Lot 211: 1957 Porsche 356A Speedster

Although Ferdinand Porsche had established his automotive design consultancy in the early 1930s, his name would not appear on a car until 1949. When it did, it graced one of the all-time great sports cars - the Porsche 356. A cabriolet followed hot on the heels of the original 356 coupé and then in 1952 a trial batch of 15 roadsters was constructed, their successful reception in the USA leading to the introduction of the Speedster model in 1954.
Instantly recognisable 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 emphasise its sporting image - the Speedster was, in effect, an ‘economy’ model intended to compete with the cheaper British sports cars. 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 - 4,822 examples being constructed between 1954 and ’58 - and today this most handsome of the 356 variants enjoys cult status.
We are advised that this 356A Speedster was restored relatively recently in the USA, remaining there until the 1990s when it was imported into Germany and registered there with EU duties paid. Resident in the UK since 2006, the car is described as in generally good condition; the 1.6-litre engine (which is not the original unit) runs and displays good oil pressure, but would nevertheless benefit from more regular use and a tune up. Finished in Condor Yellow with tan interior, the latter featuring Nardi wood rimmed steering wheel, the car comes fully equipped with new black hood, side screens and tonneau cover, and is offered with current MoT certificate and Swansea V5 registration document.