1965 Porsche 356C 1600 SC Coupe

I want to take a break from high performance to turn back the clock for a minute. While the rush of acceleration and the feel of ultimate grip through the corners drives much of the enthusiast’s desire, the raw mechanical nature and simplicity of vintage motoring can work to similar effect. It’s a different feel, but the joy of driving remains.

If you happen to be in the market for a driver-quality 356 I think this one has promise. We see examples of the 356 like this from time to time though typically, because of the model’s very old age, most tend to fall into the categories of fully restored (and quite expensive) or in need of such work and not looking terribly sharp.

This Irish Green 1965 Porsche 356C 1600 SC Coupe appears to be neither of those things. It looks pretty good and while there certainly is wear evident none of it looks to seriously detract from the car. Its current condition is the result of “mechanical and cosmetic refreshening”, it just so happens that occurred more than twenty years ago. So you kind of get the same result, but with less immediate cost.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1965 Porsche 356C 1600 SC Coupe on eBay

Year: 1965
Model: 356C 1600 SC
Engine: 1.6 liter flat-4
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Mileage: 56,000 mi
Price: $55,000

This four owners, numbers matching 1965 Porsche 356SC is a delight. It spent the first half of its life in the bay area of California, and the second mostly in storage in Utah and has been parked since 2005. It had a mechanical and cosmetic freshening in the early 1990’s when the previous owner purchased it. It’s a very original car over all. In 1993 it got new seat covers, front carpet, headliner and exterior paint.
Engine and gauges were rebuilt.
The rear seats and carpet are original as is the glass (including windshield), the dash paint, factory date coded chrome wheels and hubcaps, most of the chrome, headlight assemblies and radio (which works!).
I think even the center mat is original. The 20+ year old paint has held up very well, and presents beautifully. The bottom is very original.
Mechanically, the engine is very sound and powerful with original 40P11 Solex carbs. The transaxle shifts perfectly and the brakes are outstanding.
This little car hauls!
All the gauges work as do the lights, wipers, radio, clock, and horns.
Battery is a 6 volt Optima in a box that makes it look original.
According to the Certificate of Authenticity provided by Porsche, the car was born Irish green with black leatherette interior. Options included ventilated chrome wheels, chrome horn ring, trim strips and Phoenix tires. All remain except for the tires. All five wheels are date coded as are the hubcaps. In July 2016 it was pulled out of storage after eleven years idle. Receive it a full service including new fuel and lines, valve adjustment, full tune, transaxle oil change, engine oil change, steering gear oil change and brake flush. It runs extremely well, idles where it should and stops on a dime. Handling is tight and the tires are like new too. Included with the car are some tasteful 1990’s additions: cloisonne hubcap centers, chrome exhaust tips, gray floor mats, beautiful gray sheepskin seat covers, aftermarket wood steering wheel and Euro spec turn signal and tail light lenses. Also included is an original luggage rack!
Clean title in hand.

We’re told that this 356 runs and drives well. It sounds like it’s been garaged and seen very little use since 2005, which might explain why its cosmetic condition still appears quite good. That might make us question its mechanical condition though the seller claims it received a full servicing once it came out of storage. While not wholly original – the paint, front seats and carpets, and headliner were replaced in the ’90s – a good deal of this 356 does appear to be original. That might not be of significant concern to you with regard to how it might be used right now, but if you did plan to give it a full restoration to return it to pristine condition, those original parts should garner it a bit of extra cachet.

What really drew me here was how good this car looks. Irish Green looks so good on these vintage Porsches and this 356 shows it well. The various chrome trim pieces accentuate the color and provide balance to the depth of the green paint. This is a 356 that just about anyone should take a liking to at any Porsche event. Moving to the interior, while the seating isn’t original the seats look good. That sometimes is not the case so it is nice to see here. In the end, I think if its servicing post-storage has taken care of any potential issues then this definitely looks like a worthy pursuit. And with an asking price of $55K it’s priced pretty well too!

-Rob