1953 Porsche 356 Coupé

50136roadGermany

Engine: 1.5L flat-four (Type 546), 55 bhp at 4,400 rpm
Colour: Pascha Red (Code 523)

A 1953-model Porsche 356 coupé, originally delivered new to the United States in February 1953 and built at the Reutter works in Zuffenhausen. Rediscovered as a barn find in America, the car was subsequently repatriated to Germany, where a marque specialist carried out a thorough mechanical and cosmetic restoration in 2012. It is presented in the rare factory colour Pascha Red over a Tobacco interior and is now fitted with a Type 546 1.5-litre flat-four engine, an interim unit offered briefly in late 1954.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Estimate £200,000 – £250,000
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
1953-02-01 →Factory delivery
Original US delivery recipient
partial documentation
Car was delivered new to the United States in early 1953; little else is known about this initial ownership period.
2012 →Acquisition unknown
German collection owner
partial documentation
Kept the restored car as part of a private German collection before eventually selling it to the current owner.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Unknown US barn-find owner
none documentation
Car was found stored in a barn somewhere in the US before being exported back to Germany.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
German marque specialist restorer
partial documentation
Carried out a full restoration in 2012, returning the car to its original exterior colour and fitting a beige interior.
Date unknownPrivate sale
Current German owner
partial documentation
Present owner acquired the car from the prior German collection; holds a restoration record book, Kardex copy, and a 2013 FIVA Identity Card.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

2012Restoration
Unnamed German marque specialist
A full mechanical and cosmetic restoration was carried out by a marque specialist in Germany. The car was refinished in its original Pascha Red and given a beige interior; attention to period-correct detail included correct 16-inch painted steel wheels, proper instrument-panel eyebrow visors, and refinished steering wheel and controls.
The odometer reading of 243 km at the time of cataloguing reflects distance covered since this restoration. A small book documenting the restoration process accompanies the car.
—
Modification
The original 1.3-litre Type 506 engine was replaced at an undetermined point with a Type 546 1.5-litre flat-four, a transitional unit produced only briefly in late 1954, raising output to approximately 55 bhp.
It is unclear whether this engine swap was carried out before or during the 2012 restoration.

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