1955 Porsche 356 Speedster (Type 540, Pre-A)

80945roadGermany

Engine: 1.6L air-cooled flat-four OHV (Type 616/1), 75 bhp DIN
Colour: Signal Red

Chassis 80945 is among the rarest of all Porsche 356 Speedsters: a right-hand-drive example, the seventh of only nineteen such cars produced during the Type 540's five-year run. Built in late 1955 and dispatched to Hong Kong via Kowloon distributor Jebsen and Company, it is also a mechanical curio — fitted with the later 1600cc Type 616/1 engine, bridging the pre-A and 356 A generations. After decades of storage in a Lincolnshire barn, it has been assessed by marque specialist Prill Porsche Classics and is offered as a restoration project retaining its original engine.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Sold £229,600 (≈ $287K)
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
1955-10-14 →Factory delivery
Jebsen and Company
full documentation
Kowloon-based distributor who received the car as the factory-appointed importer for Hong Kong; had previously introduced the Volkswagen Beetle to the territory two years prior.
Date unknownPrivate sale
L.M. Bertram
partial documentation
First retail owner, resident of Essex Crescent in Kowloon.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Michael J.E. Thornhill
partial documentation
Hong Kong resident who arranged substantial mechanical servicing at a Kowloon specialist before shipping the car to his English farm, where it cleared customs in late November 1990; the car was subsequently stored in a Lincolnshire barn for roughly a quarter century.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Current consignor
partial documentation
Acquired the car from long-term barn storage and engaged marque specialist Andy Prill to survey and begin addressing the most pressing issues, including a dashboard reconstruction.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

—Mechanical
German Motors
Extensive mechanical work carried out while the car was still in Hong Kong, commissioned by then-owner Michael Thornhill at a Kowloon specialist.
Scope of work not specified beyond being described as extensive.
—
Modification
The original dashboard was altered by one of the previous owners; the nature and extent of the modification is unspecified.
This modification prompted the current remedial work to reconstruct a replacement dashboard.
—Inspection
Prill Porsche Classics
Thorough condition survey carried out after the car was recovered from long-term barn storage; surface corrosion noted, including on non-original replacement panels. Some of the most pressing issues were addressed, and reconstruction of a new dashboard was begun.
Work conducted by Andy Prill; car was in non-running condition when received. Gearbox identified as a later-type replacement, while the engine was confirmed as the original factory unit.

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