1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500 Cabriolet
- Engine
- 1.5L air-cooled flat-four, 55 hp at 4,400 rpm
- Colour
- Fashion Grey ('Modegrau')
A 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A 'bent window' Cabriolet, one of just 394 Reutter-bodied open examples built that year, completed on 29 June 1953 and originally delivered to New York through importer Max Hoffman. Finished in Fashion Grey over Blue leather with a Blue canvas hood and featuring the distinctive quadruple 'beehive' tail lamps, it is equipped with the 55 hp 1,500 cc air-cooled flat-four and retains its matching-numbers engine. The car was later exported from the United States to Europe and has since been mechanically recommissioned.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate €190,000 – €220,000
- —Auction saleSold €178,250 (≈ $196K)
- 1953 →Factory deliveryFirst US owner (via Max Hoffman import)partial documentation
Car delivered new to New York through the well-known importer Max Hoffman; early US history is largely undocumented.
- → 2014-12-01Acquisition unknownItalian ownernone documentation
Car was held in Italy for an unspecified period before passing to a German buyer.
- 2014-12-01 → 2023-07-01Private saleGerman ownerpartial documentation
Acquired from the Italian owner in December 2014; no details on any work carried out during this period.
- 2023-07-01 →Private saleConsignorpartial documentation
Purchased in July 2023 and commissioned a comprehensive mechanical overhaul the following summer, carried out by M&W Classic in Markgröningen at a cost of over €10,000.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownEuropean owner following US exportnone documentation
Car was exported from the US to Europe at some point within the decade prior to cataloguing; identity and tenure details are unrecorded.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2024ServiceM&W Classic
Comprehensive mechanical recommissioning covering the engine, clutch, electrical system, and brakes, carried out at a cost of €10,287.
Work performed in Markgröningen, Germany, during the summer following the consignor's acquisition.
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