Vehicle Description
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Cosmetically and mechanically restored to concours levels
Original color combination of Slate grey over red leather
interior
Zuffenhausen award winner at the 2009 Porsche Parade
Has Kardex and owners manuals
One of 310 Carrera 2s made in 1963
The Porsche 356 Carrera 2 was nothing short of an astounding
advancement of performance and technology when it was released for
the first time in 1961. This state-of-the-art performance didn't
come cheap, as it was the most expensive car that Porsche had ever
built. The crown jewel of the entire car, the 2-liter quad-cam
masterpiece of an engine put out an impressive 130+ horsepower, a
nearly 37% increase in power over a regular 356.
This 1963 Carrera 2 was completed at the Porsche factory on July
11th, 1962. The Slate grey over red leather interior 356 Carrera 2
was imported by Autogerma of Bologna, Italy. The first owner,
Giuseppe M., took delivery of the car on July 28th, 1962 to Parma,
Italy. The Carrera 2's Kardex shows that it was regularly taken to
be serviced, accumulating 32,311 miles in just 4 years (52,000
kilometers). The Carrera 2 would then move onto the second
documented owner on the Porsche's Kardex, Carlo La Spezia.
Sometime between Carlo owning the car and 1989, the car was
imported to the United States. Jim Wellington of Rennsport Werke
began restoring the car before offering it for sale. This included
a full mechanical restoration which included a major engine rebuild
of the famous 4-cam engine, transmission and other mechanicals. In
July of 1989 Bruce Smith of Berkeley, California purchased the car
and went on to own the car until 2005, becoming the longest owner
since the Carrera 2 rolled off the Porsche factory line. Reid Vann
of Ladue, Missouri purchased the car in 2006, using it very little
before Road Scholars of Durham, North Carolina acquired the car in
2007.
Understanding that the Carrera 2 was a very special car and was a
milestone for Porsche, Road Scholars decided to do a complete
concours-level restoration on the car. The entire car was stripped
down to bare metal, revealing that the original sheet metal was in
excellent condition and needed very little work. Autobahn Interiors
took the Carrera's original interior and recovered it in its
correct hue of red leather. The engine was rebuilt by four-cam
veteran Chris Powell, of Chris's German Auto Service. Each and
every system was thoroughly inspected and gone through to ensure
proper functionality and correct appearance.
Road Scholars finished the restoration of the rare and stunning
Carrera 2 in 2008 and took it to the 2009 Porsche Parade in
Keystone, Colorado. The Carrera 2 amassed a total of 296.2 points
of out 300, more than enough to nab the prestigious Zuffenhausen
Award for Road Scholars.
Now offered by Canepa, this 1963 Porsche 356 Carrera 2 represents a
special time for Porsche's development. The most advanced 356 ever
made, the Carrera 2 made a lasting impact and would change the idea
of what kind of performance could be packed into the timeless
design. Completely restored both cosmetically and mechanically,
winner of the famous Zuffenhausen award one of only 310 examples
built in 1963, this 356 Carrera 2 is the chance of a lifetime to
own a piece of early Porsche performance.
About the Carrera 2
Introduced in the autumn of 1961 at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the
2-liter Carrera II became the first Porsche production car to have
disc brakes. Numerous additional cooling vents were among the
recently introduced improvements, but most attention was focused on
the new 1,966cc four-cam engine. This produced 130bhp (DIN) at
6,200rpm, and while the Carrera's top speed increased only slightly
to around 125mph, there was a marked improvement in acceleration
despite the newcomer's greater weight, the 0-100mph time being cut
from 33.5 seconds to 27.2. The Carrera II had been introduced part
way through 356B production, and continued virtually unchanged
after the 356C's arrival in 1963.
The Fuhrmann-designed Carrera 4-cam engine, Type 587/1, with 130
hp, was very complex, and it took an experienced factory mechanic
using brand new parts nearly 100 hours to assemble. This was an
expensive venture for any car company, let alone one as small as
Porsche. The 356B Carrera 2 Cabriolet cost around $8,000, almost
twice the cost of a similar pushrod-engined Cabriolet, by far the
most expensive road car Porsche had ever produced, and probably the
most costly to build. As a comparison, a new Cadillac Eldorado
convertible cost just over $6,000. Obviously, this was a hard car
to sell at those numbers, which accounts for its scarcity and
exclusivity today.
'The car's acceleration is truly exhilarating,' enthused Road &
Track magazine. 'The clutch takes quite a bit of throttle without
protest, and when one finds that it is time for 2nd gear, down
comes the stick in a flick, more acceleration, and other cars pass
as in reverse. High up in the speed range this is it-the effortless
superiority of the true high-performance machine.'
- 1,966 CC DOHC Flat 4-Cylinder Engine
- Dual Solex 40PII-4 Downdraft Carburetors
- 130 BHP at 6,200 RPM
- 4-Speed Manual Gearbox
- 4-Wheel Annular Disc Brakes
- Independent Front and Rear Suspension