Porsche 356 Restorations - One for Concours, One for the Patina
Two distinctive Porsche 356 restoration candidates have been featured in the RM Sotheby’s Open Roads Auction ending on March 25, 2021. One Porsche 356 is a barn find that is unique enough to be a Concours Winner after restoration while the other 356 was left as it was found so the originality and patina of a 1960 Porsche could be enjoyed as it was in the ‘60’s.
The Porsche 356 total restoration candidate is a 1953 Porsche 356 Coupe by Reutter that left the factory in April 1953. It was finished in Palm Green over green vinyl upholstery. This had to be a rare color combination for the early ‘50’s. It was outfitted with the desirable 70-hp 1500S motor and delivered to Max Hoffman’s dealership in New York.
This 356 has been in barn storage for the past 30 years and has been repainted once, if not twice during its lifetime. The exterior highlights include a driver mirror and Hella headlight lenses. The interior has just one bucket seat left and the rear seats that are trimmed in green along with the door cards.
The car does retain the gearbox, but the 1500S motor is no longer with the car. This “bent-window” pre-A Porsche 356 in its attractive original colors of Palm Green over green would make an ideal candidate for a concours restoration.
The other Porsche 356 restoration featured in the RM Sotheby’s Open Roads March Auction was a barn find that retained its patina from the original find. This 1960 Porsche 356B Super 90 was found in northern Sweden in a makeshift outdoor shed and left to deteriorate. It was discovered by Swedish muscle-car magazine Gasoline. The goal was to properly rebuild the chassis, but retain the body’s patina. The floors and other badly rusted areas were replaced. The body was left pretty much as it was found, although some severely rusted areas were creatively patched.
It was discovered during restoration that the car had racing history with a well-known Swedish driver, Ernst Paulsson whose career was cut short by a racing accident. Unfortunately the Super 90 engine is no longer with the car that now features a 1964 356C 1600 engine.
Two barn find Porsche 356’s that the owners are sure to take in totally different directions. The 1953 Pre-A 356 is sure to go to a Porsche 356 specialist to be returned to its original, or better glory to make the rounds of the Concours circuit.
On the other hand, the 1960 will, and should remain in its original patina’d condition to be enjoyed by enthusiasts as a reminder that beautiful can be found in air-cooled Porsches in their original state demonstrating how the cars were used and driven in the day.
1953 Porsche 356 Coupe by Reutter
Pre-Sale Estimate: $50-$60,000
Current price is $29,000 with 5 hours remaining in the Auction
Current price is $29,000 with 5 hours remaining in the Auction
Palm Green with green vinyl interior
Original Super 90 Engine is missing
Transmission is still with car
Retains just one green vinyl bucket seat, rear seats, door cards and dashboard
Telefunken radio
1960 Porsche 456B 1600 Coupe by Reutter
Sold for $88,725
Originally delivered in Signal Red
Racing ownership by Swedish driver Ernst Paulsson
Super 90 Coupe that is now fitted with a ’64 356C 1600cc engine
Refurbished to provide a safe drive but with creative exterior patching to retain the patina of the original barn find condidtion
RM Sotheby’s Open Roads, March 17 -25, 2021 Auction Catalog:
Tags:Porsche 356 Barn Find, Porsche 356 Restoration Candidates, Porsche 356, RM Sotheby’s Online Open Roads A
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