Car Number 2, where are you?

The search for the elusive under-priced 1962 Porsche 356b Notchback continues. Seeing as how I have no money for the car, and no where to park it, that's just as well. The journey is more fun than the destination, or so I'll believe until I'm cruising the PCH in my blue '62 Notch.

In the meantime, I believe I've found Car Number 2: a back-up car for when I've exhausted that week's Porsche classified ads, or when I lose all hope of finding Car Number 1.

I've posted about it before: 1954-59 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint. With classic Italian styling by Bertone, this was the first major production car by Alfa Romeo. Story goes, a bunch of Alfistis were sitting around a bar in Italy, thinking of their company's next move, when a guy walks up and jokes, "What, 5 Romeos and no Giulietta?" (Basically, the literati equivalent of calling it a "sausage fest.") In response, the Alfa guys dreamed up this beauty. In fact, Bertone's website claims that it was this body design that launched their company into the big leagues.

It's easy to see why: simple 2+2 design, nice curves, small tail fins, just enough chrome. With a front-mounted 1290cc four-cylinder engine, it's capable of 80 bhp, besting the 356 in power if not in top speed or handling.

Also attractive to me is the sticker price: whereas classic Porsches are currently over-priced, these classic Alfa Romeos are surprisingly under-priced. This may be explained by the large number of Giuliettas produced (40,000+), and the wide range of body styles. The "Spyder" convertible is a hot commodity, and the "Veloce" is this same car, but with some aluminum body panels to reduce weight. The desirability of these versions means a lower price for the normal "Sprint."

Check out this 1955 Giulietta, which sold for $23,000 recently. It's in perfect condition for me: straight, no rust, runs well but hasn't been restored. If it were 1/2 as nice at 1/2 the price, I'd forsake my Porsche dreams and become an Alfisti already.

The joke may, however, be on me. The huge demand for the Porsche 356 means readily available spare parts, how-to books, knowledgable mechanics and the awe-inspiring assistance and comraderie available at the 356 Registry. Becoming an Alfa Romeo owner probably means becoming close friends with my local classic import specialist, a thought that sends shivers down the spine of my wallet.

Still, it's a 50s car, so the mechanicals can't be that difficult to figure out myself. After some basic sorting and then consistent TLC, I'm sure it could provide years of happiness. Plus, it's got a useable trunk!

It's hard to argue with an Italian racecar. Especially one that'll fit (future) kids. As always, if you have one for sale, please contact me!

-----.


UPDATE:

Check out this amazing video of an early-model Giulietta in action! Also: Barbara says she likes the Alfa over the 356 ... maybe that's a green light?

And the winner is ...

The votes have been counted, the results are in, the election's over.




I know many of you have been waiting.




Holding your breath.




Hoping.




And now the answer is here:





Let me present to you my DREAMCAR:

The 1962 Porsche 356B T-6 Notchback

“It all started when I began looking around and just could not find my dream car. So I decided to build it myself,” explains Ferry Porsche of his decision to build the 356. I don't have the wherewithal to build my own, and so I was forced-- forced!-- to look around for one.

My long-standing favorite, the 1963 Volvo p1800S, held the title for many years. This was due to two factors: First, I always assumed that the coolest cars were prohibitively expensive. Second, the p1800 was originally chosen because of brand loyalty to my first (and to date most beloved) car, and I had never seriously questioned my teen-age choice.

When my father, through fortuitous circumstances, came to own a non-running 1967 Porsche 912, both factors favoring the Volvo came crashing down. I have always been drawn to the curvy European 1960s automobile aesthetic, and I began looking around at others besides the Volvo.

Of them all-- the Morris Minor, the MGA, the Alfa Romeo Sprint-- the Porsche 356 has triumphed. It has the best lines, the best reputation for quality, the best racing record ... And importantly for a sociologist, the best community of afficionadoes.

I'm a sucker for uniqueness, and so when I heard of the limited-run of Notchback cars produced by Porsche from 1960-62, my interest was piqued. I have long held a distaste for "fastback" cars, since I first saw two 1965 Ford Mustangs back-to-back:


Though my dad disagreed, feedback from friends and my wife have convinced me that my natural inclination should stand: weighted for my wife's vote, my blog poll has steered me where I wanted to go anyway. Notchback!

To complicate matters, Porsche released a Notchback 356 during the 1961 and 1962 model years, during which time a stylistic shift occurred. Though the mechanicals stayed the same, the body was modified. An additional vent grille was added to the rear lid. The front hood was squared off. A gas filler was set into the fender, precluding opening the front hood to fill the tank. The rear quarter windows pop-out. The rear window is wider, allowing for better visibility.


Notchback
--->

twin grill
--->




I think that the twin-grilles look more symmetrical, and not having to open up the hood to fill up the tank is a big bonus, especially because the hoods on 356s are notorious for "kink"ing when closed incorrectly.

Also, I prefer even-numbered years. 1962.

There were three engine models available for the 1962 Porsche 356B t-6 Notchback: the Normal, the Super and the Super 90. The most powerful, the Super 90, can be used for racing, and is too powerful for daily driving. The Normal is good, but seems too ... normal. The Super has enough "umph" to remind you that even though it's 40 years old, you're driving a Porsche!

So the major decisions have been made. Unfortunately, 1961 was the last year Porsche painted its cars my favorite color: Aetna Blue. An Aetna Blue car with a red interior looks sharp. Alas, the color was discontinued.











In 1962 the best color is Oslo Blue, which has a nice grey tint, but is ultimately too dark.







I think I would have to rebel and paint my car in Aetna Blue. This is actually a benefit for me, because I don't have to worry about buying a perfectly-colored car. It doesn't exist! I'd have to paint it myself.

And so there you have it. Only 1,048 of these cars were made from late 1960-1962, so there were probably only 500 of the 1962 t-6 model. Maybe 1/3 of those had the Super engine. We're talking 175 ever made.

The Notchback cars exist in the first place because Porsche had too many convertible bodies, and so they welded hard-tops on them, to sell as coupes. Apparently they were also toying with the idea of selling a hard-topped coupe, and the Notchback was supposed to test the market. Over the years, many of the Notchback models have had their tops cut off, as it's a convertible-bodied car afterall.

So, finding a 1962 Porsche 356B T-6 Notchback with a Super engine may be difficult. Luckily for me, most other 356 fans, including those back in 1961 and 1962, preferred the fastback over the Notchback. And so the Notchback has always been cheaper than the more popular fastback. So I have that going for me.

I do suffer from a bit of liberal guilt at the thought of owning a Porsche; owning a Volvo put me squarely in my favorite stereotype (latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading ...). Only rich jerks own Porsches, right? But I've found some of these cars for less than $10,000, and decent drivers for under $20,000. That's about the price of a used Honda. Plus, the 356 gets around 28mpg. It's not a Prius, but it's pretty good.

And so, now, I have a dream. I mean, ever since what's-his-name won the election, I have to have something else to yearn for, don't I?

1962 Porsche 356B t-6 Notchback. If I can find one for under $15,000, I just may have to sell my soul. Or my baseball card collection. Or my plasma. Not my books. In any event, I'd do a lot to own one.

The end.

Update

Update on the $4,000 car in the last post:

I said that it was crazy cheap.

It was sold within 3 days of being posted for sale.

A week later, and it's now up for sale by its new owner for $10,000.

Cheap and Unattainable

I found a 1964 Porsche 356 in Los Angeles for $4,000. It was a "project" car, but straight and rust-free. Everything was there, including the original engine. It was primer gray and needed a lot of work, but was a diamond in the rough.

My researches have led me to believe that this is exactly what this car should be worth. There is a market "bubble" for these cars right now, and they are selling for at least double what they should-- what they did sell for 2-3 years ago. An increase of 100% in 3 years is well above inflation.

What I'm saying is, I'll have to wait until the bubble bursts before I can buy one of these "dream" cars. This is too bad, as the best thing about the 356 is that, relative to other classic sports cars, they are/were within the realm of affordability. For instance, check out this amazing 1967 Jaguar XKE roadster for the low price of $42,000-- actually a really good buy.

By contrast, in a normal, un-inflated time, one can buy a decent, drive- able 356 or a new Honda Civic for $17,000.

So anyway, this poor guy in LA didn't realize that the market for these cars are over-priced right now. He sold it within a couple days of posting it, for what it should be worth ($4,000), instead of what comparable cars are selling for these days.

Actually, the closest I have found to this LA car is this piece of crap, selling for $15,000. Without an engine or trans- mission. Ha!

Poll extended!

OK so I just figured out how to extend the end-date on the oh-so-important Fastback-vs-Notchback poll. I'm trying to figure out how to modify the results, as someone told me he preferred the Notch, but he didn't click the button. Please, everyone, click the button! It's super-important.

So, as of September 19, the poll stands at 4-Fastback, and 3-Notchback.

Importantly, one of those in the Notch category is my wife, whose opinion, frankly, matters more than yours. I haven't decided yet on how much to weight it. But it has swung me over to 51% for the Notch, whereas before I was probably 60% Fastback (as you could tell by my calling it "sporty" and calling the Notch a "family sedan").

---

In other fascinating car news, today I ran across this 1955 Alfa Romeo Sprint. It had been on-sale for $29,000, but with no takers, it is now on ebay with a current bid of $14,000. Usually I don't go for these sorts of things, but that's primarily because I don't know much about these sorts of things.


Some quick research, however, shows that this is in fact a crazy-awesome car, and in pretty good condition. It's cheaper than the Porsche 356, too.

Check out the tail fins! and the stand-alone headlights (i.e., not integrated into the hood or front of the car).





<--- fail.






I'm a sucker for any car that has needless bumps in the front and the rear. Plus, a little chrome for pizazz. And I guess these cars are wicked fast, too. Alfa Romeo is known for being a high-end, race-car-type company. Sorta like Porsche.

So if nothing else, my futile search for a cheap 356 is exposing me to really cool other cars that are, well, still out of my price range.

---
update: Just found another one of these Alfa Romeo's on ebay here. The condition is exactly the type of project I'm looking for: no significant rust, straight, and complete. And it's priced accordingly. Right now it's up to $2,000.

Reality Bites

Le sigh.

I almost started this post with "So I just ran across this ad for a 356..." but then I realized that, well, I've been scouring the 'net for such ads, so the flippancy of that introduction would have been misleading at best. In any event:

So I just ran across this ad for a 356. According to the description, the car sounds amazing. Too amazing, in fact. It's a "numbers matching" car, which means that all the important original parts are accounted for, such as the doors, hood, engine, etc. They left the factory with numbers on them, so you can verify. Classic Porsche enthusiasts care about such things, and it really drives up the price. Do I care about such things? No.

Which is the main problem with this car: not enough is wrong with it. How can a fix-it type guy (i.e., me) expect to get one of these cars for cheap, if the decent ones are all in good shape, and the basket-cases are way too basket-casey? Where is the happy middle ground? The perfectly-restorable-but-not-too-bad car?

So why would I post this car, alone amongst all other too-expensive cars? Because this car is actually reasonably priced. It's on sale in SoCal for $13,250. More representative of the market for these cars is this one in similar shape, on sale in NorCal for $28,000. So what's wrong with the pretty red one above? Nothing. It's simply priced where it should be.

According to Porsche lore, these cars used to go for 1/4 as much as they do now. Currently, it's almost impossible to find one under $20,000, with the usual range being $35-65,000. Four years ago, by contrast, you could pick one up for $10,000. In 4 years the price has quadrupled.

Luckily for me, I can't afford one at any price. So I'm forced to wait until the market for these fine automobiles pulls a Lehman Bros, and I can buy one off some unemployed Merrill Lynch chump. In the meantime, I'll keep searching the web, hoping I can scam some little old lady out of "oh that old thing?" she only uses on Sundays to drive to church.

Speaking of old ladies, I recently ran across this picture of Janis Joplin's old Porsche 356, which was on display at the Whitney Museum's "Summer of Love" Exhibit. Sadly, I didn't get to see it in person.

<----the front



And this one of the rear ...











Don't believe it was hers? Here's a pic on her on it, in front of the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts.

When I finally get my 356, I'm TOTALLY going to re-create this picture.

Maybe without the hat.

Which Witch?

Hey faithful misanthropologisters! I've noticed that when I blog about politics, my viewership jumps to 20, but when I blog about cars, it drops down to 4. I'll try to keep it every-other.

Today, I need your help in answering a question. It's about cars. Feel free to click "back" on your browser. Or read down to my last political post.

Long-time readers of The Misanthropologist will know that I'm a little obsessed with the Porsche 356. Mostly, because it looks like a VW bug while also being sporty and fun to drive. But here's a question for us all. Which is better:
the coupe, the convertible, or the Notchback?

The first two are pretty easy to differentiate. The last one, the Notchback, is so called because the Karmann factory welded hard-tops onto the convertible (aka "cabriolet") bodies. So instead of the gentle slope of the regular fast-backed 356 coupe, there is a "notch," where the body hits the hard-top.

Some collectors prefer the Notchback, because it's rare, but also because it's really easy to un-weld the hard-top, and turn it into a (more-rare) convertible. Others just think it looks weird, disrupting the natural flowy lines of the car.

I'm not sure what I think. Here are two pics:

The regular:













The Notchback:











I think that the Notch looks more like a family sedan, whereas the regular looks like a race car. But then again, the Notch looks like it could have a removable roof. And, with some work, it could. Which would be pretty fly.

Yes, I'm thinking about this over-much. So what. It's not like I don't read the news or listen to Opera in the park or keep up with politics or read philosophy. I do all these high-brow things, plus I worry about whether I should covet a regular or a Notchback.

And I want to know what you think. Plus, as an aesthetic decision, all I have to go on are other peoples' opinions. All distinctions are social, as we well know. What's your choice? PLEASE vote on the top right side of the blog.

(ps: That blue is totally the color of my future car. With a charcoal grey interior.)