Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 112285
Engine No. 800887
Transmission No. 38381
Tourist Delivery, the exciting process of combining a European
vacation and the purchase a new Porsche, can forge a bond between
car and owner that can last a lifetime. Ordered through the
Northrup & Klaus Company of Nuremberg, Germany in October 1959 by
William R. Wilcox of Azusa, California, this remarkably
well-preserved Signal Red 1960 356 B Super 90 Coupe is a pure
expression of that bond. Finished in optional Signal Red over a
Black Kunstleder and Corduroy interior, the Super 90 was ordered
two headrests, a Becker Europa radio with two loudspeakers, an
antenna, and a pair of Coco matswith the final order totaling
$3,470.20. Wilcox traveled to Germany to accept delivery of his new
356 and after a summer of touring Europe, the Coupe arrived in
Southern California.
After Wilcox's passing in 1976, the car was stored in the family
garage located in the dry climate of inland Southern California. A
letter from Wilcox's son from approximately 15 years ago describes
the way the car remained so well-preserved noting that it "... has
been carefully stored since 1976 with less than 50,000 miles."
After 64 years under single family ownership and preserved in
storage for the majority of it, the car would have a new caretaker,
a preeminent Porsche and early Volkswagen historian with a keen eye
for the inimitable details this Super 90 displays and a careful
plan to thoughtfully return it to the road.
Highly original preserved cars such as this are best identified by
the minute details they retain. The car itself is a
matching-numbers example as per its factory Kardex. It still wears
its original coat of optional Signal Red paint on top of its
chassis number stamped body panels. The interior remains
upholstered and carpeted in the original materials it was first
delivered in. It retains nearly all of its original purchase
paperwork, oval Tourist Delivery plates, owner's manuals (including
the rare Super 90 supplement), its original tool kit, jack,
date-stamped KPZ steel wheels-even its rare original stamped Huf
glovebox key and period red leather factory teardrop key pouch. The
eagle-eyed will spot period additions that include a Becker Europa
"Highway Hi-Fi" AM/FM radio and a pair of Impact brand safety
belts.
Then there's the drive. Recent sorting by Richard Dick at Air
Cooled and Scott's Independant and the subsequent light mileage
added under current ownership prove that it is not only the
cosmetics that remain in near as-delivered condition. The flat-four
received multiple oil changes and filters, a Solex carburetor
restoration, valve and timing adjustments, and the transmission
fresh fluid. With an emphasis on originality, nearly every system
was inspected and renewed as necessary including the braking,
electrical, and fuel systems with various sundry components to
properly and safely return to the road with invoices on file
detailing the work completed. Those who have driven well-preserved
cars with relatively light use, note a tightness and road feel that
many restorations struggle to match. Chassis number 112285 exhibits
this is spades with the consignor noting that, "the car is highly
civilized with doors that sing upon closing, a clutch and shifter
that engage positively with original tolerances, a ride with lack
of vibration, with the typical cold-blooded nature of the
high-compression Super 90 nonexistent."
There are innumerable phrases that exist in the hobby to describe
an automobile such as this. "They're only original once" and "find
another one" are favorites yet, these shallow remarks fail to
capture the complexity of this Super 90. It is a wonderfully
preserved matching-numbers example. It is an unshown, yet sure-fire
Porsche Club of America Parade winner. It is a candidate for a 000
quarterly Referent. Perhaps most of all, it is a 65-year-long love
letter to the Porsche marque and an unrepeatable opportunity for a
new caretaker to experience-as near as possible-what it was like to
enjoy a new Porsche 356 B Super 90 Coupe in 1960.
