Lot n° 2
Estimation :
80000 - 100000
EUR
Result without fees
Result
: 104 896EUR
PORSCHE 356 B 1600S convertible - 1963
Chassis... - Lot 2 - Ader
PORSCHE 356 B 1600S convertible - 1963
Chassis #158009 Engine type 616/12T6 (1600S)
The first hybrid engine mass-produced around 1900, the formidable Mercedes-Benz SSK, the Volkswagen Beetle produced more than twenty-one million units between 1938 and 2003: all these achievements are due to one man, Ferdinand Porsche, one of the most prolific automotive engineers of the 20th century!
Synonymous with exception in the world of motorsport, the Porsche brand began with the opening of an independent design office in 1931 and the development of hundreds of projects. The one that officially bears the number 356 is crucial: it gives birth to the first Porsche in history, the one through which everything happens, the genesis of the myth!
This car, which has the audacity to be different from the others by its aspect and its design, marks its time. Its image is linked to so many racing successes, especially with the Carrera and Carrera 2 versions, but also to so many personalities, from James Dean to Georges Pompidou... That's how seductive it is!
In June 1947, Ferdinand Porsche was a prisoner of war when his son Ferry launched the realization of the 356 project in the old sawmill in Gmünd, Austria, in collaboration with the designer Eberhorst, one of the fathers of the terrifying "silver arrow" Auto Union type D. For the mechanical part, the Volkswagen's 1,131 cc air-cooled 4-cylinder engine is used, installed on a tubular chassis in the middle rear position! The bodywork is a two-seater aluminium barquette designed by Erwin Komenda and built by Friedrich Weber. The initial plans were completed when Ferdinand Porsche was released in August, and the prototype made its first runs in March 1948.
At the same time, plans for a production version that was quite different were drawn up. Available as a coupe or a convertible, it was based on a simpler steel platform chassis and the engine was now mounted on a rear overhang. It was officially presented at the 1949 Geneva Motor Show. From 1950 to 1955, Reutter produced the first steel bodies, retrospectively called pre-A, the last of which had a one-piece windscreen. The 1955 Frankfurt Motor Show saw the presentation of the 356 A evolution, presented as a coupe, convertible and speedster. The latter, very desirable, is a stripped-down sporty version with a very low windscreen designed in 1954 for the American market.
At the same time, the 356 Carrera with a 1500 four-cam engine was introduced, which was directly derived from the legendary 550 RS Spyder, which won its class and came third overall at the last Panamericana in the hands of Hans Herrmann. This exclusively produced 550 RS is also the car in which the actor James Dean, who premonitatively named it Little Bastard, died.
The 356 B T5 was released in 1959, still in coupe and convertible versions, while a new roadster version replaced the D convertible and the fabulous speedster disappeared. Only available with the 1 600 cm3 (60 hp), 1600 S (75 hp) and 1600S 90 (90 hp) engines
In 1961, the 356 adopts its final appearance with the evolution B T6. The front hood is flattened and its front part is widened while a ventilation grid appears at the foot of the windshield, itself widened, just like the rear window. Finally, the engine hood is now ventilated by two air grilles. In the summer of 1963, the last 356 C T6 and SC T6 are launched before the total stop of the production, in 1965, after more than seventy-five thousand examples built in fifteen years.
The presented car is a desirable convertible version equipped with the powerful 1600S engine. It was sold new in Germany and registered for the first time on April 1, 1963. It had three successive German owners in 1967, 1968 and 1971 according to its current German registration. It seems that the engine block has been exchanged but the markings confirm that it is a 1600S of the correct type 616/12T6. It has since undergone extensive restoration work and comes in an elegant black metal color combination, black alpaca hood and red leather upholstery. A test drive has shown it to be in good working order, but it needs to be serviced as this 356 has hardly been driven for five years.
Community circulation permit
To be registered as a collection car
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