Photo: Mecum
If you happen to be in the market for a true classic car and have the means to make your dream come true, you can never go wrong choosing a Porsche from the carmaker's early years.
Back in the mid and late 1950s the German brand was just establishing itself as a solid global player. The roots of what the company is today can be traced back to the 356, the carmaker's first production vehicle, and at the same time one of the most valuable classic cars on the market today.
It's not difficult to find worth-owning 356s (again, provided you have the means to get your hands on one) but it is a bit tricky to get hold of one that has something truly unique, or at least very rare, about it.
The incredibly beautiful 356 we have here does have a few things going for it, and they all may conspire to make the car sell for at least $300,000 when it goes under the hammer next week in Monterey.
The first such thing is its rarity. The car is a 356 of the A 1600 Speedster variety. Its body was made by Porsche partner in this field back in the day, Reutter, of which just a little over 1,000 were made that year.
The second would be the fact the car wears center lock hub Rudge knock-off wheels. For some reason, collectors like these pieces of hardware, meant to remind of the ones produced by British company Rudge-Whitworth, and this 356 is one of the few known to wear such things.
Last but not least, given how 356s were a constant presence at racing events back in its day, the fact this car was first owned by a West Coast racer (Jack Brumby) can do nothing but add to its appeal.
At the time of writing the car just surfaced after being part of a private collection for the past three decades. As far as we understand, all of its original parts are there, including the air-cooled 1,600cc flat-4 engine and 4-speed manual transmission.
The red over black piece of motoring history has VDO instruments on the dashboard, and is offered with a black soft top and matching tonneau cover.
As said, the 1956 Porsche 356A Speedster is going under the hammer next week, and expectations for it are high. In the most optimistic of scenarios, it may end up going for as much as $350,000, making it one of the main attractions of the auction being held in California by Mecum.
We'll keep an eye out to see where the hammer falls on this one and will update the story as soon as we learn how much the car went for.
It's not difficult to find worth-owning 356s (again, provided you have the means to get your hands on one) but it is a bit tricky to get hold of one that has something truly unique, or at least very rare, about it.
The incredibly beautiful 356 we have here does have a few things going for it, and they all may conspire to make the car sell for at least $300,000 when it goes under the hammer next week in Monterey.
The first such thing is its rarity. The car is a 356 of the A 1600 Speedster variety. Its body was made by Porsche partner in this field back in the day, Reutter, of which just a little over 1,000 were made that year.
The second would be the fact the car wears center lock hub Rudge knock-off wheels. For some reason, collectors like these pieces of hardware, meant to remind of the ones produced by British company Rudge-Whitworth, and this 356 is one of the few known to wear such things.
Last but not least, given how 356s were a constant presence at racing events back in its day, the fact this car was first owned by a West Coast racer (Jack Brumby) can do nothing but add to its appeal.
At the time of writing the car just surfaced after being part of a private collection for the past three decades. As far as we understand, all of its original parts are there, including the air-cooled 1,600cc flat-4 engine and 4-speed manual transmission.
The red over black piece of motoring history has VDO instruments on the dashboard, and is offered with a black soft top and matching tonneau cover.
As said, the 1956 Porsche 356A Speedster is going under the hammer next week, and expectations for it are high. In the most optimistic of scenarios, it may end up going for as much as $350,000, making it one of the main attractions of the auction being held in California by Mecum.
We'll keep an eye out to see where the hammer falls on this one and will update the story as soon as we learn how much the car went for.
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