In this article
- Key facts
- Why this 911S
- How it came to us
- Getting the body ready for paint
- What comes next
- Frequently asked questions
- What is a soft-window Targa?
- What makes a 1967 Porsche 911S special?
- Can a classic car bought in the United States be restored in Romania?
- How long does a full Porsche 911 restoration take?
- Where is Oldtimer Studio?
In March 2025 we bought a 1967 Porsche 911S on Bring a Trailer (opens in a new tab). It was sold at no reserve, as a project, with a trailer-load of spare parts and an honest description: damage in several places, rust-through and corrosion. A year and a half later the body is restored and ready for paint. This is the first part of its story.
Key facts
| Car | 1967 Porsche 911S soft-window Targa, short wheelbase |
| Chassis | 500321 |
| Bought | Bring a Trailer, no reserve, 14 March 2025, for $25,000 (lot #183,636, 48 bids) |
| From | A private seller in Tucson, Arizona |
| Came with | An assembled 911/08 flat-six, a second part-dismantled engine, a third engine case, a 902/01 transaxle, Weber 40 IDA 3C and Zenith 40 TIN carburettors, Recaro seats, spare body panels and trim |
| Status, October 2026 | Body restored, ready for paint |
| Workshop | Oldtimer Studio, Moara Vlăsiei, near Bucharest, Romania |
Why this 911S
The 911S arrived for the 1967 model year as the first high-performance 911: a 2.0-litre flat-six on Weber carburettors, 160 PS, ventilated disc brakes, and the debut of the forged Fuchs wheel. The same year Porsche launched the Targa, with its brushed roll bar, removable roof panel and a zip-out plastic rear window. That first version is known today as the soft-window Targa, and it was only built until a fixed glass rear window replaced it.
Put those together on a short-wheelbase chassis and you have one of the rarer early 911 combinations. It is also one of the most demanding to restore, because the Targa body has fewer places to hide a bad repair.
How it came to us
The car came from the family of its previous owner in Arizona. The seller's father had bought it as a restoration project and spent years collecting parts for it: spare hoods and deck lids, two sets of rear fenders, bumpers, lights, trim, green-letter gauges and Recaro seats. The restoration itself was never started.
The Bring a Trailer listing drew 207 comments and 48 bids. It was clear about the condition, with the damage and the rust-through photographed and described. What made the car worth it was the combination: a short-wheelbase 911S soft-window Targa chassis, and a parts haul that would take years to assemble from scratch.
From Tucson the car made the trip to our workshop in Moara Vlăsiei. If you are considering doing the same with a car bought in the United States, our guide to buying a classic car abroad covers transport, paperwork and the checks we would make first.
Getting the body ready for paint
A restoration lives or dies by the body, so that is where the work started. The shell was stripped down to bare metal so that every repair could be seen and judged before any filler or primer went near it. The corrosion and damage the listing warned about were dealt with the only way that lasts: by cutting out the bad metal and replacing it with new steel, then bringing the panels and gaps back to how they should be.
The result is a straight, solid 911S Targa body, ready for paint. You can see how we approach this stage on our painting and bodywork page.
What comes next
The next chapter is paint, and with it the choice of colour. After that come the mechanical work on the engines and the 902/01 transaxle that came with the car, and then reassembly with the spare parts the previous owner's family spent years collecting.
We will publish each stage here as it happens. Follow the series, or see how we restore Porsches in the meantime.
Frequently asked questions
What is a soft-window Targa?
The soft-window Targa is the first version of the Porsche 911 Targa, introduced for 1967. It has a stainless roll bar, a removable roof panel and a flexible plastic rear window that zips out. Porsche later replaced it with a fixed glass rear window, which makes the early soft-window cars the rarer of the two.
What makes a 1967 Porsche 911S special?
The 1967 911S was the first high-performance version of the 911. It had a 2.0-litre flat-six with Weber carburettors producing 160 PS, ventilated disc brakes, and it introduced the forged Fuchs alloy wheel. Early cars like this one also have the original short-wheelbase chassis.
Can a classic car bought in the United States be restored in Romania?
Yes. This 911S came from Tucson, Arizona. We restore cars bought in the United States, the UK and across Europe, and our transport service covers door-to-door US collection and EU customs clearance. Our guide to buying a classic car abroad explains the process step by step.
How long does a full Porsche 911 restoration take?
It depends on the standard of finish. A full Show Driver restoration typically takes 10 to 16 months, and a Concours restoration 18 to 26 months. An early 911 with rust-through sits toward the longer end. Our guide to restoration levels compares them, and the restoration cost guide explains what drives the price.
Where is Oldtimer Studio?
Oldtimer Studio is in Moara Vlăsiei, just north of Bucharest, Romania. We have restored classic cars since 2002, are endorsed by F.I.V.A., and handle bodywork, paint, mechanical and trim work under one roof. You can request a restoration quote online.
Photos
Tap a photo to enlarge it.