1956 Porsche 356 A Speedster

Conceived at the urging of influential New Yorkbased European car importer Max Hoffman, Porsche's 356 Speedster distilled the young company’s design philosophy to its purest essentials. Priced at just $2,995, the Speedster was not only the least expensive Porsche, but also the most elemental – and quickly found favor with enthusiasts who appreciated its less-is-more ethos: less equipment, less weight, and a more immediate connection between car and driver. By 1956, the Speedster had firmly established itself as both a fixture of American sports car culture and a potent club-racing weapon, its beguiling mix of delicacy, durability, and unfiltered driving pleasure helping establish a template Porsche would revisit repeatedly in the decades to come. The example offered here, chassis 82534, has enjoyed the sort of active life for which the Speedster was intended. Originally finished in White (code 603), it was delivered in September 1956 to US servicemember Borghild Johnston, an Ohio resident, while he was stationed in Germany. According to stubs in the Speedster’s original service book, the car received both its 1,000 km and 20,000 km service at Porsche service centers in Germany in 1956 and 1957. It appears that Mr. Johnston shipped the car home following his deployment, as its next recorded owner was a resident of Ohio as well, and it likely remained there until the early 1980s. A succession of Massachusetts-based owners held the Speedster until it was purchased by well-known enthusiast and local dealer Stephen Serio in 1997. Receipts in the accompanying file citing maintenance, repairs, and upgrades in Serio’s ownership through 2010, are indicative of his intent to build an ideal event car, an effort which would continue for several years. Work included a repaint in its current Slate Gray, an interior retrim in cardinal-hued leather, and the rebuild and installation of a 1960 Super 90 engine, no. 801093, which remains in the car today. The Speedster’s original engine, no. 62704, remains with the car and is included with the sale. By this point, an original set of Rudge center-locking wheels had been located, restored, and installed on the car, completing its current look and desirable specification. Additionally, the Speedster now sports a 12-volt electrical system, ZF steering box, proper fog lights, an 80-liter fuel tank, a Glassparstyle hardtop, VDM wood-rimmed steering wheel, a full-width folding rear seat, custom luggage, Abarth exhaust, Willhoit sway bar kit, and GT-style bumper strips and aluminum side accent lines. With the added comfort of coupe-style seats, which appear on the Speedster’s Kardex copy, in addition to the myriad small improvements too numerous to list, Mr. Serio may well have created one of the most satisfying Speedsters to enjoy on longer events, no matter the weather conditions or grade of road. During his multiple stints of ownership, he has traversed the continental US in the car twice, first to Monterey Car Week in 1998, then returning to California’s Central Coast in 2004 for Carmel Valley’s Speedster 50th Anniversary gathering. Offered with Porsche and Reutter certificates, its factory service booklet, historical records, side curtains, July 1956 date-coded wheels, and assorted spare parts, this beautifully detailed Speedster combines substantial documentation with a history of enthusiastic use – making this a fitting opportunity to enjoy one of Porsche’s purest creations in precisely the spirit intended. car

估價:$475,000

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