To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The Taj Ma
Garaj Collection event, 28 September 2019.
Estimate:
$1,500,000 - $2,000,000
- Extremely rare and desirable "Four-Cam" GS/GT Speedster
- Original matching-numbers 1500 GT engine
- Delivered new through U.S. distributor Max Hoffman
- Fully restored to the highest level; includes rare steel
Speedster hardtop
- Kardex, Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, and history file
included
Porsche's brilliant and immortal 356 Speedster has become one of
the most collectable sports cars in history, but even in that very
select group�barely 4,000 were built over five years�the most
exotic were the handful powered by the complex four-cam engine
designed in his spare time by a young factory engineer named Dr.
Ernst F�hrmann. His colleagues nicknamed it the "Drawer Motor," as
F�hrmann had not been authorized to work on such a project and
would slip his drawings into his desk drawer whenever Dr. Porsche
would enter the design office. When F�hrmann put his pencils down,
this marvelous engine was a fait accompli, and his employer was
delighted.
F�hrmann's masterpiece, an alloy-cased, DOHC engine with its
roller-bearing crankshaft, was designed as a full-on racing
powerplant, its valve train operating through a system of multiple
shafts and bevel gears driven off the crankshaft. It utilized
dry-sump lubrication and dual ignition, with a pair of distributors
being driven off the intake cams and a pair of switches on the
dashboard allowing for individual testing of the twin coils. The
"Four-Cam," as it is popularly referred to today, first appeared in
the company's mid-engined 550 Spyders of the early 1950s.
Developing about 110 horsepower at 6,200 rpm in racing tune,
roughly twice the output of the company's similarly sized pushrod
engines, this intriguing 1.5-liter powerplant would take on the
punishing Carrera Panamericana road races of 1953, 1954, and
1955.
After proving itself as a giant killer in Mexico, Porsche installed
a slightly de-tuned version of the racing Type 547/1 engine�now
known as the "Carrera"�in road-legal 356 coupes, cabriolets, and
some Speedsters, dubbing them the "GS." Higher-tune GT engines with
increased compression and more radical cam timing were made
available for owners who wished to race.
Offered here is a wonderfully restored example of a Carrera 1500 GT
Speedster, believed to be one of only 12 to leave the factory in
this configuration. Its factory Kardex contains very little in the
way of detailed production information, other than to list its
original chassis, engine, transmission, and the key and lock
numbers. The Kardex reflects one service carried out on 25 October
1957 at Max Hoffman's dealership. The authoritative
Heinrich/Sprenger volume on Carreras reveals that this Speedster
was completed on 23 July 1957 and delivered to Max Hoffman in New
York in "lightened" form. The Speedster was finished in Silver
Metallic with a Black leatherette interior; the front floor was
covered with black rubber mats, while the rear floor area was
covered in "crushed black vinyl." The deep Speedster bucket seats
with aluminum frames included Beige (Perle) corduroy inserts. The
thin black canvas folding top with its bows was completely
removable. A pair of matching side curtains and a tonneau cover
would have been standard equipment. Interestingly, this car was
fitted by its most recent owner with an extremely rare steel
Speedster hardtop with a wraparound three-panel rear window. John
Dixon claimed to an interviewer that perhaps no more than four or
five of these hardtops are known to have been produced and
sold.
Although it is duly listed in the Heinrich/Sprenger tome, little is
known of this car's early history prior to the early 1980s, when it
was acquired by noted four-cam authority Weldon Scrogham, now
living in Waynesboro, Virginia. According to a Bill of Sale dated
28 December 1981, Scrogham sold the car to import service shop
owner Reid Vann in St. Louis, Missouri. At that time it was lacking
its original engine, number 90858. The Bill of Sale included
handwritten notes regarding the prior owners of the correct engine.
Mr. Vann traced the correct engine to another individual in an
attempt to reunite it with its original chassis, though he was
unwilling to sell at the time. Vann then reached out to the late
four-cam expert Al Cadrobbi in California, who supplied a
series-correct and slightly later engine, number 90869. Vann also
mentioned that he had new floors installed.
On 8 January 1988, Vann sold the Speedster to James W. "Bill" Brown
of Lincoln, Nebraska, who commissioned Joe Harris of Rockford,
Illinois, to finish the metalwork and repaint the car. The interior
restoration was sent for completion and the car offered for sale in
1995. The car was described as restored, but with engine number
90869. The sale included the original case (90858 GT), acquired
from Dick Koenig of the Rocky Mountain 356 Club. Brown stated that
the car had never been wrecked or damaged and had been driven an
enjoyable 10,000 miles since Cadrobbi rebuilt the engine (90869).
He also noted that the car had new floors, longitudinals, battery
box, and rockers. However, the car did retain its original panels,
doors, and decklid, and had its original GT interior, parts, and
small bits, and was mechanically sorted.
Long-time Ohio Valley PCA member and veteran 356 owner Dick Weiss
inspected the Speedster on behalf of John Hanning of West Chester,
Ohio. Brown listed the GT equipment fitted to the car, including
the GT-specification engine, 60 mm ventilated front brakes,
ventilated 4��15-inch alloy/steel wheels, 80-liter GT gas tank,
lightweight GT interior, GT bumper trim, no heater, rolled front
and rear body edges, and no exterior Speedster trim. Although Weiss
listed transmission number 23509 as being included, he noted that
the original transmission, 15632, was rebuilt to original
specification. The matching-numbers engine and gearbox were
subsequently reunited and are in the car today. He also mentioned
the standard equipment and that the odometer read 12,500 miles at
the time. That apparently satisfied Mr. Hanning, who purchased the
Speedster in 1995.
The following year he commissioned extensive transaxle work for
$2,450. In 1998, the car passed from Hanning to John Dixon at the
Taj Ma Garaj in Dayton, Ohio. Dixon commissioned the marque
specialists at Die Werkstatt in Dayton, Ohio, to carry out a full
restoration that consumed three years, with the GT-specification
engine enjoying the ministrations of the renowned Bill Doyle at
Rennwagen in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. More recently, the car was
given a fresh restoration by Gary Kempton at GK Restorations in
Tallahassee, Florida. During his custodianship, Mr. Dixon acquired
the steel hardtop and removable rollbar.
This very desirable Carrera Speedster is presented today in overall
excellent concours condition. A recent inspection shows consistent
door and panel gaps, with superior fit and finish throughout. The
doors and lids close nicely with that wonderful thud that one would
expect from a concours-level Speedster. The hardtop fits snugly,
and the soft top still looks new. Dunlop Racing tires in 500 L/15
size are fitted to correct "open" lightweight steel-and-alloy
wheels date-coded "2-57." Included are a period-correct Blaupunkt
jack and tool roll, plus a rare "Touring" kit containing cables,
bulbs, fuses, and gaskets. Other rare items include the rollbar
(uninstalled), "Atlantis" braided tow rope in its original blue
vinyl storage bag, an original driver's manual with Carrera
supplement, a ...for more information please contact the seller.