1957 Porsche 356 A Speedster
- Engine
- 1.6L flat-four, 60 PS, 'Normal' tune
- Colour
- Speedster Red
A 1957 Porsche 356 A Speedster, one of only 590 produced that model year, completed at the factory on 4 January 1957 and dispatched to Hoffman Motors in New York fitted with US-specification bumpers. After passing through several American hands, it was acquired as an unrestored project in 2009 and subsequently subjected to a thorough ground-up restoration by Bolognese Porsche specialist Tiziano Serratini and German Porsche technician Karl Hloch, completed in 2018, returning the car to its original Speedster Red livery and mechanical specification.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold €342,500 (≈ $377K)
- 1957-01-04 →Factory deliveryHoffman Motorsfull documentation
U.S. importer in New York City that received the car directly from the factory; the Kardex confirms this shipment.
- → 2006Acquisition unknownEdward and Sylvia Ingpartial documentation
Honolulu, Hawaii owners; a 2006 registration document is the earliest surviving record. The car was placed in storage that same year.
- 2009 → 2018Private saleKurt Leimerfull documentation
Zurich-based owner who commissioned a thorough restoration by Bologna specialist Tiziano Serratini and Porsche technician Karl Hloch; invoices and photographs cover 2010–2018.
- 2018 →Private saleCurrent consignorpartial documentation
Swiss resident who acquired the car upon completion of the restoration.
- Date unknownPrivate saleEuropean Collectiblespartial documentation
Costa Mesa, California dealership that acquired the car in unrestored but largely intact condition after it came out of storage.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2010RestorationTiziano Serratini
Full ground-up restoration commenced: chassis tub stripped to bare metal, corroded sections repaired or renewed, bodywork refinished in original Speedster Red, and interior retrimmed in period-correct black leatherette.
Work carried out in Bologna, Italy by Porsche specialist and former racing driver Tiziano Serratini. Restoration invoices covering 2010–2018 are on file.
- 2018Restoration
Full restoration completed.
Completion date of the multi-year restoration programme; car was subsequently transferred to the consignor.
- —Engine rebuildKarl Hloch
Original 60 PS 'Normal' engine and four-speed gearbox overhauled to factory specification; brakes and electrical system fully rebuilt; original aluminium-shell bucket seats reupholstered and instruments and controls refurbished.
Mechanical work performed by Porsche technician Karl Hloch at his workshop in Schorndorf, Germany, as part of the same restoration project.
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