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1958 Porsche 356A 1600 Super Cabriolet - Numbers Matching, Hardtop, Solid

1958 Porsche 356 1600 Super Cabriolet for sale in Santa Barbara, California, United States

Condition: Used
Item location: Santa Barbara, California, United States
Make: Porsche
Model: 356
Type: Convertible
Trim: 1600 Super Cabriolet
Year: 1958
Mileage: 166972
VIN: 150436
Color: Silver (originally Fjord Green)
Engine size: 1582cc 4 cylinder
Number of cylinders: 4
Fuel: Gasoline
Transmission: Manual
Drive type: RWD
Interior color: Blue
Drive side: Left-hand drive
Options: Convertible
Vehicle Title: Clean
Want to buy? Contact seller!

Description for Porsche 356 1958

Tons of additional photos of the car and its documented history are available on our website. Search for:

Ride Quality Motors, Santa Barbara, CA - 805-202-4557

Offered for sale is rare, beautiful, strong-running, numbers matching 1958 Porsche 356A 1600 Super T2 Cabriolet, one of the few delivered with a factory hard top. Under the current California owner’s care since 2001, the car is believed to be one of 237 1958 model-year 1600 Super cabriolets produced, and one of +/-60 delivered with no soft top, but a factory Reutter hardtop built specifically to fit this car. Originally finished in rarer still Fjord Green (5705), the car is currently in entirely solid and presentable driver-quality condition, which is how the current owner has enjoyed it for the past two decades. That said, with its numbers matching engine, rare options and exceedingly rare and desirable original color, it is also an unquestionably outstanding platform for a concours quality restoration.
Imported and sold new by Max Hoffman to a Mr. Lewis C. Starke of North Hollywood, CA, the car is believed to have been in Southern California from new, acquired by its current owner in Newport Beach in 2001 following a cosmetic refurbishment including a new interior and the refinishing of the paint in silver. A resident of Laguna Beach at the time (he now lives in Santa Barbara), the owner shipped the car back to Kentucky (where keeps a second home) in 2002, however the car has always maintained CA registration. While in Kentucky the car was serviced by Harrods Creek Imports until 2008 (including oil service, minor brake service/adjustment, oil leak repair, exhaust repair, clutch job, shock replacement, new generator and ignition service). At that point the car came under the care of renowned Louisville, KY Porsche mechanic Ken Daugherty (and his son Andy following Ken’s passing in 2011), which included a flywheel seal and misc. fuel and oil leak repairs, new valve cover gaskets, new axel boots and a carburetor rebuild in 2008, a new master cylinder and wheel cylinders in 2010, a full engine rebuild and reseal in 2014 and new axle boots and a heater repair in 2015. Over the last 19 years the current owner has put +/-15k miles on the car, always keeping it properly garaged and maintained, but routinely enjoying it as the special, weekend driver that it currently is and has been. Not a show car, but one that the owner’s taken great pride in. Upon returning to California, the car received an oil service, new master cylinder, new rear shocks and a valve adjustment at well-regarded 50+ year Santa Barbara Porsche shop Schneider Autohaus a couple of months ago.
As the pictures show, the car presents beautifully, but it does have a handful of cosmetic blemishes appropriately representative of the age of its last refurbishment. Imperfections include a handful of paint chips, some minor bubbling, and some cracking just ahead of the driver side rear wheel arch, all of which are detailed in the photo gallery accessible through our website. The body is straight with excellent panel fits and gaps, the rubber is serviceable throughout (but would benefit from replacement in some places) and the brightwork polishes nicely, with minimal residual pitting. All of the glass in the Reutter hardtop is in excellent condition, as is the door glass, and the windshield has a few small rock chips and minor de-lamination along the passenger side A pillar. The floor pans were correctly replaced at some point prior to the current owner’s acquisition and minor surface corrosion is evident where seam sealer has started to degrade, however the undercarriage itself is entirely solid – this is by no means a rusty example.

The interior is commensurately presentable, the seats, carpets and interior panels showing only minor wear, and that’s also true of the tonneau cover, which has fully functional snaps, pins and zipper. The hardtop is in similar condition to the car – fully presentable, but showing a few scuffs and paint chips, rubber that could benefit from replacement and a headliner with a few imperfections.

Mechanically the car is extremely strong and a joy to drive. The numbers matching engine starts effortlessly and the car pulls strongly and smoothly through each of the gears, with solid compression across all cylinders. As with many similar cars, there’s an oil leak at the oil thermostat cover at the rear of the engine. The car drives and brakes straight and true, ride quality is excellent and it’s a joy to both push through the canyons and cruise down the highway.

This is a wonderful, exceedingly rare example that is ready for grin-inducing use as is and/or would make an excellent candidate for relatively simple show quality restoration. We’ve tried our best to document its condition, but welcome questions, inspections and requests for additional photos and information from qualified interested parties.

Ride Quality Motors

805-202-4557

Santa Barbara, CA

We want this car to go to great home and would be happy to discuss it further and answer any questions, so please feel free to email us or call us at805-202-4557.

We try to provide accurate descriptions of the few, fantastic cars we’re selling, and we encourage and are happy to help facilitate personal or professional inspections.For U.S. buyers a 10% non-refundable deposit is required within 3 days of the auction’s end, the balance to be paid within 7 days of the auction’s end. Foreign buyers must pay in full within 7 business days of the auction’s end. Buyer is responsible for shipping costs, however we’d be more that happy to help with recommendations and arrangements. We're well versed in coordinating shipping (including internationally) and would be happy to help buyers in making those arrangements upon request. The car is listed locally and we reserve the right to end the auction at any time should it sell prior to auction’s end.

Thanks for your interest.

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