1958 Porsche 356A Convertible D

Over the weekend I looked at a pretty nice 911 Speedster up for sale. It was, as usual, very expensive, but also quite desirable. That Speedster, of course, hearkens back to the ethos of the original 356 Speedster though it is far from as spartan a ride as those very early Porsches. In fact, we might see the 911 Speedster to have greater relation to the Speedster’s successor, which is the car we see here: the Convertible D.

The Speedster was a sales success for Porsche as a gentleman’s racer: a car that could be used during the weekly commute, but then on the weekend with its stripped down features it just as easily proved to be a capable car around the track. That said, it may have been too spartan for such dual purpose. It sold well initially and then those sales slowed. Porsche then introduced the Convertible D, which added a few creature comforts back. It borrowed a standard set of seats from the 356 Coupe to replace the Speedster’s hard buckets and raised the windshield height just a bit. It even gave you the option of winding the windows. Such luxury! The Convertible D was a little bit of a compromise, but these were still pretty much no frills open-top cars.

Like the Speedster the Convertible D remains very desirable, though a few notches down the value scale. The one we see here looks absolutely beautiful: a restored Meissen Blue 1958 Porsche 356A Convertible D, located in Colorado, with Red interior.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1958 Porsche 356A Convertible D on eBay

Year: 1958
Model: 356A Convertible D
Engine: 1.6 liter flat-4
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Mileage: 32,981 mi
Price: Reserve Auction

EVERY SO OFTEN A TRULY CORRECT NUMBERS MATCHING, WELL MAINTAINED 356 ARRIVES ON THE MARKET, SIMILAR TO HOW IT CAME OUT OF THE FACTORY.I BELIEVE THE CURRENT OFFERING IS ONE OF THOSE CARS.

THE CONVERTIBLE D , THE SUCCESSOR TO THE SPEEDSTER, WAS BUILT BY PORSCHE FOR ONLY THE 1959 MODEL YEAR. THE BODY WAS BUILT BY DRAUZ WITH THE SPEEDSTER BODY BUT USED A 3 1/2 INCH HIGHER WINDSHIELD, WIND-UP SIDE WINDOWS AND COUPE SEATS. THEY WERE MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE AND WEATHER-PROOF THAN THE SPEEDSTER. BEING 6 FOOT 2 INCHES TALL, I SOLD MY SPEEDSTER AND ACQUIRED ONE OF THE 1337 CONVERTIBLE D CARS BUILT. APPROXIMATELY HALF ARE BELIEVED TO BE IN EXISISTANCE TODAY. THE STRIKING MEISSEN BLUE COLOR IS ORIGINAL, HOWEVER FAR FEWER CARS WERE PAINTED IN THIS COLOR.

CHASSIS – 85670- EARLY 1958 CONVERTIBLE D- 169TH D BUILT

ENGINE NUMBER- 71648 616/1

BUILD DATE- 10-31-1958

TRANSMISSION – 23739

WHEELS DATED- 11/58

EXTERIOR PAINT- COLOR/CODE- MEISSEN BLUE

INTERIOR MATERIAL COLOR- TYPE RED-LEATHER

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT- SEALED BEAMS

I PURCHASED THE PORSCHE IN 2015 FROM A LONGTIME OWNER IN SAN JOSE, CA. THE BODY WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH AN APPARANT HISTORY OF NO COLLISIONS AND LITTLE IF ANY RUST AS THE CAR SPENT MUCH OF ITS LIFE ON THE WEST COAST. THE CAR WAS PAINTED BLACK SOMETIME I BELIEVE IN THE 90’S .ALL DOOR AND HOOD GAPS ON THE BODY WERE EXCELLENT AT THE TIME AND ARE ESTIMATED AT 3 MILLIMETERS. AS I AM VERY PARTICULAR ABOUT RESTORING CARS TO THE WAY THEY LEFT THE FACTORY , I RETURNED THE CAR TO IT’S ORIGINAL BEAUTIFUL MEISSEN BLUE COLOR. AFTER THE CAR ARRIVED IN COLORADO IN DECEMBER 20015, THE BODY WAS TAKEN APART , PAINT WAS REMOVED TO BARE METAL AND CHECKED FOR RUST , DINGS AND DENTS. THERE APPEARED ONLY MINOR SURFACE RUST AND SEVERAL DENTS AND DINGS WHICH WERE PROFESSIONALLY REMOVED AND REPAIRED WITH METAL AND LEAD. MUCH OF THE CHROME AND EMBLEMS APPEARED NEW OR WERE REPLACED. I WOULD RATE THE PAINT A 9 PLUS, PLUS.

TIRES ARE THE CORRECT BRAND NEW VREESSTEIN 165 HR 15 WITH LESS THAN 200 MILES. FOUR ORIGINAL DATED CHROME WHEELS (11/58} COME WITH THE CAR .
I ACQUIRED FOUR NEW RECREATED RUDGE ALUMINUM WHEELS ALSO WITH HARDLY ANY MILES, THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON THE CAR.

THE CAR IS AN EXCELLENT DRIVER WITH TIGHT STEERING AND NO RATTLES OR OTHER NOISES. . THE PORSCHE HAS BEEN SERVICED THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS BY STORZ GARAGE IN DENVER. THEY RECENTLY REPLACED ALL THE BRAKES AND TURNED THE BRAKE CYLINDERS. STORZ AND A LONG TIME DENVER PORSCHE JUDGE DETAILED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT BACK TO ORIGINAL. COMPRESSION WAS CHECKED AND IS EXCELLENT AND CARBURATERS WERE REBUILT. THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS SMOOTHLY, HOWEVER, THE ORIGINAL NUMBERS MATCHING TRANSMMISION WAS REPLACED SOME YEARS AGO.

ALL INSIDE GAUGES HAVE ALL BEEN RESTORED AND CALIBRATED BY DELUXE SPEEDOMETER. THERE ARE MINOR HAIRLINE CRACKS ON THE ORIGINAL STEERING WHEEL. INTERIOR LEATHER IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH NO FADING RIPS OR TEARS. THE CONVERTIBLE TOP IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. A JACK AND OWNER’S MANUAL ALONG WITH ONLY THE TOOL JACKET COMES WITH THE CAR. IN ADDITION I HAVE THE CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY FROM THE PORSCHE FACTORY.

I HAVE BEEN AN EBAY MEMBER SINCE 2008 WITH A 100% RATING. I AM ALSO A MEMBER OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN PORSCHE CLUB AND A MEMBER OF THE 356 REGISTRY. I RECOMMEND YOU SEE THE CAR IN PERSON AND TAKE IT TO YOUR MECHANIC IN DENVER, COLORADO. PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS.

These blue over red combinations will always get my attention and Meissen Blue is a particularly lovely version of the color. It’s one of those Porsche colors that looks especially good on the 356, but isn’t quite as striking on later models. Much of that comes down to the various chrome accents on the 356, which contrast so well with a light blue paint. It’s really quite striking.

This specific 356 looks quite good in the color and appears to have been restored very well. Much of the car is back to looking close to original, though it is important to note the original transmission is not with the car. The original chrome wheels do come with the car, along with the aluminum wheels it is currently wearing. So this is not a perfect example of one of these early Porsches, but it is a very nice one and one that should please most any fan of the model.

-Rob