lengthened wheelbase, for better handling and ride comfort.
– The thoroughness of the restoration means whoever ends up with this car will have purchased an experience no one has had in fifty years—that of sitting down in a brand new 1969 911S.
– The interior is black leatherette with houndstooth inserts, so you get a couple of free, vintage chairs with your 911.
– The five-spoke Fuchs alloys are iconic and came with this car.
Quirks:
– Vintage Porsches have a huge following but are themselves quite small—as in, half a foot shorter than a modern VW Beetle. Anyone buying a 911S should be prepared to be dwarfed on modern roads.
– Driving a car with an engine over its rear wheels will always be somewhat like piloting a large pendulum—tread carefully.
– This car had no trunk but a spacious frunk (front trunk).
– Honestly, we’re struggling to find faults in this particular car, except…
Good Buy:
The price. While the surging vintage 911 market has made it difficult to be a skeptic, we’re still have trouble with the $265,000 asking price. For context, a Condition 1 car (as this is) in 2005 was valued at around $36k; today, a Condition 1 911S is valued at $209k. On one hand, you could argue that such a dramatic rise means that insurance companies and blue books are behind real-world value. That might be the case, but we’d still make an offer for this piece of perfection that was around $210,000. Regardless, having the best 911S in the country is worth quite a lot.
Photos by www.early911specialist.com