3/4/2015 Update: What a difference five years makes. Five years ago we featured this car and it sold quickly for under $50k, and Magnus commented on BaT under his own name and nobody knew who he was. His great orange SWB 911 hot rod is now being offered by the current owner in Mexico, who uses some of Magnus’ great old photos, and will deliver to Laredo, Texas. The market has moved, but we still love the car. Find it here on eBay with bidding at $80k and reserve not met. Special thanks to BaT reader Jim C. for this update!

From 1/10/2010:

This 1968 Porsche 911 has been given an exquisite 911R-inspired makeover by its current builder who has now decided to sell it after only very few test miles since the build (but only because he built two and he likes the other one even more). The car weighs in at 2050lbs and has been fully upgraded from drivetrain to interior to suspension. Find it here on PelicanParts.com in Los Angeles, California for $49,500.

We can take or leave the blue and silver hood and engine lid stripes, but overall there is very little to complain about on this car. The short wheelbase proportions, fantastic photo presentation, and well selected components make it speak for itself. The builder started with a straight California car that as a result still gets to wear its long time black plates, and a nice Vasek Polak dealer frame has been attached as the icing on the cake.

The twin-outlet sport exhaust looks purposeful and the early style taillight lenses set this car apart from the later longhoods. Inside the simple rollbar, full carpet, and brand new GTS seats look very inviting. The build looks Canepa-quality but for a fraction of the price.

The 2.2L motor has been substantially upgraded but the small displacement means it will keep the early 911 character and still need to be would up to keep this car moving well. The car has been sorted out with a track day at Willow Springs so we’re not sure if it is still as clean as shown below.

This is a great example of an owner with great taste who knows how to start with the right car. We’d think about some Euro headlights and a different wheel finish to make the car our own, but are sure that we would love the feel from behind the steering wheel the first time we’d meet. A new owner is going to be very happy with this one, and the asking price sure beats the headaches of building one yourself if an orange SWB hot rod is what you are after. We love it!