1952 Porsche 356 Pre A Coupé

For sale by auction on Saturday 30 August 2014 with Historics at Brooklands. Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit. Weybridge. Surrey. Call 01753 639170
Although few would have realised it at the time. the 1948 launch
of the Porsche 356 was a significant milestone in automotive
history. It marked the commercial birth of what has become one of
the world's greatest car manufacturers; a company that has many
times won Le Mans on Sunday and inspired the rich of the road on
Monday. Its achievements are unique. The 356 was a collaboration
between `Ferry' Porsche. the son of the company's founder. and its
chief body engineer Erwin Komenda. The first examples of the 356
were handcrafted from aluminium in Gmund. Austria. And. with parts
in short supply following the war. the model initially employed the
engine. transmission and suspension from the Volkswagen Beetle (the
car famously designed by Porsche Senior). However. within two years
the car had been considerably re-engineered and was less reliant on
stock Volkswagen parts. while production had moved to Zuffenhausen
in Germany with bodies now made of steel. Thanks to efficient
aerodynamics. sporting handling and fine build quality. the 356
quickly established itself as a worthy competition car and it
achieved success in such top events as Le Mans. the Mille Miglia. br/>Targa Florio and the Carrera Panamericana as well as countless
other races and rallies around the world.

This early Pre-A left the factory in December 1952 to be supplied
to the first owner by Hoffman of New York and was optioned as a
1500cc US-specification car. Recently imported to the UK from San
Diego. California where it had been the subject to a full
photographic restoration. it was carried out in such a way as to
keep the car as original as possible. The body-shell was taken back
to bare metal and any area that needed attention was repaired
locally as to not replace the whole panel. This means that the body
is one of the most original to have survived and leaves the car
with its original floors and real character. The interior is almost
the opposite of the body and was obviously in need of complete
replacement. The quality of workmanship is outstanding and the
driver's seat is a very pleasant place to be. The engine is newly
rebuilt 1955 unit on Zenith carburettors and. along with the
original gearbox. just adds to the whole cars character but also
makes the whole car usable to just get in and drive. The rest of
the cars running gear has been gone through and checked front to
back. For added peace of mind. the car has also been recently MoT
tested. Everything is in perfect working order and the whole car is
an absolute pleasure to drive. Finished in Azure Blue with beige
leather interior this 356 is supplied with a V5C registration
document. details of the restoration and retains all its original
features including the much sort after 16 inch wheels. It is
increasingly difficult to find extremely early examples of the
first Porsche and even more difficult to find one that is in this
condition.



Also published at eBay.co.uk

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