1948 Porsche Prototype Hits the Market

January 14, 2010 by Aaron

This 1948 Porsche Prototype Custom Sports Cabriolet on Hemmings has been getting quite a bit of attention.  This aluminum body car was built by Swiss coach builder Hans Waibel.  Waibel has often been described as the godfather of the Porsche 356, several of the styling cues in this car do nothing to dispute that claim.  This car is absolutely stunning thanks in large part to a full restoration in 1992.  Coupled with the sheer beauty of the car is the historical significance that this is one of the first Porsche automobiles ever created.

1948 Porsche for Sale

“1948 Porsche Prototype Custom Sports Cabriolet *One of a Kind Historically Important Porsche* This incredibly rare one-off aluminum body prototype Porsche custom Sports Cabriolet is finished in Metallic Green with a Tan Interior. It was built in 1948 by the renowned Swiss Coachbuilder and one of the principal creators of the early 356 cars – Hans Waibel. Waibel had close ties to Dr. Porsche before and after WWII including building two prototypes and a commission to produce two show cars in 1948. The car is truly a forefather to the later factory 356 cars with such details as a curved windshield. It carries a unique provenance with ownership history including some of the major players in early Porsche history including M. Debrunner, president of VW AG Switzerland, and Ruprecht von Senger. Von Senger financed and established the early Porsche dealership network in Europe much like Max Hoffman would do later in the U.S. in 1953. The car was last registered in Switzerland in 1959. It was put into storage for some 20 years and eventually sold to Michael Rizzuto, a restoration specialist in the United States . Mr. Rizzuto sold the car in unrestored condition to film producer Monty Montgomery in 1988. Mr. Montgomery commissioned a full restoration and upon completion in 1992 it was exhibited at Pebble Beach. The car remains in beautiful condition to this day. This is truly a historic automobile and an authentic predecessor to the factory Porsche 356 Cabriolets that were to be built in later years.”

With no price listed I had to call the dealer to get an idea of the desired bounty for this rare car.  After a short wait I was told by a snooty gentleman that the discussion would start at $500k in a very “if you have to ask you cannot afford it” tone of voice.  A fair price that would seem to be aimed at the Jay Leno’s and Jerry Seinfeld’s of the world.  Regardless of price you have to appreciate the significance of this beautiful car.

Related posts:

  1. 1963 Porsche 356B Cabriolet Race car Flying the Gulf colors, this vintage racer’s paint almost looks...
  2. 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster for Sale Spotted this neat 1955 356 Speedtser on eBay over the...
  3. 1990 944 S2 Cab with 19k Miles Here is a extremely clean 1990 Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet for...

Tags: , , , ,
Posted by Aaron in Porsche | January 14, 2010 |
Print This Article or leave a response or trackback

One Response to “1948 Porsche Prototype Hits the Market”

  1. #1
    Houston Dynamo – 04-22-06 – Craig Waibel Goal | Houston Dynamo MLS Announcer
    January 14th, 2010 10:02 pm

    [...] 1948 Porsche Prototype Hits the Market | German Cars For Sale Blog [...]

Leave a Reply

PLEASE NOTE BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT: I don't own or represent any of the vehicles for sale on this blog. Click all the links in the post to discover if the vehicle is still for sale. I don't have any further information if links are broken and will delete comments asking if a car is still for sale. Thank you for your understanding