Fancy paying new Porsche 911 sticker price for a rust-eaten 356A?

Well, someone did just that! At a recent auction, this 63-year-old Porsche 356A fetched $230,000 AUD, surprising even the auction holders. Throwing in an extra $6,000 AUD would net the buyer of this rust bucket a brand-new 911.

With over sixty bidders fighting for the exotic ride, things were heated from the start, and only proceeded to get hotter when two bidders remained. The last hour of the auction saw the price skyrocketing by another $75,000 to a total of $230,000, way above the anticipated maximum of $100,000.

Getting the convertible restored would require extra investment between $100,000 and $130,000 AUD, according to estimations. Given that is had sat abandoned in a barn for 25 years, this is hardly surprising.

The 356A came rear-driven by a 1.6-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine rated at 60 PS (60 hp / 45 kW). A four-speed manual transmission delivered the power to the wheels, granting it a sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in around fourteen seconds and a top speed of 160 km/h (99 miles per hour).