Porsche Santa Clarita is one of the newest Porsche dealers in the U.S. and it is eager to prove itself as among the most well-equipped places for your vintage Porsche to receive everything it needs. As part of the Galpin family of dealerships, the company is well versed in the art of subtle customization, restoration, and resto-modding. One only needs look as far as this delightful little Speedster to see the passion and capability that Porsche Santa Clarita is capable of. As the creative brainchild of company head Beau Boeckmann, this 356 may take a few liberties, but it’s so incredibly well done that I’m immediately smitten.
While this 356 has a few unorthodox modifications, like the chrome bumper and the slightly anachronistic wheel selection, it all looks pretty great as a whole. The car has clearly been painstakingly restored and modified by people who not only care, but are extremely talented at their work. Everything about this car from the paint color to the interior tartan is just *chef’s kiss* perfection. I would love to take this 356 for a spin, or two, or just keep it around for the next 10 years, you know?
The great thing about this car is that it was already modified in-period by a club racer, so it was fitted with a roll bar (which I wish Porsche Santa Clarita had kept, honestly) and a later 356 SC engine, so when it was found in a barn it was already beyond impossible to completely return to stock. As a non-numbers matching car, it was never going to be perfect, so they decided to go hog wild with it. I particularly like the chrome bumper look, as it was technically an option, but not one that many people chose from the factory. They put a lot of work into making this car shine, and it shows.
Some weren’t sure that a company known for its work in the Ford world be able to translate those talents into the Porsche world, but clearly these folks know what they’re doing. For a first effort, this “Galpin-ized” 356 is a gorgeous display. Kudos!
View Comments (6)
Absolutely the ugliest mess anyone ever made of a perfectly good Speedster. Someone is going to have to spend even more money to restore the poor thing to decency.
Call it what it is. A tasteless headline grabber that bears little relationship to the Porsche philosophy. Where's the foxtail and whip
antenna? I'm amazed at how many people have fallen for this farce.
It certainly got a lot of attention for the dealer I guess... What's next, a dancing bear in the show room?
Absolutely the ugliest mess anyone ever made of a perfectly good Speedster. Someone is going to have to spend even more money to restore the poor thing to decency.
Ugly, ugly, ugly.
The original TYP 540 pre-A body colors were Red, White, and Blue... Dr. Ferry Porsche, Max Hoffman, and Johnny von Neumann would be dismayed at this so-called restoration. What a mess...
Call it what it is. Not a "restoration", but an outlaw hotrod build from a non-matching numbers recovered race car. Looks like fun. Drive it and let the next owner decide what their notion of "decency" is. The author pointed out all the ways it deviates from a purist point of view, so this wasn't written in ignorance of history. But I'd concede the title is a big click-bait-y, using "THE PERFECT 356 SPEEDSTER " and "BARN FIND". "Perfect" is an objective statement. We can all agree this isn't that.