Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 84747
Engine No. P69302
Transmission No. 19220
Introduced in late 1954, the Porsche 356 Speedster is arguably the
epochal model for the Porsche brand. The reason for its creation is
widely known-built at the behest of Porsche's renowned U.S.
importer Max Hoffman as an affordable Porsche able to compete in
the burgeoning American sports car racing scene. The spartan,
purpose-built sports car was priced at an affordable $2,995 at port
of entry and devoid of any luxury equipment, leaving only a
low-profile windscreen, three circular VDO dashboard instruments,
and two bucket seats-a comparatively spartan but decidedly sporting
specification that immediately appealed to well-heeled California
weekend warriors. In 1500 Super form, it became a popular boulevard
race car for some and a class-winning SCCA race car for others
before being replaced by the more powerful 1600 in 1955. At no
additional cost over its predecessor, the 1600 boasted an almost
ten-percent horsepower increase up from 55 to 60 horsepower and
made over 100 mph possible for the first time in the Speedster.
With the passage of seven decades, however, it's entirely
appropriate to expect that numerous Speedsters did not survive the
intervening years and, for those that did, there is certainly a
pecking order of superiority, depending on originality, known
history, and factory correctness. This particular Speedster,
however, ranks especially highly among its contemporaries, owing
much of its superb presentation to its current owner, in whose
esteemed collection this car has resided for over 30 years! The
South Florida-based enthusiast acquired the car in 1994 and since
that time, as his collection has grown, the 356 has been kept
company by four other Speedsters, sharing garage space with a 1989
G-Body Speedster, together with 964, 997, and 991-generation
examples of Porsche's iconic open model.
A Porsche Certificate of Authenticity (CoA) on file for this car
indicates that it was completed in April 1958 as one of the final
Speedsters produced. Originally finished in Ruby Red over Brown
leatherette, the 356 was well specified with a singular passenger
headrest, luggage rack, cigar lighter, under-dash ashtray, coco
floormats, and coupe seats with seatbelts. By the time the current
owner acquired the car in the 1990s with the help of 356 experts
Phil Bagley and Dave Miller, it is believed he became only the
car's third caretaker and has preserved the car exceptionally well
in its attractive refinish of black over red-a striking combination
that nevertheless retains the coupe comfort seats with which the
car was originally specified.
As nicely as the car presents, however, it's always a pleasure to
behold a Speedster that has been driven and enjoyed. Indeed, this
particular owner completed not only the California Mille in 1999
but also exported the car to Colombia in the early 2000s, where it
participated in the Chopard Rally and several other events. By
October 2021, following its reimportation, a complete engine
rebuild was conducted at Klub Sport Racing in Florida, for which
receipts totaling some $25,000+ are included in the car's
documentation file. After this work was complete, the Speedster
participated in numerous other driving events, including the
Highlands Motoring Festival three times, a DRT Porsche event in
Miami, Mar-a-Lago, and the Gator Crawl event in Central Florida,
while receiving two additional services at Klub Sport in 2022.
Today this 356 A Speedster is presented in lovely condition after
31 years of cherished ownership. While it is currently powered by a
more powerful big-bore engine, the original matching-numbers
1600-cc engine still accompanies the car today. The crated original
engine will be available for pickup in Florida at the buyer's
expense following the auction.
The Porsche Speedster remains on the seminal list of must-have
sporting cars of the 20th century-an icon in Porsche's
distinguished history, immediately identifiable for its gorgeous
shape and uncompromising character. This particular example
warrants very close attention from vintage driving enthusiasts and
admirers of the marque.
