Porsche 356C Karmann Coupe Sympathetic "Preservation' Restoration

About the Porsche 356

Produced from 1963-65. The 356C and SC were the final models of the 356 to come out of Zuffenhausen before the Porsche 911 started production.   Externally they are very similar to the outgoing 356B (T6). apart from the wheels which were redesigned to accommodate new Disk Brakes-a Porsche first.   The C and the SC both had 1600cc flat 4 engines. producing 75hp and 95hp respectively.   The “C” engine was tuned more for drivability and low end torque. and the SC for more top-end power.   The “SC” is faster. but most people agree that the “C” is nicer to drive. at least at moderate speeds.   With its relatively powerful and tractable engine. superior stopping power from the disk brakes. and the hundreds of improvements made by Porsche's continuous development over the 356's 15 year production life. the 356C is the best choice for day to day driving and longer trips. In period (please read the Road and Track Road test below). the 356 was praised for its roadholding. quality. efficiency. excellent transmission. and how fun to drive it was.   And it still is! 

anarticlefromroad&trackhttp://vintageandsportscar. com/rvsc/DIR3/DIR4/PORSCHE/356_C_RT_02-64. html

Porsche made approximately 16. 00 356C and SC's. about 13. 00 Coupes and 6. 00 Cabriolets. from 1963 to 1965.   The Porsche 356C was about $4. 00 new. compared to $3. 00 for and MGB-GT. $3. 00 for an Austin Healey 3000. $6. 00 for the new Jaguar E Type and $12. 00 for a Ferrari 275.   After 15 years in production the 356 had reached the end of its development potential and its replacement. the Porsche 901 (911). graced the cover of the December 1963 Road & Track Magazine. with deliveries starting in 1964 at $6. 00.   Though the 911 is an established icon today. many enthusiasts including long time 356 owner Dennis Jenkinson morned the passing of the 356. criticizing the 911 for being too soft. not sufficiently sporting and tricky to drive.   In fact. many Porsche enthusiasts still believe the original Porsche is the best Porsche!

There is a fantastic Movie made by Porsche called “Made by Hand” which is on Youtube in 5 parts. click below to get started:

http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=LQBrQ5qd5w8

“Preservation-Style”  Sympathetic Restoration

What makes this car unique is that it has never been in an accident and still wears nearly all of its original paint and interior.   It is a true ‘Preservation' car. and it has been sympathetically recommissioned with great care not to disturb its 50 years of history.   It is a numbers matching vehicle documented by a Porsche's Certificate of Authenticity.

Equally unique is a complete and comprehensive photographic record of the cars transition from untouched original to its current ‘Preservation' condition.

The ‘Preservation' movement within the collector car world is fast gaining momentum.   Led by some of the leading collectors/custodians such as Miles Collier and Peter Mullin. and with the very popular Preservation Class at the Pebble Beach Concours. more and more serious collectors are viewing old cars as an historical artifact. rather than something to be made new again.   Of course there is preservation. and there is shabby. so there is some vigorous debate as to what constitutes a tired old heap. and what is a true Preservation car.   It has been suggested that if the owner can afford to restore the car it is a cool preservation piece. and if he can't then the car is just shabby!  

While Mr. Collier and Mr. Mullin are great educators and preservationists for their priceless Bugatti's and other multi-million dollar unobtainables. the inspiration for me came from frequent travels to Berkely. CA where you would frequently see old hippies driving Datsun 240z's. BMW 2002's. Alfa Guilia's etc. all scraped up with totally faded paint (but no rust!).   Totally cool. it looked like they had been driving the same car for 50 years. which they probably had!  

Because this car had so much left of its originality. and the faded original paint looked so right. I decided to restore the car with the aim of disturbing as little as possible while achieving the following objectives:

And make no mistake. it would have been far easier and cheaper just to give the car a new coat of Ruby Red paint.   Matching 50 year old faded single stage oil based paint with modern water-based materials was not easy!  But there are lots of shiny 356's. there aren't too many with original paint.

Over $45. 00 has been spent on this restoration.   If you look at the photos of this car in ‘as found' condition. and compare it to what is on eBay. you will find that you will need to pay at least $30. 00 for a starting point. and even then you will have no idea of what sins lie beneath the paint.   356's have only recently appreciated to the point that their value justifies quality restoration work. and the 356 body is notoriously difficult and time consuming to restore.   The vast majority of cars have had poor quality collision/body/rust repair at some time during their life.

History and Details

This 1964 356C was a US car delivered in Ruby Red with a Black Leatherette interior.   This 356 remained in a long term family ownership. absolutely original and untouched until approximately 2009. when it was brought up to Canada by a Porsche Enthusiast.   It had all of its original paint intact. though it had rust in the usual 356 areas. such as the battery box. sills. inner fenders. and door closure areas.   The metal work was expertly replaced by Rod's and Restos in Alberta Canada. with great care not to disturb any more of the original paint than necessary.   The result was the body shell was brought back to 100% structural integrity whilst not affecting the factory shut lines and 85% of the original paint.  

Next the engine was rebuilt by Reigal Tuning in Calgary. who also gave the car a mechanical refreshening.   It was made road worthy. and was licensed in Alberta.

The car was then taken to Cosmos Autobody. Calgary's Porsche Authorized bodyshop.   The exterior of the car was disassembled. new paint was matched and blended in. and then the entire car was clear coated with a satin clear finish.   The result was a huge triumph. it is not easy to match 50 year old weathered paint!  The car now has the appearance of a ‘survivor' car with a lovely patina. showing the authenticity of minor ‘character' marks on every panel showing factory paint depth throughout.

A new Porsche windscreen was installed. as well as all new body and glass rubbers and weather stripping.   The inner fender arches. battery box. floor pans and other areas that had repair work completed were thoroughly cleaned up and undercoated.

It would have been much easier and cheaper to simply repaint the car with fresh Ruby Red. but the car's history would have been irrevocably erased.   There are lots of shiny 356's with new paint.   There can only be a tiny percentage of them with original paint and factory panel gaps.   As well as keeping the history of the car in tact. the factory paint also provides incontrovertible evidence of the integrity of the body shell.   The photographic documentation of the body structure repairs provide similar evidence of integrity of the body structure.  

Because the body was disassembled. and any areas repaired that needed attention. the entire bodyshell and undercarriage has now been coated and sealed to prevent corrosion in the future.   You can take this 356 touring and not worry about water seeping through dried up weather seals. or otherwise causing deterioration to inner panels that are very susceptible to retaining moisture with subsequent rapid deterioration.  

Next stop was Chinook Upholstery in Calgary. for a (preservation) interior restoration.

The original carpets and headliner were judged to be too far gone to be salvaged. but all of the original vinyl was serviceable.   All of the interior panels and were removed. the mechanisms cleaned up. and the vinyl tidied up.   New felt insulation was installed.   A new square weave carpet kit and rubber mat kit was sourced from World Upholstery in California.   The Sierra Madre Collection. Stoddard. and Pelican Parts also provided various odds and ends to complete the interior.   A remanufactured Blaupunkt radio. correct for this year. was sourced out of Germany.

With the paint and interior done. the car was sent to Heinz Oldenthal for a final mechanical check up and sorting.   He rebuilt and set up the Carbs as it was not happy starting from cold. sorted a few electrical issues. and changed some oil seals in the engine and transmission (though the car still does leak a bit).

The car starts and idles and revs beautifully.   The transmission is very quiet with good syncros. The car does not smoke.   It tracks and brakes straight.

The car comes with a new set of 5 Vredestein Sport Classic tires. a high quality reproduction tool roll. original jack and handle. the original owners manual and brochure.

The car has just completed a final 100mile shakedown run. and ran flawlessly.   I am confident that the car can be driven anywhere or take part in any event without worry.

Summary: an Honest Car

The buyer of this car is getting a unique 356 that is sure to create a lot of interest wherever it goes. and with the recent appreciation of 356 values. and interest in preservation restorations. it will represent a shrewd buy in the future.   There will be people who will ask when you are going to paint it!  And. there may be some areas that the new owner will want to improve.   But this will always be a good car as the bodyshell and shutlines are excellent and it is numbers matching.   You could even use it  as the basis for a concours restoration if you wanted to (but I hope the car gets left alone).   It would be a lot cheaper to start with this car rather than a rusty heap.

That isn't to say that the new owner may want to do a few more things to the car if he wished. A list of some items that do not affect the enjoyment of the car. but may be closer to ‘shabby' than ‘preservation' are:

-the small sheetmetal tray under the fan belt is rusted it could be repaired or re-made

-the engine still leaks (a bit) from the rear main seal. Since the seal is new and the crank end-play is OK. you would likely you would solve it by machining the flywheel.   But it is a 50 year old air cooled engine and I suspect that you will be fighting a losing battle. expect a quarter sized drop after a long drive.

-some of the plating on the bumper guards is moderately pitted and could be re-chromed

-the original rear bumper guards with the exhaust routed through them have been replaced by earlier guards. and the exhaust routed underneath.   The originals are included should you wish to put it back to stock. although the reason that it was modified is that the exhausts made a mess of the chrome bumpers.  

-the thermostatically controlled air ducts in the engine bay that were installed to blow warm air on the Carbs are missing.   This car probably won't get driven in winter. so they are not needed. but you could source them in any case to complete the engine bay.   Also. the rubber trim strips that surround the engine tray are not installed. but the pieces are included.

-the tach started acting sluggish today (!)

-some of the stitching is pulling loose from the drivers seat and the rear parcel shelf.   This was repaired on the drivers seat. but with the guys getting in and out of the car to tend to the various items. the seat stitching has come undone again-I should have done that last.

-the engine bay and undercairrage are original. you could spend (a lot) of time dissassebling. cleaning and detailing if that was important to you (it isn't to me).

And that is it for known issues-this is a clear a picture of the car as I can offer.   It is a good car. the 200 photos tell the story better than I can!

For US buyers:  Shipping. duty. brokerage etc. to get the car from Calgary. Canada to most US states will run approximately $4000.  I can sell the car tax and duty paid FOB Seattle for an extra $2. 00.  

For European buyers: Shipping to Europe is approximately $5000 + VAT and brokerage.

Lawrence Romanosky

Lromanosky@me. com

403-607-8625

Also published at eBay.ca

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