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• 1953 Porsche 356

Strawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer Cabriolet Is One Sweet Cruiser

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Strawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer Cabriolet 41 photos
Photo: Jim_Liberty on Bring a Trailer
Strawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer CabrioletStrawberry Red 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Heuer Cabriolet
Glaser Karosserie finished a handful of convertible body shells for the 356 before the Weiden-based coachbuilder was forced to close up shop in 1952. This particular example of the breed, sequence number 66, was delivered to a Los Angeles-based retailer in 1953. Purchased by a Volkswagen enthusiast in 1954, it was raced during that decade, after which it was stored in California for much of the first owner’s 64-year ownership.
Purchased by the current owner in 2018, chassis number 12375 was restored with great attention to detail through 2020. Presented on Bring a Trailer with copies of Glaser build notes, the Pre-A 356 in the videos below is joined by a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity. The latter document lists it as a Heuer Cabriolet, with Heuer referring to big kahuna Erich Heuer.

Originally finished in Strawberry Red, the car was repainted in this period-correct hue as part of the 2018 to 2020 refurbishment, which also saw the replacement of quite a few bits and bobs. The single-piece bent windshield and other glass panels, along with the battery box, are noted by the seller.

Beautified with a Haartz wool top that features a glass rear window, this boxer-engined antique also rocks a Glaser bade on the right front fender. Offered with a copy of the Kardex, a tool kit, jack, and owner’s manual, the rear-engined sports car is rolling on body-color 16s mounted with Firestone Deluxe Champion whitewall tires. Baby moon hubcaps, hydraulic drum brakes with duplex actuation up front, custom tan leather upholstery with wool carpeting and red binding, Glaser tinted sun visors, a Becker Mexico radio, and a Hirschman hand-crank antenna are featured.

The steering wheel frames green-letter instrumentation, as you’d expect of a Porsche from the 1950s. The odometer currently reads insanely low miles, and obviously enough, true mileage isn’t known. Sourced from a 1954 model, the Type 546 four-pot powertrain was rebuilt to 1.6 liters by the first owner, then overhauled during the 2018 to 2020 refurbishment.

Augmented with a Super-like oil breather and Solex carburetors, the naturally-aspirated lump is connected to a Type 519 transaxle. Currently going for $109,000 after eight bids on Bring a Trailer, this lovely classic will hopefully find a new and caring owner on Monday, December 5th.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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