Vehicle Description
1959 Porsche 356A T2 Sunroof Coupe
• VIN 106778
• Engine No. 73343 - Matching
• Transmission No. 26534 - Matching
• Completed on March 3, 1959
This is the final and most revised iteration of the 356A, a
beautiful T2 Coupe that was special ordered from the factory with a
'Golde' Sliding Sunroof. Originally delivered in Meissen Blue
(color code 5703) over Red leatherette upholstery. Factory options
include Sealed Beam Headlights, 'Golde' Sunroof, USA Bumpers, and
Dunlop Tires.
This 356 was restored in the San Francisco Bay area about 15 years
ago, finished in Aqua Marine Blue Metallic and it does have a few
paint imperfections with excellent gaps and panel fit. Overall it
is in excellent driving condition. The upholstery is in beautiful
condition with Oatmeal German square weave carpets and Tan CoCo
mats. A factory steering wheel sits ahead of the VDO
instrumentation with matching escutcheons and a Blaupunkt radio.
The decks are original to the car with 778 stampings in the factory
locations. The wheels are painted silver with baby moon hubcaps and
165 80 R15 tires. The undercarriage is in great condition and is
solid and rust-free.
Powered by the matching numbers 1600cc flat-four engine (type
1600), the top end of the engine was rebuilt and runs phenomenally
paired to a smooth-shifting 4-speed manual transmission (type 716)
with four wheel drum braking system. Complete with jack, spare
wheel, and owner's manual. This is the last year of the 356A and it
is truly one of the best 356As to drive. One of the most desirable
356s and these are indeed getting very difficult to find!
Specification
• Independent front suspension with laminated torsion bars
• Parallel trailing arms
• Tubular shock absorbers
• Independent rear swing axles with torsion bars
• Tubular shock absorbers
• Four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.
• Wheelbase: 82.7 in.
History 356A October 1955 - September 1959
In late 1955, with numerous small but significant changes, the 356
A was introduced. Its internal factory designation, "Type 1", gave
rise to its nickname "T1" among enthusiasts. In early 1957 a second
revision of the 356 A was produced, known as Type 2 (or T2).
By 1958, all pushrod motors were 1600cc. The suspension changes
introduced on the 356A resulted in the most significant improvement
to the 356's handling during the entire 356 production run. In
addition to the front anti-roll bar introduced near the end of
pre-A production, oversteer was further tamed by adding softer
front springs, stiffening the anti-roll bar, and doubling the
caster angle. The understeer was engineered into the chassis with
updates to the steering linkage and softer rear suspension. Longer,
more vertical rear shocks were also added. The wheels were widened
to 4.5 inches and the diameter decreased to 15 inches rims. The
windshield was now curved instead of bent. The dashboard was flat.
Body styles included Coupes and Cabriolets and two types of
Roadsters, the iconic Speedster, and its successor in 1959, the
one-year-only Convertible D.