“The thrill of the chase.” One phrase that every car guy talks about when hunting down a car that he or she has been after for years. The chase that keeps you up at night thinking about that glorious moment unveiling hidden automotive treasures like an archeologist does earth findings. That time period when […]
“The thrill of the chase.” One phrase that every car guy talks about when hunting down a car that he or she has been after for years. The chase that keeps you up at night thinking about that glorious moment unveiling hidden automotive treasures like an archeologist does earth findings. That time period when a car first surfaces and four years later, you finally lay eyes on it. At the end of the day, it is all about the thrill of the chase resulting in every car guy’s dream; peeling that dusty cover off to unveil what is underneath, or peering through a barn door to see a forgotten piece of automotive history. That chase can take two days, or two decades. A client once told us that he was in search of a particular hidden car for 23 years and just recently discovered the pre-war Cadillac after tracking it through a chain of 4 owners! In either case, the hunt is always exhilarating and if you’re lucky; rewarding.
Finding this spectacular 911L was not years in the making; rather it was a short and fairly painless process but provides for a very neat, full circle story none the less. Like most of these stories, it all began with a simple call. A call that had us in the truck five minutes later with our GPS set to a little town called Lititz, Pennsylvania where a good friend had just received word about an old Porsche stuffed away. The two hour drive felt like two days due to eagerness and suspense. When we finally arrived, we were greeted by our friend and another gentleman who began telling a story about a blue Porsche 911L he had found in a barn. Little did we know, a week earlier, this same gentleman found another early 69 Porsche 911 in a barn just minutes away from the 911L. Two classic Porsche barn finds within ten minutes of each other, in the same town, found by the same person…such amazing luck!
When finally arriving and pulling back the big yellow barn doors, we were in absolute awe at what we saw, a very original, 1968 Porsche 911L. These rare cars were produced for one year only and were made for the US market because of emissions restrictions that did not allow Porsche to import the 911S variant. Typically, the 911L cars were highly optioned with “Luxury” items and retained a 911S engine only with lower compression. This car had some of the most interesting options we had ever seen; Wood wheel, elephant hide interior trim, and our all-time favorite Houndstooth seat inserts. Plus, it was finished in rare Ossi Blue and complete with tools, jack and spare.
After a bit of negotiation, we owned this dusty, mice infested 911L and were absolutely thrilled. “Leave the dust on it!” Adolfo (LBI Owner) exclaimed to the tow truck driver. With a puzzled look, the driver loaded the 911 on to his flatbed and we were off to Philadelphia. After only a few days sitting in the LBI Stable, a friend and avid Porsche/Alfa Romeo collector from out west fell in love with the options, model and dusty “as found” condition of the car. Just like that, it was sold. Off to a new home where it will remain sitting next to two other 68 911s. But the best part is; all three 1968 911s are within a month of each other on the production line and are finally reunited in the same garage after 46 years! It was simply meant to be…
Stay tuned for additional photos at lbilimited.com. Many more interesting finds coming soon!