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