The Porsche 959 is a technological tour de force and iconic blue-chip collectible that should require no introduction. Originally developed for Group B homologation, the car faced some development headwinds but eventually triumphed in rally in 1985. Only 337 were built, making them rather rare. While available in the USA now under the 25 year import rule, acquiring one will set you back well over $1 million. Today’s Good Find Friday feature will attempt to answer this question: Is a Porsche 959 replica a good buy?

The Porsche 959’s construction was impressive for a rally car and revolutionary for a road car. The body was a combination of aluminum, Kevlar, and Nomex. It was powered by a fuel-injected, twin-turbocharged flat-six producing around 440 horsepower. Forced-induction was sequential, meaning it provided smooth power across the rev range. Six gears plus reverse were available to put the power down, and thanks to its all-wheel drive system that power was sent to all four wheels. Lightness obviously being an imperative, the alloy wheels were a lightweight magnesium alloy.

The 959 is clearly identifiable as a Porsche, but its sumptuous bodywork is obviously designed to accommodate its sporting features and meet aerodynamic goals. A wide stance, deep side sills, and a beautiful integrated spoiler set the car apart from your average 911. The Porsche 959 road car had 2 levels of trim, Komfort and Sport which offered differing levels of luxury. Production of the 959 ceased in 1988, but 6 more cars (some say 8) were built from spare inventory in Zuffenhausen in 1992-1993 and all of them were Komfort cars built for one collector and a friend.

Today’s feature car is a 1975 Porsche 911 Targa that has been converted to a 959 replica using fiberglass components from an unnamed kit company. It’s being listed by a private seller on Facebook Marketplace with a current asking price of $29,000.

Let’s get the first bit out of the way: ALL Porsche 959 cars were coupes. The factory never built a Targa or cabriolet variant of the 959, though at least one custom coachbuilt ‘Speedster’ 959 was built to a very high standard (it was not a kit car).

I’ve seen some 959 replica body kits that have pretty atrocious proportions compared to a genuine Porsche 959, but this car’s proportions actually look OK to me, though the photos aren’t terrific. Some aren’t a fan of the shape of the Targa, and it definitely differs significantly from the 959’s coupe-based shape, but I kind of like it.

Some of the body seams on the real 959 don’t appear to be present here. The headlights are definitely a significant departure from the real deal, being deeply inset to the body. Perhaps a 993-style headlight could be fitted and appear more genuine.

What’s interesting is this car was apparently featured in Kit Car Illustrated magazine back in 1987, complete with a very sassy 1980’s model posing inside the car. The vintage polished mags have been replaced with Cup 1-style Porsche wheels, which look a lot more appropriate on this car.

The racing side mirrors visible in the magazine shots have been replaced by what look like standard 911 mirrors from a later G-body. They look better, but lack the streamlined curves of the 959 mirrors.

The rear looks pretty good compared to the real article, with some slight differences such as the round instead of oblong tail pipes. A little work here could get you even closer in appearance to a real Porsche 959.

Inside the engine bay lies a 3-liter engine from a 1982 911SC. The ad says “Carrera” but I’m sure that’s wrong. The engine appears to be missing its heater pipe, meaning the car probably doesn’t have heat on the inside. Since a 1975 911 would have had a 2.7-liter engine, any interested buyers should investigate the quality of the swap here. An included video does show the engine running, so that’s a plus.

Personally I’d love to see a replica like this built out with a crazy engine setup that befits the car’s style. The SC engine put out 180 horsepower, far down from the 440hp from the twin-turbo lump in the real 959.

The interior is pure stock ‘75 911, which isn’t necessarily a big deal as the real 959 was basically the same, just with some special touches like leather seats in Komfort spec and a deep center console. I think it could be huge fun to bring this car’s interior up to par with its inspiration.

What is the market price for something like this? Well, a stock 1975 911S would be worth about $58,000 on average, with great examples reaching prices in the $100,000 range. There are actually some decent, if not copious, comps for 959 replicas we can reference. The prices achieved in the market seem to vary greatly, based on condition, the base platform vehicle the replica is built on and in what variant.

The most recent sale is actually from just a week ago. A 1983 Porsche 911SC / 959 replica sold on Bring a Trailer for a very impressive $92,959. The body on this seems quite similar to the 959 featured here, but the Bring a Trailer car’s condition, color combo, and fidelity to the real car may have resonated with buyers.

Older sales, such as this  have hovered in the $30-40,000 range for cars in good cosmetic and mechanical condition. This 1971 Porsche 911T Cabriolet 959 replica hammered for $44,000 at Barrett-Jackson just last year.

As I’ve mentioned before, I tend to shun replicas as they are a pale imitation of the real thing. There are some replica cars I wouldn’t mind owning, and for some reason this car speaks to me. Maybe it’s the 80’s magazine cover history or the fact that I just love Targas, but I would own this car in a heartbeat — but as a fun toy, not an investment.

Would I pay $29,000 for this car? Well, the originality of the base 911 has been marred, making the 911 underneath all that fiberglass worth something like $20,000 on the best day. Given seller’s notice that the car needs TLC, and that’s probably very true, my rational brain would be more apt to jump at this in the high teens.

I like cars that seem like they’d be a lot of fun not only to drive, but build up and work on. My animal brain loves this thing and would probably buy it for the current list price, so I’d better move on.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisal and auction services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. We also provide importation services. Give us a call or drop us a line!