Vehicle Description
From the inception of the marque, Porsche's success was largely
influenced by their conquests in competition from both privateers
and factory entries. Special variants of their production cars were
tailored to Porsche's clients who wished for a sports car that
could be driven regularly on the road and would perform at a very
high level at road races. With the rapidly growing popularity of
motorsports in the 1950s, the number of high-performance production
356 variants constructed with the racetrack in mind grew to meet
that demand.
Beginning in 1955, the 356 Carrera with Ernst Fuhrmann's potent
four-cam engine set the bar for performance in the model lineup.
356 Carrera models account for over 1,000 examples from the total
356 productions making them rare and sought after by collectors and
connoisseurs, but one version of the 356 is much rarer and few ever
come to market: the 356B Super 90 GT.
Only 14 examples of the 356 Super 90 were ordered and produced with
the lightweight GT package for racing- just five examples in 1960
and nine in 1961. All 14 examples were constructed as Carrera GTs
and were prepared to receive the 1600cc four-cam engines but given
the tremendous expense to develop and produce the complex engines,
Porsches supply was low and the decision was made to install the
powerful and torquey pushrod Super 90 engines into the cars, only
as Porsche was set to deliver and fulfill the ordered Super 90 GTs.
Additionally, the pushrod 1600cc Super engine was easier to service
and was often more reliable.
The Super 90 GTs featured the same construction as the Carrera GTs-
lightweight aluminum body panels with the louvered rear engine lid,
a factory roll bar, an 80-liter fuel tank, a heated windshield,
plexiglass windows, leather-strap window lifts, RSK-type brakes,
Speedster seats, and minimal soundproofing and undercoating.
Additionally, the Carrera coil switches and holes for "Carrera
plumbing" were left unused. The weight saving measures paid off and
in the end the Super 90 GT weighed 200 pounds less than a standard
coupe, and 150 pounds lighter than the four-cam equipped Carrera
GT. Despite being cheaper and easier to service than its Carrera GT
counterparts, it was offered with a hefty base price of $5,551.
This example, chassis #110856 was specially ordered in Condor
Yellow by the famous Dutch Porsche dealer and racer Ben Pon. Of the
14 produced, it is the only Super 90 GT that was delivered in this
special color. Ben Pon campaigned the car in a handful of events in
1960, claiming first and second place in class victories at
each.
While in the ownership of Bill Perrone, it was kept in good overall
condition as a race car and was painted silver. It was restored in
the late 1980s into the early 1990s for Charlie Hunter by Weldon
Scrogham with tremendous attention to detail and correctness.
Following its restoration, it was featured on the cover of Porsche
restoration expert Cole Scrogham's book titled Porsche 356 Carrera-
The Four-Cam Production Cars, as well as being displayed at the
Porsche Parade Concours with Charlie Hunter.
It was repainted its original color of Condor Yellow and was
reassembled with the correct and original trim, including small
rivet horn vents, Plexiglas windows with the logo engraved, the
correct Reutter badge behind the passenger side fender, European
lighting, and headlight stone guards. The numbers matching aluminum
engine hood with cold air boxes and the front bonnet were retained
and evidenced by the three digits vin stamps. The interior is one
of the most correct that we have seen. It was restored using new
old stock black leatherette upholstery with corduroy seat inserts
and the correct piping, crushed vinyl flooring, the switch and
light for the heated windshield, and a new old stock headliner.
The engine and transmission were built by Jack Staggs and Tony
Smetona, both legends in 356 circles, who were responsible for
building the driveline for chassis #110856. Super 90 Engine number
800465 (seven digits away from the original engine #800472) was
built with 86mm big bore Nikasil cylinders and pistons for more
torque and power across the entire RPM range. The attention to
detail extends to the engine compartment, with all of the correct
hardware and lines- down to the rare and correct air cleaner bolts
and hardware for the Super 90 heads that are drilled for safety
wire. The transaxle was built will taller 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gears
to take advantage of the increase in power and torque.
356B Super 90 GT chassis #110856 is an incredible example of one of
the rarest 356 models ever produced, made even more special with
its special order Condor Yellow paintwork, race history, and
correctness. It was brought up to FIA regulations in 2017 by
Tuthill Porsche in the UK, making it eligible for vintage racing
events if its new owner and caretaker wishes to experience all of
this unique Super 90 GT's on-track agility and performance.
1960 season race history with Ben Pon
June 4-5, 1960 St Eugene 2nd overall and class
July 9, 1960 Green Acres 2nd in class
July 23, 1960 Harewood Acres 1st in class
August 27, 1960 Green Acres 2nd overall and class
