Beschreibung:

It's funny how certain cars reach instant icon status, the Porsche Speedster is one such model. In the mid-1950s, North American Porsche importer Max Hoffman requested a less-costly Porsche. To deliver the goods, the factory created a stripped-down version of the 356 it called the Speedster when it was introduced in September 1954. Costing about $500 less than any other body style Porsche offered, it also pared about 200 pounds off the weight of the coupe. All of a sudden, Porsche had a real contender on the race track where the combination of its car's superior handling and a good driver could prove formidable indeed. Instantly recognizable by virtue of its low, wraparound - as opposed to V-shaped - windscreen, smaller and entirely retractable hood, lower door waistline, horizontal trim strip at the level of the door handles, and twin bucket seats - all of which served to emphasize its sporting image. Powered initially by the 1.5-litre version of Porsche's horizontally opposed four, the Speedster gained the new 1.6-litre, 60bhp engine with the introduction of the improved 356A for 1955. Testing the Speedster alongside its Coupé sibling in 1956, Road & Track magazine reckoned, 'A more comfortable sportscar for long, high-speed journeys would be very hard to find and certainly no other car achieves the combination of comfort, performance and fuel economy of the Porsche Continental Speedster or Coupé.' Its combination of style, performance and value for money made the Speedster deservedly popular. According to the Kardex with the car, this Speedster was delivered new in July 1957, and was originally in white livery, with a black leatherette interior. It is thought to have come to the States early on to have been raced in Colorado and Pennsylvania. In 1975 it was in Pennsylvania and had been sitting for four years needing light corrosion repair. The front floor boards were replaced and some metal fabrication was also performed in the battery box, this work was done on a rotisserie restoration device. The sheet metal was repaired, with proper leading techniques and to exacting standards. Upon completion of all body work and extensive priming the automobile was placed in a barn until 1988 when the restoration was resumed. At this time the owner of the automobile had the car painted Polyanther Red. A single stage lacquer paint application consisting of multiple coats was carried out before the car was once again returned to the barn and stored with all necessary parts to complete the restoration. A fortress of straw, hay, old carpeting and a tattered canvass tarp provided a secure dry repose, but the car was left untouched for 21 years and almost forgotten. It was discovered by its present Porsche enthusiast owner last year and since then that work has finally been completed. Some of the parts that were with the car needed to be replaced, with correct pieces coming from Stoddard Porsche. At some stage in its life the car lost its original motor and it is presently fitted with a 356 B unit, that has been performance enhanced. Despite its years, the car's paint is fresh while the interior and top have been refurbished in black and are new. Under the skin the car appears to be correct and original and retains interesting period details such as the cardboard battery cover panel. A pretty and ready to use example of this European-American Icon.