Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 159548
Engine No. 97118
Few engines can be credited with establishing a marque's racing
reputation the way the "Fuhrmann four-cam engine" put Porsche on
the map in international sports car racing. The ingenious design by
Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann paved the way from the long-running,
Volkswagen-based four-cylinder pushrod engine towards an
all-conquering, Le Mans-winning racing engine. First utilized in
the fabled aluminum-bodied 550 Spyder, the "Type 547" engine and
its derivatives were characterized by two overhead camshafts per
cylinder bank which were controlled via vertical shafts with
angular gears. The new design produced an impressive 110 horsepower
in its first iteration, powering the 550 Spyder to a one-two finish
in the 1,500 cc class at the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans, followed by
a class win at the Carrera Panamericana later that year.
Dubbed the "Giant Killer," the spectacular 550 Spyder had proven
the Type 547 engine to be a mechanical masterpiece, so much so that
Ferry Porsche was convinced to begin offering it in Porsche road
cars. The 356 A was the first road-going Porsche to offer the
four-cam engine as an option, bearing the prestigious "Carrera"
lettering on its engine lid, paying homage to the marque's class
victory at the final Carrera Panamericana race in 1954. Over the
next several years, the Carrera nameplate would come to signify the
most expensive and powerful production engines to hail from
Zuffenhausen, with the 2,000 cc, 130 horsepower "Type 587/1"
Carrera 2 engine becoming available in the "T6" 356 B from 1961. By
1963, the 356's successor, the 901, was set to make its debut at
that year's Frankfurt Auto Show as the 356 rounded out production
with its final revision, the 356 C. The Carrera 2 engine remained
unchanged from the 356 B, enabling a top speed of almost 130 miles
per hour while four-wheel ATE disc brakes and a rear transverse
leaf suspension ensured the 356 C Carrera 2 was the most refined
and best-performing iteration of Porsche's original sports car.
Across the whole of 356 production, approximately 76,000 examples
were built, with just 3,265 of those being the final, most refined
356 C in open-top Cabriolet form - the most expensive body style
when new. Of those, a mere 30 356 C Cabriolets were optioned with
the coveted Carrera 2 engine as per Sprenger and Heinrich's Porsche
Carrera four-cam book, making this 1964 356 C Carrera 2 Cabriolet
the most expensive 356 offered when new and a truly rare specimen
today.
A left-hand-drive example hailing from the penultimate year of
production, a digital copy of its factory Kardex warranty card
shows that this Carrera 2 Cabriolet was completed at Porsche's
Zuffenhausen factory on 8 November 1963, in Rubinrot (Ruby Red -
6402) paintwork with a Schwarz (Black) leather interior. The Kardex
also notes that the car was originally equipped with chrome-plated
wheels mounted with Dunlop tires. The red Cabriolet's first owner
is recorded as none other than Robert "Bob" Estes of Los Angeles,
California - prominent car dealer, racing driver, team owner, and
later in life, devoted car collector. A dedicated enthusiast with
roots deeply entrenched in Southern California's car culture, Estes
ventured into the automotive business after World War II by
founding Bob Estes Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Inglewood,
California. This endeavor allowed him to fund an illustrious career
as a team owner which included 13 entries in the Indianapolis 500
from 1948-1960, a Class C land speed record in 1952, numerous AAA
Midwest Sprint Car victories with driver Pat O'Connor, and
competitive entries in everything from Carrera Panamericana to the
Mobil Gas Economy Run. In 1955, Estes expanded his dealership
business to include imports, opening Precision Motor Cars - later
Estes-Zipper Porsche Audi - on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills,
California with his associate Otto Zipper. The Precision name would
also become well known on American racing circuits as the
Estes-Zipper team campaigned Porsche 550 Spyders to numerous wins
with driver Ken Miles behind the wheel, including an overall
victory at the 1959 Examiner Grand Prix at Pomona.
With such success fielding Porsche's most advanced four-cam racing
engine of the era, it's no surprise that Estes opted for a Carrera
engine in his own 356 C Cabriolet for off-track use as well.
Although it is not known how long Estes retained chassis number
159548, the Cabriolet's place in his collection of significant
models no doubt reflected the quality of the Porsches he chose to
race and sell in his showroom. The Carrera 2 Cabriolet would
eventually come into the ownership of Warren Eads, a prominent
collector of rare Porsches based in Southern California. Under
Eads' ownership, the Carrera 2 Cabriolet underwent a thorough
restoration during which it was restored to "as-delivered" Ruby Red
exterior paint and trimmed with new beige hides by Jim Rinker and
Autos International respectively. It is noted by the consignor that
during restoration, ex-Brumos mechanic and renowned four-cam
specialist Paul Willison of Willison Werkstatt conducted a complete
rebuild of the current 2,000 cc four-cam using original components
supplied by Eads.
The Carrera 2 has remained impeccably preserved since its
restoration, housed in recent years in a prominent Northern
California-based Porsche collection. This exceptionally rare
Porsche is now presented in its wonderful original paint scheme,
made even more exclusive by its black-finished Reutter hardtop with
a built-in electric sunroof - an extremely rare period accessory.
Other rarely seen period accessories include a front trunk mounted
gas-powered heating unit as well as a chromed luggage rack affixed
to the rear decklid - all combining to make this one very well
appointed 356 both from a comfort and a performance standpoint.
Chassis number 159548's tremendous rarity and beautiful restoration
by those well-versed with the model, combined with its fascinating
provenance linking it to a legend of the American racing scene,
make it one of the most interesting and noteworthy examples of the
ultimate 356 variant available today.