Ask a collector of any discipline about the vagaries of market valuation, and that person is likely to tell you that the truly unexpected windfalls are the product of oddball passion, not cagey speculation. Take, for instance, the now legendary 1958 Gibson korina-wood Flying V guitar. It was considered a failure at the time due to its space-age appearance, but models that once sold at a discount or languished in music-store back rooms have appreciated in value over the past five decades, to the point where one example traded recently for more than $1 million. It?s that same type of slow-burn nostalgia that often drives the collector-car market, elevating the value of once commonplace models such as this 1974 Porsche 914 2.0 to astonishing levels. Gooding & Company’s pre-auction estimate of $60,000 to $80,000?about 10 times the car’s original MSRP?may seem aggressive for a vehicle that was widely available for around $5000 just a decade or so ago, but the pedigree and condition of this particular 914 2.0 are unassailable. After remaining with the original owner for more than 30 years, the car was purchased by the Brumos Collection in 2003. Although the legendary Brumos Porsche dealership was sold in 2015, this car’s association with Brumos is a distinction cherished by Porschephiles.

Remarkably, the car has accrued less than 5000 miles since new, making it among the lowest-mileage private-owner examples?if not the lowest?on the continent and possib...