Two beautifully restored Porsche 356s are going up for auction during Monterey Car Week next month. Before the gavel drops, RM Sotheby’s brought these legendary vehicles to Detroit for an up close and personal look.
In total, the auction house is selling 10 vehicles from the eclectic — and majestic — Terence E. Adderley Collection. Other cars on offer include a 1935 Duesenberg Model J convertible coupe, a 1927 Miller supercharged race car, a 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe and a 1929 Auburn 8-90 Eight Speedster.
1956 Porsche 356 A Super Speedster
As for the Porsches that will be offered, the older of the duet is a 356 A Super Speedster from 1956. Aside from looking almost laughably tiny compared to modern vehicles (these old Porsches are tiny, ya know), the car was painstakingly restored in the early 2000s and joined the Adderley collection in 2012. Originally, this 356 was painted Aquamarine Blue Metallic, a much more distinctive hue than black it wears now, though the current paint job is super lustrous, with a shine looks miles deep.
Burnishing its provenance, this Super Speedster has the original engine, a 1,600-cubic-centimeter unit that delivers a claimed 75 horsepower (the hubcaps are original, too). That’s modest by today’s standards, but that should still be enough to push this trimmed-down Porsche to a top speed of 100 miles per hour.
Giving it a jaunty look is this 356’s cutdown windshield and open interior, which is trimmed in a fetching red. If rain is in the forecast, the car has a rudimentary fabric roof, but there’s not side glass at all, neither does it have a radio. The only audio system is that rear-mounted engine.
If you like what you see, you can bid on this Porsche, though, not surprisingly, it is not cheap. RM Sotheby’s expects it to sell for between $375,000 and $450,000.
1964 Porsche 356 C 1600 Coupe
The other Porsche up for auction is a 1964 356 C 1600 Coupe, which was made toward the end of this model’s production run, about when the iconic 911 landed on the scene. This is one of just 4,744 Karmann-bodied examples built.
Just like it left the factory, this car is finished with a stunning Irish Green paint job and has a Fawn-colored interior. Even up close, the car looks great, as it should since it hasn’t been driven much and was completely restored in the early 2000s by William Briggs of European Motorworks in Lincolnville, Maine, a job that reportedly cost more than $100,000. And just like the 356 Super Speedster mentioned above, this example has its original, numbers-matching engine and transmission. This includes a rear-mounted, 1,600-cc flat-four that delivers a claimed 74 horsepower at a heady — for the time — 5,000 RPM.
For such a small car, this 356 offers ample headroom. Sitting behind the wheel reveals that the driver’s seat is super springy and surprisingly elevated, yet feelings of claustrophobia are not an issue.
If that ’56 Super Speedster is too rich for your blood, this 356 is much more reasonably priced. It’s estimated the car will sell for between $90,000 and $120,000. Of course, that’s still a lot of scratch, but it’s much more reasonable than nearly half a million dollars.
If you’re interested, these two perfect examples of Porsche’s engineering excellence and unimpeachable heritage will be auctioned off, along with many other cars, by RM Sotheby’s during Monterey Car Week between Aug. 18 and 20. If you’ve got a few dollars to spend and need a 356 in your life, book that flight to Monterey sooner than later.
All photos credit: Craig Cole / FLATSIXES.com
View Comments (1)
Two questions:
1. I thought the Super engines had oval air cleaners and the Normal had round ones, right?
2. Isn't that Speedster emblem supposed to be parallel to the chrome strip? (actually it's aluminum)