While Porsche 911 prices are generally insane, the occasional car like today’s 996 comes around, perhaps making the case for mental clarity. Let’s see just how clear a deal this one really is.

In the pantheon of Italian automotive design houses, Zagato is the one that begins with Z. And while that may be the end of the alphabet, a $5,900 price tag made yesterday’s the start of something great. That was the obvious takeaway from the comments and the car’s 66 percent Nice Price win.

Lancia was once a major force in rally racing with the marque’s Scuderia Lancia workshop racking up Manufacturer Titles in 1972 and the Constructer’s Title in ’74, ’75, and ’76. More titles were earned over the ensuing decades and by the 1990s, the Lancia Delta had become rallying’s most successful model.

Another marque that vied for those same trophies by pouring money into special AWD hyper off-roaders was Porsche. The company’s 959 road car was a homologation of the company’s 953 Group B rally car that vied during that racing category’s craziest years.

Today, Porsche builds the 911 Dakar, a raised and fender-flared special that pays homage to the 953 and by extension, the 959. The Dakar, however, starts at a cool $220,000 to purchase.

This costs a hell of a lot less than that. And, considering that it is vastly cheaper, throwing some extra cash at it to turn it into a proper Safari car wouldn’t be a crazy idea.

Alternatively, you could just leave it alone.

The car has already seen some work. The Burnt Orange color isn’t the factory hue but is instead a 3M vinyl wrap that the seller says has been applied to protect the black paint underneath. That protection doesn’t extend to the door handles or the engine cover spoiler, which are the most difficult and hence expensive parts to wrap. The ad claims that the bodywork and paint below the wrap are both clean, suffering no dents or other damage.

Other notable features on the car are the factory five-spoke 18-inch wheels that have been painted black and carry the full-color Porsche crest. What look to be aftermarket LED tail lamps come along for the ride as well. Up in the front, the headlamps are factory, but are in need of refinishing and one is missing its washer cap.

Things look to be in very decent shape in the cabin. The leather upholstery seems to be in excellent condition and the car even carries its original Becker head unit.

This is a Tiptronic car, which may be a turnoff for some, but that automatic is well matched to the 996’s 3.6-liter 320-horsepower flat-six. This is a Carrera 2 so it should have the entertaining handling characteristics that are muted in the AWD C4. If original, that engine has done a remarkable 187,000 miles and while that’s a lot for any car, it bodes well for the M96’s two bugaboos; IMS bearing failure and cylinder bore scoring.

The seller says the car has seen regular servicing and carries both a fresh oil change and new BFGoodrich tires. The title is clean and the reason given for the sale is a lack of room at the Inn for the car. The seller lists $15,000 as the price in the ad’s title. That seems to be a recent $5K drop since the seller calls it $20,000 OBO at the bottom of the ad. We’ll just go with the fifteen grand.

What do you think? Is this used but apparently not used up 996 worth that much as it sits? Or, does that price tag unravel your interest in this wrapped Carrera?

You decide!

Austin, Texas, , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to Don R. for the hookup!

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