1955 Porsche 356 America Roadster

Porsche built their sports car in 1939. It had a VW-derived engine placed ahead of the rear wheels and never went into production due to the outbreak of World War II. The hand-built Porsche project 356 began in Gmund, Austria in 1948. In the spring of 1950, Porsche moved to Stuttgart.

The evolution of the 356 would continue throughout the years. The Speedster was created in response to US Importer Max Hoffman who recognized the specail needs of the US. It was a minimalist vehicle designed to fall within the $2,995 East Coast POE price. The top and seats were both small and it was void of luxury amenities such as rollup windows. A heater even cost extra. Where it excelled was in its performance; it was lightweight, had great braking and acceleration, and excellent road dynamics.

During the four year production, there were 4,822 Speedsters built which was 56% more than 356 Cabriolet production over the same period.

This example is an early bent-windshield Pre-A which original was painted red with black leather upholstery. Its full ownership history is unknown though it has spent twenty-five years of its life in storage. It was given a restoration which took three years and completed in 2007.

In 2008, the car was brought to the Hilton Head Sports & Classic Car Auction presented by the Worldwide Auctioneers. It was estimated to sell for $140,000 - $180,000. Bidding failed to reach those estimates and the lot was left unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2008