Auction Block: 1965 Porsche 356C Coupe Project

Considered one of the best automotive designs of all time, the Porsche 356 is nothing short of an icon, with clean examples routinely fetching sums well into six-figure territory at auction. So, while it’s a markedly more involved process, one more affordable path to 356 ownership — aside from purchasing a replica kit — is to buy a tired and decrepit specimen and bring it back to life through a ground-up restoration. And while these barn-find-style examples seldom surface for sale, one 356C that’s particularly in need of a nut and bolt restoration has just popped up on Bring a Trailer’s online auction block.

This 1965 Porsche 356C Coupe Project comes cloaked in Karmann-manufactured bodywork that’s finished in a green livery — which is not the car’s original factory paint. Because this ’65 specimen was purchased as a project, it’s already been partially torn down, with a plethora of parts already removed. In the Porsche’s rear engine bay sits an air-cooled 1.6L flat-four that was plucked from an earlier 1960 356B and has been paired with a four-speed manual transaxle. Inside, the Porsche has been largely gutted as well, though it does still boast its original driver’s seat and a factory instrumentation setup with a center-mounted tachometer, a five-digit odometer, a 120mph speedo, and fuel level and oil temperature gauges. The sale also includes a box of various parts including the 356C’s passenger seat, door panels, bumpers, door handles, carpeting, windows and trim, and a myriad of other miscellaneous components.

This 1965 Porsche 356C Coupe Project (chassis # 131823) — which is showing 85,000 miles on the odo — is currently being offered on Bring a Trailer by Legendary Motor Car in Georgetown, Ontario, Canada, where (as of the time of writing) bidding has reached $4,000 (with seven days remaining on the sale).

Purchase: $4,000+