Epic Barn Find: Rare 1959 Porsche 356A Sees Daylight After 38 Years

Last driven in 1985, the coupe spent almost 40 years in a garage in Southern California. It's not one of those one-owner gems, but it's been with the same owner since 1975. And even though it sat for almost three decades and it's covered in a thick layer of dust, the Porsche is in fantastic condition. It's actually surprisingly clean for a vehicle this old, but that's because we're not looking at an unrestored survivor.

This 356 was, in fact, given a refresh that included a repaint and a redone interior back in the day. The current owner bought it as is, meaning the restoration occurred before 1975. Whoever handled the rebuild did a tremendous job, if you ask me.

The sports car is not exactly perfect, though. While the two-tone interior looks flawless, the exterior has a few battle scars. The rear bumper has a bit of damage, while the driver's side fender well displays a rust hole. But both are easy fixes, so I guess we could call this 356 a time capsule.

What about the engine, though? Is this barn find a numbers-matching gem? The owner doesn't know if that's the case, but the mill appears to be complete and in good condition. It does sport a few upgrades, but that's to be expected on a car driven until the 1980s. The "1600 S" badge on the engine lid suggests this 356A relies on a 1.6-liter Type 616/2 flat-four powerplant.

It was the larger mill offered in the 356, generating 74 horsepower in the 1600 Super. This version slotted between the entry-level, 60-horsepower 1600 and the 105-horsepower 1600 Carrera GS. The 1600 Super's boxer engine was potent enough to hit 60 mph (97 kph) from a standing start in around 14 seconds toward a top speed of 109 mph (175 kph). Like all 356 models, the 1600 Super only had a four-speed manual transmission.

So how rare is this Porsche? Well, the German company built 7,012 sports cars in 1959. This figure also includes the then-new 356B, which saw daylight in 2,349 units. 356A production stood at 4,663 examples. If we eliminate the convertible and speedster models, we're left with 2,743 coupes.

There's no official production breakdown based on engine types, but most enthusiasts agree that about 24% of all 356As were Super Coupes. Suppose we extend this approximation to the 1959 production year. In that case, the beige example you see here should be one of only 658 examples made with this exact powerplant. Yup, this Porsche is not only rare but also very desirable.

Fortunately, the 356A was taken out of storage to find a new home. This means it will rev up its flat-four engine on public roads sooner than later. "Yay!" for yet another pre-911 Porsche saved!