Porsche 356 A 1600 Super Speedster

The vehicle in detail

This Speedster is fitted with the 1600 Super engine. Aside from the very rare Carrera Speedsters, only 494 of the more than 4000 Speedsters constructed, came with the 1600 Super making these very desirable examples. With the regular 1600 Speedsters making 60 horsepower, the extra 15bhp from the Super was significant. This Speedster was first delivered to The Hoffman Motor Car Company of New York in November of 1956. It has been in collector ownership in both California and the NY metro area. In 2006, the car was purchased by Steve Sailors of Huntington Beach, California from noted collector Frank Gallogly of New Jersey. Sailors, who competed regularly in the West Coast vintage race scene, owned and restored several significant Porsches over the years with this Speedster included.

Upon restoration, Sailors decided to give this Speedster a creative touch. The majority of Speedsters from the factory were White, including this one, followed by Red. Only 141 examples left the factory in Black, even fewer with a Red interior. As this Speedster showed signs of an older restoration, the car was completely stripped, all suspension components removed, and metalwork issues repaired thoroughly and correctly. The engine (period correct original Super, but not the original) was rebuilt and the gearbox was also rebuilt to its original-correct factory specification. Sailors planned on using his newly restored Speedster, therefore the electrical system was updated to a more reliable 12-volt system. The interior and carpets were completely redone, as was the Black top, and a new tonneau cover was fabricated. The Speedster was then purchased by notable collector, Peter Sachs. At this time, the engine was rebuilt to 1,720cc big bore specifications by well-known engine builder Marcovicci Wenz Engineering of Ronkonkoma, NY, all receipts included.