1956 Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster 1600

Very rare ‘cross-over’ model- one of the last Pre-A’s
Previously owned by a prominent PCA board member
Finished in its original colours as per c of a

location: Registration:

available to view in central london

the 356 Speedster

Porsche launched the 356 model in 1949, initially built partly by Gmund in Austria. However, within a few months production had moved to Porsche’s base in Stuttgart. From the outset competition played an important part in the model’s development and the 356 was immediately successful in both racing and rallies. In 1952, at the suggestion of U.S. importer Max Hoffman, Porsche developed a new, cut-price sports model – the ‘America Roadster’ – which was only built in very small numbers due to the collapse of the body supplier Heuer and the lack of capacity with any other coachbuilders. However, the models impact in the States convinced Hoffman that there was a market for an entry-level, bare bones roadster and along with West Coast agent John Von Neumann he pressed the Porsche factory to develop the idea further.

Hence in September 1954 the ‘Speedster’ was launched, primarily to compete with more traditional British sportscars in the American market. From the outset the model was a success on track in SCCA events across the U.S. and particularly in California where post-war car culture was growing at a fast pace and the Speedster quickly became an icon of that time and place. With the possible exception of a hot-rodded ’32 Ford roadster, does any other car epitomise the image of a young, carefree, West Coast life?

Over the following decades the desire to replicate this image has only made the Speedster’s popularity grow and far from an entry-level model it is now the most sought after of 356’s, carrying with it the spirit of care-free enjoyment that comes from driving an open top roadster on a sunny day!

red porsche 356 speedster front three quarter

red porsche 356 speedster rear three quarter in london mews

Chassis No. 81216

This is one of the very last Pre-A style Speedsters, built late December 1955 and despatched in January of 1956, according to the Certificate of Authentication. This car is chassis number 81216, the final Pre-A Speedster was 81234. All other 356 models had changed over to the T1 ‘A’ specification from September 1955 but Speedster production continued for a short time with the pre-A features. As such it retains the earlier style dash, curved rocker panels and iconic ‘beehive’ taillights. One thing these later pre-A Speedsters did benefit from however was the adoption of the 1600 engine that was introduced with the T1 model, giving a modest increase in power over the previous 1500 version.

Although the early history of this Speedster is largely unknown, according to the documents on file the car was purchased by its last owner in March 1978 from Don Odiorne of Menlo Park California for the sum of $4,750. It is thought that at this time, Mr Ordiorne had stripped the car for restoration; this is evident from paperwork on file showing lists of spares from various Porsche 356 parts suppliers. The purchaser was Mr William H Benz, an Attorney of Law and an avid enthusiast of the Porsche marque; a fully-fledged member of the Golden Gate Region of the Porsche Club of America. At various points during his membership Mr. Benz would serve as president, treasurer, secretary, competition director, and chair of the autocross school. If you search Youtube for “William Benz Porsche” you will find a Porsche Club of America interview with Mr. Benz featuring his second Speedster, which he fitted with a 4-cam Carrera engine.

Correspondence dating back to 1978 shows that Mr. Benz quickly set about restoring this example in a very organised fashion, with many pages of tables comparing prices of different Porsche 356 component suppliers. The cancelled USA title on file shows that the Speedster was first registered to William Benz in May of 1978 and the car was continuously registered for use until March 1999. At some point during this period, the original engine P60562 failed and was replaced by P66322 which is the correct type 1600 engine for the car. From March 1999 until June 2015 the car was kept in a storage facility in San Jose. During this period the car was not used. In 2015 the storage facility closed and car was transported to the owner’s house where it was garaged. Unfortunately, during this time Mr Benz passed away before he had a chance to start work on recommissioning the car. Upon his death the Speedster was sold to Alex Finnigan of Paul Russell & Company who serviced the car before selling it to the current owner.

On arrival in the UK, the car was comprehensively serviced including new brake cylinders and shoes, new shock absorbers, re-instated heater system and so on. The car received a high quality, bare metal repaint in its original red colour and when stripped the body was found to be in amazingly rust-free condition. The bonnet, doors and boot lid are all stamped with the body number in the correct places showing they are the original panels for this chassis number. More recently, the car has received a thorough check-over at highly regarded 356 specialists PR Services in Essex. Amongst others, this work included attention to the fuel system, a carburettor rebuild, gear linkage overhaul and replacement of the clutch cable.