1953 Porsche 356 pre- A cab

Although Ferdinand Porsche had established his automotive design consultancy in the early 1930s, his name would not appear on a car until 1949. When it did, it graced one of the all-time great sports cars: the Porsche 356. Having commenced manufacture with a short run of aluminium-bodied cars built at Gmünd, Porsche began volume production of the steel-bodied 356 coupé at its old base in Stuttgart, at first in premises shared with coachbuilders Reutter and then (from 1955) in its original factory at Zuffenhausen.

In 1951 an aluminium-bodied works car finished first in the 1,100cc class at the Le Mans 24-Hour Race and 20th overall, thus beginning the marque's long and illustrious association with La Sarthe. Constant development saw the 356's engine progressively enlarged, with 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre units first becoming available in 1951. In 1952 the original split windscreen was replaced by a one-piece, and a Porsche synchromesh gearbox was adopted. 1955 marked the arrival of the revised 356A, the newcomer being readily distinguished by its curved windscreen and 15" - down from 16" - wheels. 

This rare 356 Cabriolet has the one-piece 'vee' windscreen - typical of late 'Pre-A' models. Chassis number 60077 was supplied new in April 1953 via Porsche, Stuttgart to home market specification. Originally finished in an elegant combination of ivory with a red leather interior the convertible would have been quite a rare sight. Now fitted with a correct 1500 motor. 

We understand that the car was formerly part of a collection on the east coast of the States before returning to Germany. There are various invoices in the file for works carried out for the previous German owner before it sold to the present UK based collector in 2015. Forming part of a very significant Porsche collection with a focus on the early models it has been used sparingly. Recently the subject of a full service by The Light Car Company in Oxon the convertible drives very well, hood up or down!