Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1956 Porsche 356 "european" Cabriolet, 1 Of 22, Kardex, Complete For Restoration on 2040-cars

US $119,000.00
Year:1956 Mileage:1111
Location:

Advertising:



One of only 22 made


1956 Porsche 356 European Cabriolet

Coachwork by Reutter?

Like so many successful marketing ideas of the time, it came from the German company’s North American importer, Max Hoffman (the man who also brought the world the 356 Speedster among other notable marques and models from Alfa Romeo, etc.). As a means of increasing the import of 356 coup?s and convertibles, he suggested began his series of entry level Porsches with the 1500 America, a 'de-trimmed' 356 powered by the Normal (as opposed to Super) engine. For 1955 the 1500 America was superseded by the better equipped, though still Normal powered, Continental to emphasize the international, sophisticated European nature of these advanced sports cars. The gold badge was in Porsche’s characteristic script, set on the top of each front wing of these top-model, 1500cc version, stacked full of options. According to Road & Track: "The Normal produced more torque than the Super below 3,000rpm, and in any given gear, from any given speed, could out-accelerate the more powerful car.”

However, after Ford’s objections to the use of “Continental”, the model was changed to the “European” for 1956 model year. Again, highly optioned, and with the script adorning the front wings, very few of these cars exist. Records aren’t definitive, but it is believed that only 22 were built and only 16 are accounted for.

The car offered here is a very late “European” Cabriolet model of the 356, as ordered and delivered in March 1956 to Hoffman in New York. In barn-find condition, the body is essentially rust-free and straight with excellent panel fit. The doors, trunk and hood all fit perfectly with superb original panel gaps, and are marked with matching and original panel numbers. There is rust in the usual places of the floors and battery box – an easy repair.

The car is near complete with original engine and gearbox, running gear, etc. It will need the horn-button, shift lever, seats, rear bumper guards, radio, and Perspex sun visors to be complete. The original Solex carbs have been replaced with Dell’Ortos, but are readily available to return the car to original spec. It features the correct “Beehive” rear lights and sealed-beam headlights, in-dash ashtray (rather than under the dash), speedo in mph, and remains in the rare and original colour combination of triple black.

The car has been in dry storage since purchase in 1992, and was driven in there at that point. The engine turns freely, but may require a rebuild.

The car is accompanied by a 1992 Porsche Letter of Authenticity/early Kardex, which quotes the model type as a “356A Type European Cabriolet”, and includes engine and transmission numbers, and the chassis number, which corresponds to markings on the car’s original panels.

Here is a link to a similar car, sold recently at Gooding’s Scottsdale auction in January of this year for $310,750:

http://www.goodingco.com/vehicle/1955-porsche-356-1500-continental-cabriolet/

Clicking on one of the photos below will take you to a photobucket album with many details photos of the car including the underside.

For further information, please contact me by email or call 310.391.2376

Here is an excellent opportunity to acquire a Porsche 356 of equal value or more than a comparable Speedster, yet of far greater rarity. It is almost guaranteed acceptance in to any premiere international concours or touring event.

 photo DSC_0217_zpsbfcdbffa.jpg

 photo DSC_0181_zpsaf023f73.jpg

 photo DSC_0125_zps40e94651.jpg

Auto blog

Road & Track names its 2013 Performance Car of the Year

Thu, 14 Nov 2013

Road & Track recently staged its first annual Performance Car of the Year test, pitting 13 new and updated performance cars against each other on track, then graduating the top six to a road test before picking a winner. Additionally, the magazine staff picked the best automobiles of the year in eight categories.
But first, let's cover the PCotY segment. Here's the list of cars brought to the comparison test: Audi R8 V10 Plus; BMW 435i; BMW M6 Competition Package; Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51; Ferrari F12 Berlinetta; Ford Fiesta ST; Jaguar F-Type V8 S; Jaguar XFR-S; Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model Wagon; Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series; Mini John Cooper Works GP; Nissan GT-R Track Edition; and Porsche Cayman S.
To find out the results of the comparison, head over to Road & Track's website or check the press release below, where you'll also find the magazine's top-rated vehicles in eight categories. Want more? Head over to the 2013 PCotY hub. But before you do that, take a stab at guessing the winner of PCotY (we'll give you one hint: it isn't a Porsche).

Dealers mobilize to protect their margins from automaker subscription services

Fri, Aug 24 2018

Six individual auto brands — Lincoln, Cadillac, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Volvo — have established or are trialing a vehicle subscription service in the U.S. Three third-party companies — Flexdrive, Clutch and Carma — run brand-agnostic subscription services. And three automakers — Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and General Motors — have also launched short-term rental services. Dealers, afraid of how these trends might affect their margins, are building political and lawmaking campaigns to protect their revenue streams. So far, three states are investigating automaker subscriptions, and Indiana has banned any such service until next year. It's certain that those three states are the first fronts in a long political and legal battle. Powerful dealer franchise laws mandate the existence of dealers and restrict how automakers are allowed to interact with customers to sell a vehicle. On top of that, Bob Reisner, CEO of Nassau Business Funding & Services, said, "Dealers and their associations are among the strongest political operators in many states. They as a group are difficult for state politicians to vote against." In California earlier this year, the state Assembly debated a bill with wide-ranging provisions to protect against what the California New Car Dealers Association called "inappropriate treatment of dealers by manufacturers." One of those provisions stipulated that subscription services need to go through dealers, but that item got stripped out when dealers and manufacturers agreed to discuss the matter further. In Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a moratorium on all subscription programs by dealers or manufacturers until May 1, 2019, to give legislators more time to investigate. Dealers in New Jersey have taken their campaign to the state capitol, asking that the cars in subscription programs get a different classification for registration purposes. Automakers run the current subscription services and own the vehicles. Sign-ups and financial transactions happen online or through apps, leaving dealers to do little more than act as fulfillment centers to various degrees, with little legal recourse as to compensation amounts when they're called on to deliver or service a car. That's a bad base to build on for business owners who've sunk millions of dollars into their operations.

Porsche undecided on new 911 GT2 [w/poll]

Thu, 23 Jan 2014

Fans of hardcore 911s had it pretty good with the last 997 generation. There was the GT3, GT3 RS, GT3 RS 4.0, GT2 and GT2 RS (pictured above). Each one was faster, more powerful and more expensive than the one below it, but what they all shared was what Porsche purists love most: rear engine, rear drive, a manual transmission and little else.
So far with the new 991, Porsche has only released a GT3 version. Sure, there have been other models, but they're all decidedly more luxurious and less performance-focused. And as impressive a machine as the new GT3 is, it has run the risk of alienating some of its most ardent fanatics with technological interference in the form of a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and four-wheel steering. So what those purists have really been looking forward to is a more hardcore GT3 RS or new GT2. But those may not be coming so quickly.
Speaking with 911 project chief August Achleitner, Car and Driver reports that a new GT2 is anything but a foregone conclusion. The reasons may be partially political, but could be technical in nature as well: with 560 horsepower driving all four wheels, the new 911 Turbo S runs the 0-60 in less than three seconds. Give it more power but less traction, as Porsche has done with past GT2s, and you may not end up seeing an actual improvement in performance. A GT2 that's slower than the Turbo S would be difficult to explain.