Equipment
1488/70hp, 4-speed, wheel covers, Telefunken radio, CoA.
Condition
#3 Good
Runs and drives well. Flaws not noticeable to passersby. Most common condition.
Decent but older paint, wheels and tires, all of which are starting to show their age. The front bumper doesn’t quite fit flush and the doors don’t fit quite right, either. There is also an odd wrinkling in the paint at the bottom right corner of the driver’s door, and another similar spot on the right side of the tail. Lightly worn, partially restored interior with replaced upholstery but original-looking dash, steering wheel, and switchgear. Thick old undercoating on the chassis. A rare, desirable pre-A bent windshield 356, but in not much better than driver condition.
Market commentary
At the beginning of the 1950s, Americans could only get a Porsche through Max Hoffman's dealership in New York, and few people did. That's why "Pre-A" (pre-1955) 356s are so rarely seen on the market. This one last sold at Christie's Lyndhurst auction in 1998 for $35,650 in similar condition, but that was so long ago and the market has done so much since then that the price is barely worth mentioning. A $200,000 high bid for it in 2022 is modest but fair, and could have been taken.