1959 Porsche 356 A 1600 Super GT Speedster
- Engine
- 1.6L air-cooled flat-four (type 616/2), pushrod, 75 bhp
A 1959 Porsche 356 A 1600 Super GT Speedster, believed to be one of approximately seven built with the 616/2 pushrod engine in GT competition trim rather than the usual four-cam unit. This unusual specification was among a small batch ordered by Oakland, California, Porsche dealer Carl Block, who intended them for SCCA competitors seeking lighter weight and mechanical simplicity. The numbers-matching car later formed part of Otis Chandler's celebrated museum collection in Oxnard, California.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate US$1,000,000 – US$1,350,000
- 1959 →Factory deliveryCarl Blockpartial documentation
Oakland, California Porsche dealer who reportedly ordered four cars of this specification, believing the lighter GT trim with the simpler pushrod engine would attract SCCA competitors.
- → 2006Acquisition unknownOtis Chandlerpartial documentation
Prominent newspaper publisher whose collection was displayed at the Chandler Vintage Museum of Transportation and Wildlife in Oxnard, California; the museum was liquidated in 2006.
- 2006 →Acquisition unknownFrank Galloglypartial documentation
Well-known Porsche enthusiast based in New Jersey who reportedly acquired the car following the museum dispersal.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownTony Peckpartial documentation
Subsequent owner based on Long Island, New York.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownPrevious owners in California, Florida, and Virginianone documentation
Additional prior owners identified in the Porsche 356 Registry, without names or dates specified.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1989Restoration
The Speedster is reported to have undergone a restoration prior to or around the time it entered the Chandler collection; the scope and executing workshop are not detailed.
Restoration is described as understood rather than fully documented.
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