To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The Taj Ma
Garaj Collection event, 28 September 2019.
Estimate:
$100,000 - $200,000
- One of just 749 1951 Pre-A "five-digit" Reutter coupes
- Very rare and desirable 356; in need of complete
restoration
- Ideal to return to original specification or as a unique
outlaw
- Thought to have possibly raced in period throughout Europe and
Mexico
- Includes copy of Kardex and Porsche Certificate of
Authenticity
As the calendar rolled over to 1950, the still-tiny German
automaker launched by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche only two years earlier
was just dipping its toe into greater production of a new
automobile. While it utilized many components from the simple
Volkswagen Beetle�which Dr. Porsche had also largely designed�it
would meet his definition of what a sports car should be. Although
the Type 356-001 was a one-off mid-engined roadster, the 356/2
coupes of 1948-49 were rear-engined, their body shells
hand-hammered of light alloy sheet over a wooden buck in an old
Austrian sawmill. These little coupes would help establish a
benchmark for high-quality automobiles that lives to this day.
A contract was received to construct 50 of these aerodynamic coupes
at Gm�nd before the company relocated to the outskirts of
Stuttgart. There, a modest assembly line and a handful of employees
stamped, cut, and welded sheets of steel into rolling chassis that
both Reutter and Karosserie Gl�ser would clothe in coupe and
cabriolet bodies. Mechanically, these cars, labeled Type 356/2,
were quite similar to those built at Gm�nd. Powered by 40 hp Type
369 air-cooled flat-fours of 1,086 cc, which were based largely on
their Volkswagen forebears, by 1951 these motors had been improved
with new aluminum cylinders with chrome bores and had dual
carburetion. Power rose to a still-modest 44 hp. For the first
time, Porsche adopted hydraulic brakes. The front suspension was
pure VW, and by then, tubular shocks were used at both ends.
Porsches produced in 1950 and 1951 are recognizable by their
two-piece, flat-glass windshields. The "Model 51" appeared in March
of that year, with chassis numbers expanding to five digits but
otherwise unchanged.
Recognizing early on that racing could help establish a broader
reputation and stimulate sales, Porsche accepted an invitation to
enter a pair of his aluminum-shelled racing coupes, designated 356
SL (for Sports Leicht), at the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans. One was
damaged in night-time practice, but the other, co-driven by Paris
Porsche distributor Auguste Veuillet and Edmond Mouche, persevered
to win the Sport 1.1 class and finish 20th overall, giving Porsche
the first of what would become an amazing string of wins at the
Sarthe. The 356 would quickly become a popular small-displacement
racer in both amateur and professional events throughout the
world.
Chassis 10681 is a quite early Model 51 coupe, the 150th of just
749 built at Reutter's shop in Zuffenhausen, right next door to
Porsche. Delivered on 26 June 1951 and sold new in Germany to
Frankfurt Porsche dealer Walter Gl�ckler, this little
Reutter-bodied split-windshield coupe is in need of a complete
restoration�but its rarity makes that very worthwhile. According to
its Kardex, it was painted Radium Green (R510), trimmed in
Grey-green leatherette (325), and was fitted with engine number
20217. The gearbox number was not recorded. The Kardex notes
extensive service entries listed up until 30 October 1952, with
40,000 km reported as per the factory records. It is thought,
though not currently confirmed, that Gl�ckler may have retained the
car and raced it throughout Europe.
The car was eventually exported to Mexico, and over the years it
was registered to a series of owners in the Mexico City area. There
is no information as to the fate of the original motor, but an
accompanying document dated 1966 shows an engine change from 30982
to number P3560163. The current uninstalled Volkswagen engine,
number 1080150, doesn't appear in the registration paperwork until
later in the '90s, showing that this car went through at least
three powerplants, suggesting a hard life in addition to its
battle-wounded body. A Spanish-language historical account
accompanying the car suggests that engine number 30982 was
associated with a Carrera Panamericana entry, but this claim has
yet to be verified.
There follows a period covering the 1970s during which ownership is
unclear, but registrations pick up again in 1985 with Sr. Fermin
Osnaya Rubio. The next owners were Willy and Karen Caso Priego
Koenig of Cuauht�moc, who bought the car in 1987. In late 1988 Mr.
Koenig wrote to Porsche seeking details of the car's history. It
appears that Sr. Koenig then prepared the car for racing, adopting
some of the visual details of the Gm�nd 356 SL racing coupe,
including wheel spats, louvered rear quarter window covers, and a
front air vent. Along the way, the car was offered for sale
locally, with remarks suggesting that this car had a Carrera
Panamericana history.
It was in this form that in 2004 it was advertised for sale on the
Samba website. The listing caught the eye of avid Porsche collector
John Dixon, who purchased the car sight unseen. It arrived in what
could charitably be described as "thrown-together" condition.
Fascinated by the possibility that it might be a veteran of the
Carrera Panamericana, Dixon sent the car to GK Restorations in
Florida, where disassembly began. It was found to be in rough
condition, with extensive structural corrosion. Several interior
wood trim items bear the last two digits of the chassis number.
This project is supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity, a copy
of its Kardex, Mexican registrations, factory correspondence,
historical references, and other documents and Bills of Sale
covering the years 1960 through 2004. There are also nine boxes of
parts taken from the car during disassembly.
It should be emphasized that there is at present no documentation
that this car ever ran in the Carrera Panamericana, although Mr.
Koenig raced it in its modified form in the 1990s. However, its
value is sustained by the fact that very few 1951 split-windshield
coupes survive in any condition, and a patient restoration should
appeal to the serious collector.To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/tg19.