Stored for 42 Years: 1958 356A Super Speedster Garage Find

Barn find cars always break my heart a little, and I say this as someone who had one. My 356 lived in a barn for almost as long as this one. Unlike this car’s long-term owner, who believed the patina would deter thieves, my car simply suffered at the hands Northeastern weather and salt. Like the car below, which was originally owned by LA disc jockey B. Mitchell Reed, my car’s lengthy storage kept it very, very original. This 1958 356A Super Speedster will be auctioned by Gooding & Company at Scottsdale in January.

This final year Speedster is unmodified, and benefits from the improved rear suspension used on very late 356A’s. The car’s second owner left the paint shaggy to deter thieves, which appears to have worked. The car stayed with them from 1970 until the present day. It will be auctioned at Scottsdale in January of next year.

Gooding and Company make no mention of numbers matching status, though engine 81478 is in the correct range for the chassis number (84274). The seller drained the oil and removed the battery, and the car simply sat from 1974 to the present day.

Though certainly heavily worn and dented, this 356 does not appear to have rusted badly. As such it should make a good restoration candidate, with plenty of original parts to work with. Of course, the new owner will have to source many small items, like bumpers and trim, but good bones are key to a good 356 restoration. Stay tuned for our complete Scottsdale auction preview in the coming weeks.