Originally used in homage to Porsche’s 1954 class victory at the final Carrera Panamericana road race, since 1955 the “Carrera” badge has come to signify models which have been fitted with the company’s most powerful production-series engines. The Carrera 2 2000 GS of 1962 represents the sportiest version of Porsche’s 356 B “T6” series, although its high-performance capabilities are only discreetly teased by minor visual differences from the base model, notwithstanding optional gold-plated badges.

Beneath the Carrera 2’s demure Reutter-built body, Porsche’s engineers stuffed the Type 587/1—then their latest and most radical production version of the Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann-designed, double-overhead cam, air-cooled, four-cylinder “boxer” engine. Exceptionally compact and power-dense, the 2.0-liter 587/1 delivers an impressive horsepower-per-liter ratio of 65, propelling the 2000 GS Carrera 2 to around 60 mph in only 9.2 seconds and onto a maximum speed just shy of 125 mph.

With lightweight coachwork, a full-synchromesh four-speed gearbox, annular disc brakes at all four corners, and a rear transverse leaf spring suspension, these 2000 GS Carrera 2 Cabriolets present an exceptionally enjoyable and dynamic driving experience, provided, of course, that one can locate an available example of the scant 96 produced.

Chassis 158478, offered here, is a German-market example which was delivered on 12 June 1963 to the famed Porsche distributor Glöckler of Frankfurt. Clad in Heron Grey (6207B) paintwork over black leather upholstery, this Carrera 2 Cabriolet was subsequently sold new to an heir of the Selzer Manufacturing Company in Frankfurt, which supplied the Porsche factory with parts and manufacturing equipment.

Per his company’s close involvement with Porsche, the car’s original owner specified his top-of-the-line model with an outrageous suite of optional equipment that included two armrests, two headrests, chrome perforated disc wheels wrapped in 15-inch Dunlop tires, a 70-liter fuel tank, two cabin speakers, an interior rear-view mirror, and a lockable antenna. Additionally, he also specified the fitment of inner and outer thermometers, noise suppression material for the cabin, a fender-mounted Spyder GT mirror, woven Koko floor mats in black, and an integrated dashboard compass.

Glöckler warranty records written into chassis 158478’s Kardex note that by September 1964 its original owner had clocked nearly 67,000 kilometers (~41,632 miles)! At this time, Glöckler fitted this well-loved Carrera with a replacement Type 741/20A transaxle, as noted by the “KD” notation on the Kardex; this is the unit currently mounted in the car. Better yet, during 1965 the factory forwarded a celebratory 100,000-kilometer badge and Porsche wristwatch to the car’s original owner.

At some point shortly thereafter, the car was imported to the United States and acquired by a Los Angeles-area Porsche enthusiast. Following an unspecified traffic incident in June 1971, Rudi Klein purchased this supremely rare Carrera 2 Cabriolet from the previous owner’s insurer. It was subsequently brought to the storage buildings at Porche Foreign Auto yard and remained there—quietly interred among Klein’s personal trove of significant vehicles—for several decades until July 2024, when RM Sotheby’s staff arrived on-site to catalogue and photograph the entire collection.

While not presently fitted with a Carrera engine, the rarity and significance of this 356 B Carrera 2 2000 GS Cabriolet make it an enticing prospect for a full restoration.