KW is offering this Porsche 356 B Roadster in very original condition for sale. Mostly original interior. Matching numbers engine, gearbox and body panels throughout. Very well documented.
The Porsche 356 B 1600 Roadster was the successor of the very popular 356 A Speedster and Convertible D. Built from 1959 till 1961 the 356 B was offered in three different body configurations – as a Coupé, Convertible and Roadster. Subtle changes from the A to the B series made the 356 more modern and more comfortable. With the internally named “Technical Revision 5” the bumpers and front lights were lifted and placed more upright, the steering wheel was changed to a tulip-shaped design and the chassis was completely revised to enhance comfort and sportiness.
Compared to the Speedster, the Roadster received a more upright positioned windscreen resulting in a higher soft-top line and windup side windows instead of the small slip-in windows, that had to be stored in the luggage compartment of the Speedster, if not in use. This all enhanced the waterproofing, interior acoustics and everyday usability of the open-top 356 B sports-model. Similar to the Speedster the Roadster was very popular in the United States and most of the cars have been delivered through the official Porsche importer at that time, Max Hoffman in New York.
The car on offer also started its life in the US and was delivered to its first owner through Porsche Car Pacific in San Francisco. Mr. Lester Fahrmer, lived just opposite downtown on the west side of the San Francisco Bay in Castro Valley. The car was originally delivered in “Ivory White” paint with a red leatherette interior and a black soft-top. Looking at the condition of the car today, this is definitely one of the best Porsche 356s, KW have ever seen in the 40 years of our professional life in the business. The original soft-top is still in very good condition and has faded to a light grey tone.
Apart from a small area on the front hood and on the front panel the rest of the car still wears its slightly faded original “Ivory White” paint and never received a respray. An older letter in the car’s file from a previous owner explains, that he had lent the car to a friend, who did not know how to properly close the front hood. This led to a slightly bend bonnet and the following repair and partial repaint.
Judging from the condition of the interior only some parts of the seats received a retrim, the rest is in beautiful, patinated, original and fully functioning condition.The Roadster of course still has its original matching engine, gearbox and both hood numbers are present and match the chassis number. The history file of the car contains several original documents from the previous owners and some beautiful period pictures.
This surely is one of the best original surviving 356 Porsches with a beautiful, charismatic patina, which is irretrievably lost on the many restored examples on the market.
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