1958 Porsche 356A Cabriolet barn find sells for $230,000

A derelict 1958 Porsche 356A Cabriolet has sold for $230,000 at an online auction, after spending a quarter of a century abandoned under a Brisbane church.

The 61-bid auction culminated in a two-way showdown which saw a price increase of $75,000 in the final hour, before the $230,000 figure was finalised. Shannons – which facilitated the listing – originally claimed it was expecting "approximately $100,000 for the car." For reference, a brand-new entry-level 2021 Porsche 911 would set you back $236,300 plus on-road costs.

A spokesperson for Shannons told CarAdvice: "[This particular Porsche] is significant as very few were made in RHD, the car has an unusually long list of options including the more powerful Super engine, a factory hardtop and a set of original optional Rudge wheels. It’s also becoming very rare to find a Porsche like this in complete but unrestored condition."

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"It's hard to place a figure on restoring a car like this as it all depends on whether it’s done professionally or by the owner – I’d estimate anywhere from $100-300k to bring the car back to life," the spokesperson added. "The new owners, could of course, join the increasingly popular ‘preservation’ movement and keep the body and interior in original condition but rebuild the mechanicals and under body to return the Porsche to drivable condition."

The car is powered by a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre flat-four petrol engine producing just 44.7kW. This is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission.

The 0-100km/h sprint takes approximately 13.9 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 160km/h. A new 911 Turbo S meanwhile, competes the same sprint in just 2.7 seconds before maxing out at 330km/h.

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