1955 Porsche 356 Speedster
- Engine
- Air-cooled flat-four, rebuilt with enlarged bore kit and upgraded camshaft
- Colour
- Speedster White
A 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster finished in the original Speedster White, this example underwent a decade-long process of research and full rotisserie bare-metal restoration completed in 2014. Originally sold through the Chicago area, it passed through a foreign-car dealer who began but never finished a restoration, before being acquired by an Alabama owner who ultimately brought the project to concours standard over a fifteen-year effort. The gearbox was overhauled by respected specialist Mike Robbins, and fewer than 1,500 miles have been covered since completion.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate US$225,000 – US$275,000
- → 1975Chicago-area foreign car dealerpartial documentation
Dealer disassembled the car intending a full restoration but never completed it, and in the process lost track of the original engine.
- 1975 →Private saleAlabama-based owner (consignor)partial documentation
Sourced and rebuilt a replacement engine with performance upgrades, applied a temporary repaint, then undertook a decade of research and full rotisserie bare-metal restoration completed around 2014.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1975Engine rebuildLocal German air-cooled specialist
A replacement 1958 Normal engine was sourced, rebuilt by a local German air-cooled specialist, and uprated with a larger-bore kit, a more aggressive camshaft, and additional performance modifications.
The original 1500 S 70-hp engine had been lost by the previous owner and could not be recovered.
- 1975Bodywork
A temporary repaint was applied as a stopgap measure pending a full restoration at a later date.
- 2009Restoration
Complete rotisserie bare-metal restoration executed after approximately five years of detailed research. Work included replacement of floor panels and battery box, re-upholstering seats and interior in red leatherette, fitting a new fabric hood and side curtains, re-plating all exterior trim and badges, rebuilding all instruments, and installing period-correct rubber items. A new Sigla windshield and NOS heater canisters were sourced from Porsche. Over 450 hours were devoted to paint preparation and assembly, achieving perfect panel gaps in original Speedster White using the correct Glasurit paint code.
Restoration completed in 2014 per the catalogue; the five-year restoration phase appears to have run roughly 2009–2014.
- 2014MechanicalMike Robbins
The original four-speed gearbox was fully overhauled.
Mike Robbins is noted as a well-regarded specialist. Work was part of the broader restoration programme.
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