I left Raleigh in dismay. I hadn’t seen this coming. The 1964 356 Cabriolet I was looking at was a tale of two cars. The paint, interior, and everything seen from above looked really nice. But, when they put the car on a lift, the underside was in horrible condition. It ended up having significant rust. And even that is an understatement. The undercarriage was rotted from one end to the other.

I left Raleigh, simultaneously being thankful for having gotten the prepurchase inspection, and at the same time heart broken that the car was not for me. The 8-hour drive home gave me time to think. Maybe I needed to slow down a little, I thought. The right car would surface. In due time.

Before I got 100 miles outside of Raleigh, I remembered a text a friend had sent me about a 356 that had failed to make reserve on Bring-a-Trailer. I pulled over and started to go through my text messages to find the information.

When I located the ad for the car, I remembered why I hadn’t given it too much attention. The 1965 356 Cabriolet was in Michigan! I have only been to Michigan once before, and knew it wasn’t very conducive to taking a quick look at the car. Also, it was listed with a broker. I imagined that making the purchase process a hassle. But, leaving Raleigh empty handed, I decided to give the broker a call.

I was pleasantly surprised that the call went well. It was a two-owner car. The Signal Red 356 had been owned by the seller, since 1975. Engine rebuilt in 1998. A fairly clean driver. The asking price was $125,000, a little out of my price range. But close enough that it seemed worth exploring further.

So why did it not meet reserve on Bring-a-Trailer? The story was that the seller’s son listed it up for auction, with dad’s permission. However, there was some cracked paint on the right front of the car, and they didn’t have a Kardex to determine if the engine was numbers-matching. The car got as high as $98,000, and the auction closed, short of the reserve. The broker didn’t disclose the reserve amount. But, I am guessing it a little higher, maybe at $100,000.

Over the next few days, the broker sent me more information about the car. About 114,000 miles. Big bore kit installed when the engine was rebuilt. Always garaged. Only saw rain two times in 40 years. You know the routine.

None of that matters, though, if the car is rusted out. Talk is cheap. The only way for me to determine if the car is the right one is to see it myself. Michigan, though? Really? Ok, fine. Let’s go to Michigan.

Read the next part of the story HERE.