THE 159TH SPEEDSTER

Like many of the most successful post-war European sports cars, the Porsche 356 Speedster had its origins in the vision of powerful North American importer Max Hoffman. Hoffman was a superb judge of his clientele, and he encouraged Porsche to build a lower-cost open model of the 356, stripped of virtually any and all amenities, with an emphasis on performance. The 356 Speedster, with its barely-there fabric top, low removable windshield, and spartan cabin, proved an immense hit, as well as highly successful on the track.

The first production Speedsters were built in 1954, and just 200 were produced. According to its Porsche Certificate of Authenticity on file, the Speedster offered here, the 159th of the 200 original cars, was built on 15 December 1954, and finished as it appears today in US specification in White with Red leatherette interior.

The car was acquired by the present family of owners in 1992, and father and son, both longtime, avid Porsche enthusiasts and collectors, subsequently undertook a full restoration, beginning in 2000, that returned the Porsche to its to original condition, including colors, exactly as it had been built. The car is now fitted with a correct replacement engine, number 35741, with a date stamp on the block believed to represent when the engine and transaxle were rebuilt by the noted 356 technician Vic Skirmant. Since completion of the meticulous restoration in 2004, the car has been well-kept by its owners, who have shown it occasionally, most prominently at the special Porsche Speedster 50th Anniversary event held at Quail Lodge in 2004 and at the 356 Holiday the same year in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Still in very good, older restored condition, the car is proudly offered by the family today complete with a wonderful patinaed original tool set, as well as a full-size spare and jack. It is a truly special automobile, that marks the beginning of a wonderful story—the birth of the Porsche Speedster, one of the most significant of all post-war sports cars.