1957 Porsche 356 Carrera 1500 GS Speedster

The Porsche Carrera was named after the long-distance Carrera Panamericana road race that ran the length of Mexico in the early 1950s. Several spyders and production-based coupes were driven by both factory-backed and privateer entries.

The engine was a 1300 cubic centimeters, later increased to 1500 cubic centimeters and eventually in displacements ranging upwards to a full two liters. The two-liter version was a complete flat four that was air-cooled and had a design by Fuhrmann. The engine was both powerful and durable for its size. The Carrera was installed in 356 coupes, cabriolets, and the lightweight speedster. Four-cam speedsters were produced in both well-equipped GS (for Grand Sport) street form and the GT (Grand Turismo). The GT versions, a stripped-out and lightened version for racing, had few create comforts.

The GS Speedster weighed barely 1,900 pounds and had a top speed of 117 mph. The 356 A Carrera GS Speedsters were nearly identical in appearance to their pushrod-engined sibling, except for their larger-diameter exhaust pipes, an 8,000 RPM tachometer, a couple of extra dashboard ignition control switches, slightly wider wheels, a slightly lower rear ride height, and the gold 'Carrera' script on their front fenders and rear body panel.

The Type 547/1 engine was similar in appearance to the 1500RS engines that were found in the 550 Spyder racing cars. The 'four-cam' title was from the pair of overhead camshafts with replaceable lobes that were installed on each cylinder bank. The cams were driven by a system of bevel gears and shafts, which were operated via a countershaft off the build-up Hirth roller-bearing crankshaft. The Carrera engines had light alloy cylinders with hard-chromed bores and dry-sump lubrication. They had a stroke that measured 66-milimeters and a bore of 85-millimeters. There were two spark plugs per cylinder that were fired by a pair of separate ignition systems, with twin distributors being driven off the ends of the intake cams. The engines displaced 1,498cc, had a 9.0:1 compression ratio, and offered 100 horsepower.

This particular example is a 1957 Porsche 356 A (T1) Carrera Speedster. It is the 50th example of an estimated 75 built. The car was completed on March 20th of 1957 and it was fitted with U.S.-specification chromed over-rider bumpers, sealed-beam headlamps, and a deluxe horn ring.

Since new, the car has been driven 29,000 miles in the hands of just four owners, with the fourth owner retaining the car for more than 40 years. The first owner is believed to have been Arnold D. Ladd, of Whippany, New Jersey, who ordered it from Porsche's New York City importer, Max Hoffman.

Mr. Ladd drove the car from 1957 until the fall of 1966. It was then sold - having been driven just 17,000 miles, to Tim Dykman, of Rochester, New York. Mr. Dykman kept the Speedster until March 1968 when it was sold to its next owner, Jerry Freck of San Carlos, California. At that point, the car had only 25,000 miles. After Mr. Freck purchased the car, he had it stripped and had it re-sprayed. The car was acquired in November 1969 by Daniel Keig, of Berkeley, California, who maintained ownership until 2010, when it was purchased by the current owner. At the time of purchase, the car had just 29,135 miles. It was then given a complete, full, concours-quality restoration that consumed two years.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2014