Americans buy world's cheapest Porsche for $850 in an absolute steal, wonder what the hell happened to it

The World’s Cheapest Porsche was picked up for $850, and now it’s being turned into the ultimate project car.

In a new video by the team at Donut, viewers follow the journey of a severely damaged Porsche 911 bought for less than the price of a monthly used car payment.

It had no engine, no interior, and barely any usable structure left.

The gamble was based on a hunch that there might still be something worth saving.

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This Porsche was listed for $850 by a man named Dennis Collins, who sells cars in nearly any condition.

The car had been buried under sand and debris at a concrete batch plant in Missouri after a loading mishap.

Collins expected it to sell for far more, especially since a similar car brought in over $7,000 just weeks earlier.

Instead, Donut’s Max managed to buy it for $850, making it an absolute steal.

Well, that’s what they initially thought.

Once the car was towed over 1,500 miles back to their shop, the full extent of the damage became clear.

Forklift punctures, twisted frame rails, and torn body panels hinted at a long and expensive road ahead.

Still, Donut brought in veteran Porsche restorer John Benson to evaluate whether the World’s Cheapest Porsche could be saved at all.

His assessment was blunt: restoring it properly could cost over $200,000.

Despite the discouraging outlook, Benson did find value in some parts.

A rare steering rack, an intact sway bar, and original alloy brake calipers could be worth several thousand dollars on their own.

These components gave the Donut crew their first sign that the project car might not be a total loss.

While the body was beyond rough, the bones held potential, at least to those brave enough to take on the risk.

To gather more insight, Donut visited Magnus Walker, the renowned Porsche modifier known for his custom air-cooled builds.

He encouraged them not to focus on originality but on imagination. In his view, everything could be replaced or reworked, as long as the passion was there.

The modular design of early Porsches made them perfect candidates for radical rebuilds, even starting from something as destroyed as the World’s Cheapest Porsche.

The team then took the Porsche to the Air Water show in California, one of the biggest Porsche events in the country.

Surrounded by million-dollar builds, the battered shell quickly attracted attention.

Crowds gathered around it in disbelief, learning it had been transported cross-country for this massive restoration attempt.

Reactions were mixed, but many believed the effort was worthwhile.

While the Donut crew still has a long way to go, the project car has already struck a chord with viewers.

The World’s Cheapest Porsche might be little more than a crumpled shell right now, but it tells a story about perseverance and vision.

It also shows just how far some enthusiasts will go to keep a car alive, no matter how broken it may seem.

From a bargain to a full-fledged Donut series, this Porsche for $850 is a rolling reminder that passion sometimes outweighs practicality.

The project car might never return to factory condition, but it has already earned a place in the modern Porsche scene.

And if anyone can bring it back from the brink, it’s the team who saw potential when no one else did.

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