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Properly speaking I’m not sure if we’d normally count this Ruby Red 1963 Porsche 356B Carrera 2 as a “tuner,” but given that these were the hot Porsche of their day it fits the bill as well as most anything else. While a 356 may not get your blood going the way a RUF built 930 might, they will always hold a place in my heart and with the 4-cam Carrera engine these are more of a racer than many of Porsche’s later builds. They are small, light, and relatively simple machines fitted with the best mechanical additions Porsche could muster. Add to that their rarity and you end up with one of the most valuable Porsches on the market and easily the most valuable examples of the 356. The example we see here appears in exquisite condition, but sounds as if the original 1.6 liter 4-cam flat-four is no longer with the car. In its place, we find a 2.0 liter flat-four from a Carrera 2 GT producing a reported 160 hp. For a car as basic as the 356 that is the sort of motivation that will get you moving in no time at all!
Beauty is impossible to quantify and always difficult to rationalize. This car I find particularly beautiful. I have long enjoyed the Porsche 356 Roadster and we come across them from time to time, but there is something about this one that really grabs me. Much of this is down to the contrast of the Bali Blue exterior over the Red leather interior, a combination that I cannot recall coming across (nor was it original to this 356) but which works extremely well. The 356 Roadster was the successor to the highly sought after 356 Speedster, or to be more accurate it was the successor to the Convertible D, which was the successor to the 356 Speedster. It retains in spirit its Speedster roots, but adds a few creature comforts to help suit its purpose as a vehicle capable of everyday use though still somewhat spartan throughout. As a vintage open-top cruiser there are few cars whose style I enjoy more than the 356 Roadster and this one is an incredibly striking example of the model. Here we have a Bali Blue 1960 Porsche 356B 1600 Super Roadster with Red leather interior, located in Houston.
I think I understand the appeal of nostalgia. It’s the appeal of something we perceive as less complex, freer, or rooted in the familiar. In that regard our own memories are most important and it is the connections between past and present events that creates the joy we derive from such experiences. On the second-hand car market, nostalgia also plays an important role in solidifying and elevating the values of particular models. Nostalgia isn’t the only influential player in those market movements, but it definitely has its role. So when I look at the Porsche 356 I think I can understand part of the reason for their success; the reason they have become six-figure cars even when by any modern performance and refinement standard they will fall well short. Like many models the 356 has its own fans that in many ways are distinct from 911 fans or fans of Porsche’s various front-engined GTs. I am very much a 911 fan, yet, even though these cars are quite a bit older than I am, I can easily see the appeal of a relaxed drive in the sun and the wind with very little standing between your inputs as the driver and the responses of the car. With simplicity and lightness comes joy. So I think I understand the appeal of nostalgia. Here we have a restored Slate Gray 1960 Porsche 356B Super 90 Cabriolet, located in Miami, with Black interior.
The Porsche 356 is one of those cars to which I always enjoy returning. Whether it simply be to return to a vintage automobile whose lines I always enjoy or to gain a fuller appreciation for the elements of design, shape, and performance that went into these early Porsches. The ethos of the company is built into these cars and even today, more than 60 years since the first model was introduced, we still can see the evolutionary nature of the marque and the relationship not only of design but also performance. With the 356 Porsche had already begun offering their cars in varying levels of performance and here we have the highest available of those utilizing the 1.6 flat-4 engine, the Super 90. While 90 hp doesn’t seem like a lot, tasked with propelling a car that weighed less than 1000 kg these offered brisk performance for their time all while retaining the lightness and directness of feel possessed by many vintage machines. The particular example we have here is a restored Ivory over Tan 1963 Porsche 356B T6 Super 90 Cabriolet, located in Miami, and on auction with no reserve.
I think we’re all pretty familiar with the 356 Speedster, one of the most iconic of the vintage Porsches, as well as one of the most valuable. It was one of Porsche’s first forays into providing a car to its clients that combined everyday drivability with weekend racer utility. The Speedster eventually was phased out as demand waned, but even after its departure not everyone wanted the full cabriolet with its modest rear seating and extra luxuries. Enter the 356 Convertible D: if the Speedster was the no-frills weekend racer, the Convertible D simply added the frills back in. Still a two-seater, but now with a standard non-removable windscreen, the top was a bit more functional and the interior provided the sort of comforts more suited to cruising than racing. This was still a Porsche so it came with the same pedigree and ability, but it was no longer stripped of creature comforts. Released in 1959 the Convertible D was then renamed the 356 Roadster in 1960, but otherwise remained mostly unchanged. By 1963 the Roadster was gone altogether. The example we see here comes from that initial year these took on the Roadster moniker: a Silver 1960 Porsche 356B Roadster with Red interior located in Miami Beach.
