Vehicle Description
1963 Porsche Carrera 2 Coupe by Reutter
VIN: 120351
Cosmetically and mechanically restored
Zuffenhausen award winner at the 2009 Porsche Parade
4-cam engine rebuilt by expert Chris Powell
130 horsepower vs. a normal 356's 95 horsepower
One of 310 Carrera 2s made in 1963
The Carrera 2 was an amazing advancement when it arrived in 1961,
and the most expensive car Porsche had ever built. The star of the
show was the jewel of an engine that resided in the back of the
car: a two-liter, four-cam masterpiece that put out 130
horsepower.
This example has been meticulously mechanically and cosmetically
restored by Road Scholars in North Carolina. They took 120351 down
to its bare shell and painted it in its factory correct slate grey.
Autobahn Interiors took the Carrera's original interior and
recovered its correct hue in red leather. The engine was rebuilt by
four-cam expert, Chris Powell, of Chris's German Auto Service.
While not original to the car, the Type 587/1 engine is correct to
a 1963 Carrera 2.
All the original components on car were completely restored before
being reinstalled. Every system was gone through and examined for
functionally and correct appearance. Completed in 2008, the car
would go on to win the Zuffenhausen Award (296.2 points out of 300)
at the 2009 Porsche Parade.
Here is an excellent opportunity to own a mechanically and
cosmetically correct example of the rare two-liter, four-cam
Carrera 2 - the most advanced 356 ever built.
About the Carrera 2
Introduced in the autumn of 1961 at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the
2-liter Carrera II became the first Porsche production car to have
disc brakes. Numerous additional cooling vents were among the
recently introduced improvements, but most attention was focused on
the new 1,966cc four-cam engine. This produced 130bhp (DIN) at
6,200rpm, and while the Carrera's top speed increased only slightly
to around 125mph, there was a marked improvement in acceleration
despite the newcomer's greater weight, the 0-100mph time being cut
from 33.5 seconds to 27.2. The Carrera II had been introduced part
way through 356B production, and continued virtually unchanged
after the 356C's arrival in 1963.
The Fuhrmann-designed Carrera 4-cam engine, Type 587/1, with 130
hp, was very complex, and it took an experienced factory mechanic
using brand new parts nearly 100 hours to assemble. This was an
expensive venture for any car company, let alone one as small as
Porsche. The 356B Carrera 2 Cabriolet cost around $8,000, almost
twice the cost of a similar pushrod-engined Cabriolet, by far the
most expensive road car Porsche had ever produced, and probably the
most costly to build. As a comparison, a new Cadillac Eldorado
convertible cost just over $6,000. Obviously, this was a hard car
to sell at those numbers, which accounts for its scarcity and
exclusivity today.
'The car's acceleration is truly exhilarating,' enthused Road &
Track magazine. 'The clutch takes quite a bit of throttle without
protest, and when one finds that it is time for 2nd gear, down
comes the stick in a flick, more acceleration, and other cars pass
as in reverse. High up in the speed range this is it-the effortless
superiority of the true high-performance machine.'
1,966 CC DOHC Flat 4-Cylinder Engine
Dual Solex 40PII-4 Downdraft Carburetors
130 BHP at 6,200 RPM
4-Speed Manual Gearbox
4-Wheel Annular Disc Brakes
Independent Front and Rear Suspension
