1955 Porsche 356 Carrera Pre-A 1500 GS Speedster

81062roadGermany

Engine: 1.5L flat-four with quad overhead cams (Type 547), ~100 bhp at 6200 rpm
Colour: Speedster Red

Chassis 81062 is a 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A Carrera Speedster, completed on 13 December 1955 and identified by factory records as the seventh of only fifteen Pre-A Carrera Speedsters produced. Finished in red over tan to U.S. specification, it was delivered new to Hoffman Motor Company in New York. Originally equipped with four-cam Type 547 engine P90523, the car's original powerplant was separated from it at some point but later reunited with the chassis by a subsequent collector. Following a comprehensive show-quality restoration by John Willhoit Auto Restoration, the car later passed to European ownership, where the engine was refreshed by noted Carrera specialist Karl Hloch in Schorndorf.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Estimate £1,100,000 – £1,300,000
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
1955-12-01 →Factory delivery
E.H. Übelhoer
full documentation
First registered owner per factory Kardex; car was delivered via Hoffman Motor Company in New York to U.S. specification. Two dealer service visits at Hoffman's are documented in 1956 and 1957.
1978 →
Robert von Bereghy
partial documentation
Wisconsin-based owner who contacted the factory seeking details about the car; his ownership is inferred from that correspondence in early 1978.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Stephen Heinrichs
partial documentation
Noted Carrera Speedster authority and collector who located the original engine after it had been separated from the car and reunited it with the chassis.
Date unknownPrivate sale
Mike Marix, The Candy Store
partial documentation
Palm Springs, California dealer who subsequently sold the car to a Pacific Northwest collector.
Date unknownPrivate sale
John McCaw
partial documentation
Seattle, Washington area collector who commissioned a thorough show-quality restoration at John Willhoit Auto Restoration in Long Beach, California, taking approximately two and a half years.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Oregon-based collector
partial documentation
Private collector in Oregon who subsequently engaged Willhoit to broker the car for sale.
Date unknownPrivate sale
Current European consignor
partial documentation
Acquired through Classic Parts in Saarbrücken, Germany; after importation to Europe, sent the car to Carrera specialist Karl Hloch in Schorndorf for engine refreshment and bearing conversion.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

1956Service
Hoffman Motor Company
Routine dealer service carried out at Hoffman Motor Company in New York.
Entry recorded on factory Kardex.
1957Service
Hoffman Motor Company
Second dealer service at Hoffman Motor Company in New York.
Entry recorded on factory Kardex.
—Restoration
John Willhoit Auto Restoration
Comprehensive show-quality mechanical and cosmetic overhaul conducted over approximately two and a half years. Work included rust repair and metal finishing, a full respray in the original Speedster Red, re-trimming of the interior in tan leather, a new folding top and side curtain set, new windscreen, refurbished instruments, retained original trim where possible, a new twin-outlet exhaust, an additional Spyder-style extractor exhaust, and new asymmetrical trim rings on all five wheels.
Interior leather, new top, and side curtains sourced from Autos International; instruments refurbished by North Hollywood Speedometer. Work commissioned by John McCaw.
—Engine rebuild
Karl Hloch
Engine refreshed and crankshaft converted from roller-bearing to plain-bearing configuration to enhance everyday drivability and mechanical reliability.
Carried out in Schorndorf, Germany, after the car arrived in Europe with the current owner.

Are you the owner of this car?

This car's public record is built from its auction and competition history. Register your ownership and privately add your own records to make it a verified Legacy Metrics passport — provenance that backs your car's value at sale and gives your insurer evidence to price against. Roy reviews and verifies every registration personally.