1963 Porsche 356 Carrera 2 Coupe

The Porsche 2000 GS, or Carrera 2, was introduced in 1962. Power was provided by a new two-liter Type 587 engine, a development of the Ernst Fuhrmann designed four-cam unit. Modifications made to the engine were significant, including a reinforced crankcase, redesigned cylinder heads, larger cylinder bore, increased cooling capacity, and wider main bearing journals. In stock for, the two-liter engine produced at least 140 horsepower and with tuning, increased to over 160 BHP.

During B-Series production, approximately 300 examples of the 2000 GS were built, with an additional (approximate) 100 built as C-Series cars. With lightweight aluminum panels and special high-performance components, these limited production cars were original constructed for competition use.

This particular example left the factory finished in Silver Metallic with blue leatherette upholstery and matching blue carpeting. It came equipped with lightweight aluminum doors, Plexiglas windows, and a type 741/20A transaxle with BBAB Speedster gear ratios. The car was completed on December 5th of 1962, and was originally retailed through D'Ieteren Frères and sold to a Mr. Politzer in Brussels, Belgium. In 1964, the Carrera 2 returned to the Porsche factory where its original engine (numbered 97175) was replaced with a type 587/2 GT-specification engine numbered 98016. The replacement engine had original been installed in a prototype 904, chassis 904-003.

The 57/2 engine, introduced in 1963, had Weber rather than Solex carburetors. It is believed that just 33 examples of the Type 587/2 engines were built.

The first non-European owner of this car was Grady Clay based in Denver, Colorado. Mr. Clay sold the car to Robert Pass of St Louis in 1986, and was then acquired by Richard Freshman of Los Angeles, California. Mr. Freshman had the engine rebuilt and the transaxle overhauled.

In May of 2002, the car was sold at auction to a Swiss collector. From there, it was exported to the United Kingdom. In 2008, it was acquired by Cavallino Holdings. Since then, it has been a part of the Jerry Seinfeld Collection.

The car is current finished in its original Metallic Silver livery with blue vinyl upholstery. It has many competition features including the Sport II 'Sebring' style exhaust with rear muffler skirt, long-range fuel tank with external filler, bi-metallic competition wheels, aluminum doors, hood, and deck lid, and a number light mounted on the passenger door. The interior features GT bucket seats, a roll bar, and a wood-rimmed Nardi steering wheel.

This car has the type 587/2 plain-bearing engine, C-series four-wheel ATE disc brakes, and a four-speed manual transaxle.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2016