The earliest, and most desirable, generation of 356, the ‘Pre-A’
Hugely eligible including the Mille Miglia and California Mille
Pre-A 1500 Speedster presented in exceptional condition
The Porsche
356 Pre-A Speedster
The 356 is the first production car built
by Porsche.
In 1950 Max Hoffman was the sole importer
of Porsches in the USA, achieving excellent sales success, which enabled him to
convince Ferry Porsche that sales could increase further if he was able to
offer a car which could compete with the imported English sports cars. Soon,
356 sales in the USA accounted for a third of sales worldwide. Porsche listened
to the USA market, and built the Speedster.
The 356 Speedster was designed by Reutter
in Germany, with Max Hoffman and Porsche keen to ensure a low production cost,
allowing them to price the car attractively to the American market. The 356 production
is split into four main categories, 1948-1955 356, 1955-1959 356 A, 1960-1963
356 B and 1964-1965 356 C. The 356’s built from 1948-1955 are commonly
preferred to as the ‘356 Pre-A’ and are considered by collectors to be the most
desirable generation. Of the total production of 356’s built, only around 10%
were Pre-A, with even fewer being Speedsters.
This
Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster
The 1500 Pre-A Speedster offered here,
chassis 80669, was built in 1955, as confirmed on the Porsche Certificate of
Authenticity contained within the cars history file. The most recent American
owner purchased the car in 2006 from Porsche main dealer and race driver, Ray
Lintott, who owned the car for four years. During his ownership, Lintott
shipped the car from the USA, having previously been owned by two brothers in
Oregan and restored by Tom Black’s Garage in Portland, to his Porsche Sydney
dealership where his team painted the car in the fabulous Signal Red we see
today, and converted it to be 12v electrics.
Once Lintott and Porsche Sydney had
completed the works, the car returned to California where it completed the 2003
Quail Rally before being stored and managed by Porsche specialist, author and
historian, David Terdy.
Earlier this year, the car was shipped form
America to London, England where it was MOT’d and registered before being
professionally detailed. Today, the car is fitted with the correct specification,
1955 date stamped, 16” wheels with 4.75/5.00 tyres. The car is complete with
tonneau cover and side windows, with the top boot and German weave carpeting
having also been replaced in recent years. The car is currently fitted with a
correct-specification 1955 1500cc speedster engine and its original gearbox, as
confirmed on the Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, and copies of the
original factory Kardex within the accompanying file.
The 356 is the opening chapter in Porsche’s
incredible history, with many considering the Pre-A Speedster one of the
marques most desirable and highly collectible models. This 1500 Speedster, in
its current condition, offers a fabulous opportunity for a new owner to
participate in a huge number of events, ranging from rallies to Concours events
around the world.
Price
Upon Application
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