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A little while back I featured a 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo with a paint-to-sample exterior in Meissen Blue. It’s a color I was unfamiliar with and had never seen but which has early roots in Porsche’s history with the 356. It’s a color that really grows on you, and which we might think as beginning a line that would run through Gulf Blue and Glacier Blue as some of the lighter blues in the Porsche catalog. They’re really great colors and I think they work especially well on vintage Porsches. The car we see here takes us back to that original use of the color: a Meissen Blue 1957 Porsche 356A Coupe, located California, with a few modifications that have garnered it the ‘outlaw’ moniker. As outlaws go it’s a more subdued version of the species and retains much of the vintage charm of the 356 itself.
Some cars just kind of smack me in the face with their beauty. Porsche’s 356 Cabriolet almost always is one of those cars. They possess a beauty that is very hard to find in modern machinery, while also showcasing the charm of a vintage automobile. The 356 Coupe calls to mind much more the shape of the 911, if a slightly overweight version (though it’s not overweight at all). They have a somewhat bulbous look. However, chop the top and suddenly the 356 is transformed into a lithe and elegant automobile that promises to treat you to the best of open-top cruising. It’s no wonder that the 356 Speedster was so initially popular for its combination of open-top appeal with a pared-down structure best suited to weekend racers. The 356 Cabriolet brings with it the usual refinements that the Speedster did without, but we still get a fairly simple machine with graceful lines and, in this case, a beautiful and vibrant red paint. The example here comes from just toward the end of the model’s production: a 1965 Porsche 356SC Cabriolet, located in North Carolina, with a reported 63,020 miles on it.
Vintages Porsches always have a more limited appeal unless they are a particularly rare model, in which case the limitations become financial. The 356 does have its share of fans, but with the 911 remaining ever popular it tends to garner much of the attention. That is to be expected given the sheer iconic stature the 911 has developed over its 50 years of production, but I remain strangely attracted to the 356. They’re attractive cars that easily show their foundation as the 911’s predecessor. So even if they’ve be relegated behind the 911, the 356 remains the 911’s roots and for that it deserves plenty of appreciation. The example here comes from near the end of 356 production: a Silver 1964 Porsche 356SC, located in Maryland, with a magnificent Red interior and a reported 58,645 miles on it.
Let’s turn back the clock a bit to one of Porsche’s earliest attempts to meld track duty with everyday usability, matters that over time became hallmarks of the brand. The Speedster was developed during a time when two-seat open-top machines began to proliferate and became common occurrences on trackdays. These were cars that, in their own unique way, provided owners the ability to take their car to the track on Saturday and then to work on Monday. Creature comforts were limited, as with most track cars, but it was their mechanical simplicity – and relatively low cost – that made them worthwhile considerations for dual-purpose duty. As such, Porsche tried to emulate that model and the 356 Speedster featured side curtains rather than windows, a removable windscreen, a very basic manually-folding soft-top, and bucket seats fitted to an austere interior. While initially very popular interest in the Speedster waned and it was replaced by the Convertible D (later 356 Roadster) after only four years of production. With such low numbers extant the Speedster has become an icon of the brand and highly-prized among collectors. The example we see here comes from the earlier T1 design, a Ruby Red 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster, located in California.
The very rare and very head-turning 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500 Continental Cabriolet that we featured back in October has come back up for sale again as a reserve auction. This car was featured in a recent issue of Excellence Magazine so perhaps the seller hopes to capitalize upon that exposure in the search for a new owner of this lovely machine. This is, without question, the most striking 356 we’ve ever come across as well as a unique piece of Porsche history.
The below post originally appeared on our site October 31, 2014:
