Unbelievable 1971 Porsche 911 Targa Found Abandoned on the Streets of Paris
We just can’t stop getting excited about incredible and rare cars being rediscovered. It’s even cooler when these vintage cars have the right kind of look. If you check out barn find stories, you’ll see that some are cool and valuable but don’t have “the look.” This Parisian 1971 Porsche 911 Targa has “the look” – the amber-lensed rally lights, the perfectly dusted orange paint, and the small pockets of minor damage all add up to one hell of a “barn find.”
What is a Porsche 911 Targa
Aside from the semi-abandoned state, this Porsche 911 is of the Targa variety, which is double cool. The Targa top debuted in 1965. A Targa top is essentially a removable front section of the roof with a glass section of the rear of the roof that allows you to see in and see the rear-mounted engine. That said, Porsche didn’t invent the Targa top, although their name for it is probably the most widely used. While this isn’t most people’s favorite spec, it is rare and uniquely cool for the line. Interestingly, a rumor was in the air around the time of the debut of the Porsche 911 Targa that suggested that the American DOT might ban European convertibles. It is no coincidence that this rumor coincided with the release of Ralph Nader’s book Unsafe at Any Speed.
According to Silodrome, Porsche nearly used the name “Flori” instead of Targa. The name comes from the Targa Florio road race, which Porsche seemed to win quite often. Head of Domestic Sales, Harald Wagner, thought Targa was a better name, so the name stuck.
Where was this 1971 Porsche 911 2.2 Targa found?
The story of this car starts sometime in the ‘90s. The car was left destitute, living on the streets of Paris – a place known for being particularly hard cars. Sometime in the 2000s, the little Singal Orange (original paint) Porsche was kindly moved into a parking garage where it has lived out its rough years until now. Supposedly, the car last ran in 2000. Dented, rusty, and all-around battered, it’s fairly needless to say, this thing will need some serious work to get back into fighting shape.
How much will this vintage Porsche sell for?
Vintage Porsche prices have exploded in the last handful of years. While this little ripper has some very cool original features like auxiliary lights, paint, and Fuchs wheels, the original engine was removed and replaced with a 1970 911 E 2.2 Sportmatic. The car also seems to have had its original five-speed replaced as well, although we aren’t sure with what. Because of the condition, but mostly because of the changed parts, this Porsche isn’t likely to fetch the big bucks that an original car like this might.
That said, there is a growing love of Porsches like this for builders to follow in the footsteps of Magnus Walker and his Outlaw Porsche aesthetic. Chances are, someone will buy this Parisian Porsche to build a hot little custom 911.
If you are interested in the car or just learning more about the details of this vintage Porsche, check out the listing here. The car is for sale out of Espace Champerret in Paris with a price guide of €25,000 – €35,000.
