1951 Porsche 356 Coupé
- Engine
- 1.5L flat-four, ~55 bhp, twin Solex carburettors
- Colour
- Black
Chassis 11111 is a 1951 Porsche 356 coupe, completed on 20 December 1951, finished in black and powered by its original 1,500cc flat-four engine — the ninth 1500 Type 527 unit produced. Delivered new through a Hamburg dealership, it passed through several owners before being found in poor condition in an asparagus field in the mid-1970s. Between 2006 and 2010, the car underwent a comprehensive, documented concours-level restoration, after which it earned Best in Class honours and a Zuffenhausen Award at the 2015 Porsche Parade, along with class victories at Hilton Head, Winterpark, and Amelia Island.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$1,017,500
- 1951-12-20 → 1952Factory deliveryRaffay dealership, Hamburgpartial documentation
Original delivering dealer in Hamburg, providing routine servicing through 1952.
- 1953 → 1958Acquisition unknownMillard Smithpartial documentation
Registered the vehicle in San Francisco; believed to have parted with it around 1958.
- → 2006Acquisition unknownMultiple intermediate ownersnone documentation
A succession of undocumented owners held the car prior to its dispatch for restoration in 2006.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownUnidentified owner who found car in asparagus fieldnone documentation
Car was discovered abandoned in an agricultural field and subsequently listed for sale in a Porsche club publication, described as largely intact.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownConsignorpartial documentation
Commissioned a thorough four-year concours-grade restoration beginning in 2006, carried out by Karosserie Ltd. in Virginia, with interior work by Autobahn Interiors.
Competition
- 2015Porsche Parade2015 Porsche ParadeBest in Class; Zuffenhausen Award recipient
- 20152015 Hilton Head ConcoursClass winner
- 20152015 Winterpark ConcoursClass winner
- 20162016 Amelia Island ConcoursClass winner
Maintenance & restoration
- 1952ServiceRaffay
Regular servicing carried out by the delivering Hamburg dealership throughout the year.
- 2006RestorationKarosserie Ltd.
Commencement of a thorough, fully documented concours restoration spanning approximately four years; scope included bodywork, repainting in original black, full interior retrim in period-correct grey-green leather with matching carpeting, restoration of original instruments and controls, new headliner, installation of a period Telefunken radio, complete engine overhaul with new camshaft and twin-pipe exhaust, sourcing and rebuilding of a series-correct gearbox, refurbishment of steering and brakes, and fitting of a new wiring harness.
Interior work attributed to Autobahn Interiors. Restoration concluded around 2010.
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