HIGHLIGHTS

• Stunning older restoration
• Lockdown project imported from California
• Second UK owner
• Beautiful interior
• Pellow engine
  
  

THE APPEAL

This example is a 356B – one of the later models – and was originally registered in Germany before being acquired by a US enthusiast. It then moved to California, in the early 1990s and was restored there, before being imported to the UK in 2020. The vendor bought the car to fettle and use during lockdown but rarely gets to drive it, so has made the difficult decision to part with it.

THE HISTORY AND PAPERWORK

• UK V5C
• MOT and tax exempt
• Original handbook
• Old photos of car in California
• Original owner’s handbook
• Substantial invoice history
• Recent bills from respected air-cooled Porsche and VW specialist in the UK, totalling over £3,600

THE INTERIOR

• Original and beautiful with light patina
• Tan leather
• Box-weave carpets
• Excellent door cards and headlining
  
  

Trimmed in lovely tan leather with matching door cards, the 356 is a 2+2 configuration and is in lovely condition inside, with just the gentlest of patinas. It exudes character and is presented very well, with excellent carpets and headlining. All of the dials and switchgear operate as they should and the original steering wheel is a thing of beauty. It’s a lovely place to sit and feels very special indeed.

THE EXTERIOR 

• Older restoration in very good order
• Very minor paint defects
• Original hubcaps and good chrome
• Period luggage rack
  
  

It has seen some welded repairs and new front part of the boot floor, but is reassuringly solid, while the upper bodywork is lovely. It has a few hairline cracks in the paintwork where it has split slightly and a couple of very tiny indentations, no bigger than a small coin. The trim is all present and correct and is generally very good condition with a few signs of slight wear, albeit in keeping with the car’s original character. It’s a gorgeous thing in lovely condition – not a concours car by any stretch, but a really lovely, attractive and usable example.

 THE MECHANICS 

• 1.6-litre flat four air cooled Super engine
• Four-speed manual transmission
• Fully recommissioned by respected air-cooled specialist

This is a terrific example of a 356B and the engine runs beautifully with no known issues. It starts on the button, sounds fantastic and has recently seen the attentions of a well-regarded air-cooled VW and Porsche specialist, who has gone over the car completely to ensure it’s in fine mechanical fettle. In 1993, the 356 was fitted with a Pellow engine – a well-known and much-loved upgraded version of the air-cooled unit. The engine was removed and shipped to the mainland USA for rebuild and conversion. It’s a period correct unit from the same year as the car was produced, but the vendor is open about it not being a matching numbers car. However, from his research with Porsche UK it seems as though the gear box may be original.

SUMMARY