Beschreibung:

1961 PORSCHE 356B 1600S CABRIOLET Registration No. Not UK Registered Chassis No. 155303 Engine No. P89849 Silver with red leather interior. Engine: Horizontally opposed air-cooled four cylinder at rear, 1582cc, 75bhp at 5000rpm, two Solex carburettors; Gearbox: four-speed manual with Porsche synchromesh; Brakes: hydraulic drum all round; Suspension: independent with torsion bars, trailing arm front, swing axle rear; Right-hand drive. Ferdinand Porsche's approach to automobile design was uncompromising. His task, he considered, was to apply the most rigorous scientific principles to the problems he was given to solve. The thunderous rear-engined Auto-Union Grand Prix cars of the 1930's and the Volkswagen - the people's car which seemed never to wear out - were two notable products of his genius. His name is indelibly linked to Porsche sports cars, yet the brilliant 356 model which formed the basis of the marque's success was designed by his son Ferry. The story begins with a VW aerodynamic coupe built to compete in the 1939 open-road Berlin-Rome race. This efficient little 996cc machine was capable of nearly 90mph on only 40bhp; when the first Porsche 356 coupe appeared from Austria in 1949, it looked a good deal like its predecessor. Underneath that smooth skin, the 1100cc engine and fully independent suspension were recognisably also VW. The motoring world began to take notice when 1100cc Porsche coupes twice won their class in the Le Mans 24-hours race and achieved outright victory in the gruelling 1952 Liege-Rome-Liege Rally. As a production car, available in Cabriolet, Coupe, Speedster and Roadster form, the 356 quickly became a world phenomenon. As part of an ongoing programme of improvements, engine size went up to 1600cc and power to comfortably over 90bhp in the more potent variants but, above all, it was the quality built into the type - the concentration on a single air-cooled theme, the rewarding handling, that gave the car its place in the sun. In 1960 the B came along, provided with more robust bumbers, higher headlamps and a host of hidden refinements. Aerodynamics were improved, as were the brakes. The top speed was now quoted at 109mph. Although the rear suspension was also improved, it was not a car that readily forgave the clumsy. The 356 ceased production in mid-1965 to give way to the entirely new six cylinder 911. This Porsche 356B Cabriolet is one of the relatively few built with right-hand drive. The present vendor, the second owner, purchased it in Hong Kong in 1977. He brought it to Switzerland, where it is now registered. It was repainted in 1980, the engine and brakes were overhauled in 1995, and the hood has recently been given new fabric. The engine is original to the car. The recorded mileage is the low figure of 30,000 miles. Avaliable with the car but not fitted is a removable anti-roll bar and a Sebring sports-type exhaust system. 1600S Cabriolets were never prolific with right-hand drive, so this is a rare and desireable derivative. This is a well presented example of one of the outstanding sports cars of a classic period.