It’s a car-nut cliché to be in love with the early Porsche 911. Before we even start talking driving experience or historical significance, just look at it. Today these cars are an endangered species, and you can’t exactly build a “new” classic. Except now it looks like maybe you can.
Some Porsche enthusiasts attending the Frankfurt Automechanika auto tech show this week spotted this complete, brand-new “long wheelbase longhood” early 911 shell.
Since just about every other part is available through aftermarket or new-old-stock suppliers, you could effectively make this forty-plus year old car new again.
The report from FlatSixes.com says this shell is the product of known Porsche sheetmetal supplier JP/Dansk, though the company does not seem to have released any official statement or pricing guide. That makes me want to hedge the report by reminding you this might be a “concept” or strict demonstration piece to tease customers about what might be possible.
We’ve reached out to Porsche for comment, as this might represent a blurring of the line between “aftermarket part” and “stolen IP.” If somebody were to sell a completed “new-old” car as a Porsche, they’d have to have the company’s blessing.
Porsche spokesperson Dave Engelman returned my inquiry and is looking into the matter internally, but said “The short answer is... these bodies would have to be licensed by Porsche AG,” in an email.
I dropped JP/Dansk a line too, but it’s already 9:00 p.m. on Friday at their HQ’s location (Denmark) so they’ve probably clocked out for the weekend already.
In the meantime, user “likesoldstuff” has posted a few more photos of the shell on the Pelican Parts Forum. It looks like, well, a complete shell. The poster doesn’t have any more details than I’ve written above, but other forum users appear to be speculating a price between $30,000 and $50,000.
Assuming this really is something the company’s going to sell and distribute to customers, the possibilities are pretty exciting for the vintage Porsche community and frankly anybody who’s halfway interested in cars.
Now I wouldn’t count on this helping your purist restoration project– after all, moving the VIN tag from your car to this new shell is legally shady at best here in the U.S.
But you probably could start from “scratch” so to speak and effectively create your own “original” kit car with as much fidelity to the period-correct product as you please. No more marring up classics to make your hot rod, and maybe someday a “cheaper” alternative to air-cooled Porsche ownership since the value of every original car appears to be riding a skyward rocket with unlimited fuel.