1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Coupé
- Engine
- 1.5L flat-four (originally); also includes a 1.3L Type 506 and a 1.6L Type 616/1 flat-four
- Colour
- Fish-Silver Grey
Chassis 51368 is a 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A Coupé, one of the early Stuttgart-era steel-bodied cars featuring the distinctive one-piece bent windscreen introduced in 1952. Delivered on 3 November 1953 in Fish-Silver Grey through Munich dealer Mahag, it was later exported to the United States. A partial restoration was undertaken between 1984 and 1988 but left unfinished. The car has been in single-family ownership since 1981 and is offered as an unrestored project, accompanied by two period engines and workshop manuals.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold €218,500 (≈ $240K)
- → 1953-11-03Factory deliveryMahag (Munich dealer)partial documentation
Authorized Porsche dealer in Munich through whom the car was sold new to its first retail owner on the German home market.
- → 1981Unknown prior US owner or ownersnone documentation
The car was exported to the United States at an unspecified point; ownership details before the 1981 purchase are not recorded.
- 1981 →Private saleConsignorpartial documentation
Acquired the car in the US in 1981 and undertook partial restoration work between 1984 and 1988; later emigrated to Athens, Greece, where the car joined them in 1992 and remained unused thereafter.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1984Restoration
A partial restoration was begun, encompassing a full repaint and refinishing of exterior brightwork. The project ran from 1984 to 1988 but was never brought to completion.
Invoices and photographs documenting the work are present in the car's file. The restoration was abandoned when the owner relocated to Greece in 1989.
- —Modification
The original 1,488 cc engine was replaced at some point with a 1.3-litre Type 506 unit.
Timing of this engine swap is unknown; the car was already fitted with the Type 506 when acquired in 1981.
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