Not including the rare and costly Carrera, the 1600 C and SC Cabriolets were Porsche’s most exclusive road cars of the era, offering comfort, performance, and enjoyable handling, especially when fitted with a special, optional rear camber-compensating leaf spring that tamed any tendencies toward oversteer.

According to its Certificate of Authenticity, this lovely example left the factory on 20 October 1964 and was finished in Ruby Red over black leatherette with a black German canvas folding top. The Reutter-built Cabriolet was ordered with a broad range of desirable options, including Koni shock absorbers, a transverse rear camber spring, 165 × 15 Dunlop SP tires mounted on chrome wheels with painted crest center caps, an elegant wood-rimmed “LL” steering wheel, radio antenna and dual speaker package, and two pairs of seat belts. With 75 horsepower, the C Cabriolet could cruise easily at 80 mph and see the ton on a good day, while disc brakes at all four corners could easily scrub off speed.

According to its factory Kardex, this cabriolet was delivered through the Georg Rittersbacher agency in Kaiserslautern, West Germany, which catered to the American military community at nearby Ramstein Air Base. The first owner was a Dr. C. Van Vooren, who was attached to the 86th TAC Hospital at Ramstein, headquarters for the United States Air Force in Europe. The Kardex shows the doctor had his new Porsche regularly maintained by Rittersbacher until late July of 1965. In 1971, Dr. Van Vooren sold the car to an enthusiast in northern Minnesota, who retained ownership for 42 years. Less than five years ago, the car was subjected to a comprehensive cosmetic restoration that included a bare-metal re-spray in its original color scheme of Ruby Red. In late 2013, the car was entrusted to Todd Trimble at Trophy Performance in Las Vegas, Nevada, to be freshened. Work included a top-end engine rebuild with new valve guides, a full case re-seal with new piston rings and related parts, attention to the brakes, a seat bracket repair, and some minor electrical debugging, at a cost of nearly $6,000. A California collector acquired the cabriolet in early 2014 and sold it that summer to the current owner.

Now showing 90,939 miles on its odometer, this handsome and well-optioned cabriolet is supplied with a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, an owner’s manual, and a spare wheel, and it needs very little for club-level concours or enjoyable weekend touring.