Vehicle Description
-Black with Red interior, Tan German Square Weave carpeting with
Black soft top, Uprated 1720cc Flat 4-cylinder engine, 4-speed
manual transmission, Restored, Well-known Porsche collector
ownership history.
This Speedster is fitted with the 1600 Super engine. Aside from the
very rare Carrera Speedsters, only 494 of the more than 4000
Speedsters constructed, came with the 1600 Super making these very
desirable examples. With the regular 1600 Speedsters making 60
horsepower, the extra 15bhp from the Super was significant. This
Speedster was first delivered to The Hoffman Motor Car Company of
New York in November of 1956. It has been in collector ownership in
both California and the NY metro area. In 2006, the car was
purchased by Steve Sailors of Huntington Beach, California from
noted collector Frank Gallogly of New Jersey. Sailors, who competed
regularly in the West Coast vintage race scene, owned and restored
several significant Porsches over the years with this Speedster
included.
Upon restoration, Sailors decided to give this Speedster a creative
touch. The majority of Speedsters from the factory were White,
including this one, followed by Red. Only 141 examples left the
factory in Black, even fewer with a Red interior. As this Speedster
showed signs of an older restoration, the car was completely
stripped, all suspension components removed, and metalwork issues
repaired thoroughly and correctly. The engine (period correct
original Super, but not the original) was rebuilt and the gearbox
was also rebuilt to its original-correct factory specification.
Sailors planned on using his newly restored Speedster, therefore
the electrical system was updated to a more reliable 12-volt
system. The interior and carpets were completely redone, as was the
Black top, and a new tonneau cover was fabricated. The Speedster
was then purchased by notable collector, Peter Sachs. At this time,
the engine was rebuilt to 1,720cc big bore specifications by
well-known engine builder Marcovicci Wenz Engineering of
Ronkonkoma, NY, all receipts included.
Just as Sailors restored and imagined it, this Speedster is the car
of choice for a weekend concours or spirited driving and just as it
was meant to be back in 1956! This Speedster was traded to
Autosport Designs in 2018 and subsequently sold to a Porsche
collector on the East End of Long Island. Only used for summer
recreation, the Speedster was well maintained and serviced
regardless of use. This Speedster is complete with a copy of its
Kardex, tools, jack and spare wheel.