1965 Porsche 356

Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

160632

Gasoline

For auction is a stunning 1965 356c cab 1600c that has never been restored. I am the 3rd owner and located in Mt Sinai, Long Island, NY. The car has 84k original miles. Provided with this car will be all the original (not reprints) documents including Owners Manual, Factory maintenance booklet (filled out/stamped by the dealer), Blaupunkt Export Super 34150 manual, and other assorted factory documents that came with the car when purchased new on May 27th 1965 in Buffalo NY. This car has spent over 25 years in a prized private collection until my purchase in the spring of 2004. This car has been routinely driven about 1500 miles per year. I will break down the details of this magnificent time capsule in the following titled sub-sections. Please read the entire description and ask all unanswered questions you may have. Exterior Body and Finish: Body color is the original Ruby Red paint code #6402. After much inspection I can confidently conclude that the car is still wearing 70% of the original factory applied paint. It appears the nose has been repainted to a perfect undetectable match many years ago and was done with the correct lacquer single stage paint. There is no visible sign of accident damage repair and the hood has the correct #32 stamped on it proving it original to the chassis. Note, there are NO kinks/bends that are commonly found in the hood at the hinge point. There are a few door edge paint chips (never touched up) and a very small ding on the left side of the front bumper. Aside from the pictured bumper ding the body has absolutely NO dings or dents anywhere. Not even a door ding! Thanks to being all original and accident free both doors and both hoods open and close as new with perfect body lines and gaps. I tested the chassis strength by jacking the car up at the factory jack points on both sides and opening and closing both hoods and both doors. I found no difference jacked up than when its resting correctly on 4 tires. Bottom line is the the car is as rigid and straight as it was when built by Porsche/Karosserie 45 years ago! Try that with any rust repaired fully restored car! As you can clearly see in the pictures the paint finish is extremely glossy. The mostly original lacquer paint shows as if it were just repainted. The door and hood jam areas look just the same. All the original factory ID tags are in place and in great condition. To sum it up the fit and finish on this car is simply amazing. Interior: The interior has never been restored. The seats, dash, carpet, steering wheel, gauges, etc are all the original 84k mile 45 year old items. This car was ordered with the desirable leather option so the seats, dash and door panels are authentic leather. They are all in stunning condition thanks to proper care and indoor storage away from the damaging suns UV rays. Amazingly the carpet is not showing any notable wear aside from being matted down were the rear seat tops contact it when folded down. The original factory rubber floor mat is present and looks excellent with only minimal wear. The gauges have no pitting on the chrome rings and the clarity of the glass lenses is perfect with no fogging or dust inside them. Note the clock is not currently functional. The leather dashboard is excellent with no issues. The very rare Blaupunkt Export Super 31450 radio is the original and is currently non functional. It could be a fuse (same fuse as the clock?) or wiring but it was never checked. The radio buttons have some surface wear on the finish. Otherwise the radio looks great with a clear lens, no letter/number fading, and no pitting on the chrome trim. The headliner is a cream color and in beautiful condition. It is tight and does NOT allow rushing incoming air between it and the top while top up driving with windows open. It has the normal expected darkened area's at the crossbeams/bows of the convertible top's frame. The headliner has possibly been replaced at some point because its to nice to be 45 years old. It is however an original (not aftermarket). The leather door panels are very nice with no tears or warping. The door handles and window cranks are tight and function as new. The leather seats are also in very nice condition. There are no notable wear area's on the leather anywhere on these seats. The spring and foam support is excellent. The chrome finish on the recline actuators are excellent. The leather feel is very soft and comfortable. The seats are broken in with the perfect patina. The rear seats are as you would expect, perfect since they don't get used. The pedal cluster (brake, accelerator, and clutch) are not worn or loose. No noises and a nice fluid tight motion. The shifter is tight and precise. The original shifter lock mechanism is there and functional. The original front hood release lock is also present and functional. The steering wheel has the small scratches and chips in the Bakelite material associated with age. The surface finish of the outer grip ring shines and is crack free. The spokes are excellent and corrosion/scratch free. The horn button looks great as well. The rear view mirror is excellent with no de-silvering and the pivot ball is tight with no shaking or sagging. The convertible top latches are pit-free and shine like new. Tires-Wheels-Brakes-Suspension: The suspension has been maintained with OEM original components. The shocks, ball joints, tie rods, sway bar bushings, etc are all in perfect working order. The brakes are all showing 70% or better. The 4 wheel disk brakes stop evenly with a nice high pedal and no shaking or pulling when applying pressure. The brake develops a mild audible squeak after 20 or so miles coming from the left rear brake. Could be brake dust. It It is not a safety issue and does not affect braking feel. It is however something to mention when the car gets its next service. Overall the ride and feel of this car is second to no other 356. It truly rides like it is new. When going over a speed bump the only sound is the shocks doing there job with a tight sounding swish up and down. No rattles anywhere on this car! Tires look and feel excellent. They were purchased by the previous owner at least 6 years ago. They look to have about 80% tread remaining with a nice uniform wear pattern. No dry cracking or problems. The wheel alignment is perfect. The wheels were refinished a few years ago and are the correct original date code wheels with no dents or curb rash. Engine: ID # 731641 (616/15) identifies it as manufactured late1964 making it correct for the 1965 model year. I do not have a certificate of authenticity (COA) but did run the id # on 356a.com which identifies it as correct to this car. I was told the engine is the original by the 2nd owner and believe it to be. The engine has no visible evidence of an overhaul and runs beautifully with no noises or issues. The underside of the engine case has the usual thin layer of filth (keeps the case from oxidizing) with no leaking/drips. The finish on the cooling tin and fan shroud is very nice and all original too. It is time for its annual oil service which will be done before the car is picked up. Engine power is smooth and plentiful with absolutely NO smoking at any time (even cold starts!). The exhaust is the original as well. Its in great condition and looks to have another 45 years left in it. Transmission: ID # 79878 also identified as the correct original to the chassis. The transmission and clutch work perfect in every way. Upshift or downshift at any speed with no grinding of any kind. The shifting is so smooth you can compare its feel to a late model Japanese car with a positive tight feel. In short the transmission is a gem! Floors and Battery Pan: No rust, No dents, No issues. The floors exterior bottom finish is still coated in its original thick rough finish factory undercoat. It has been viewed by my service station and a few fellow Porsche enthusiasts. All agree that this car has its original floors and they are perfect. The battery pan appears to be the original as well. There is a welded seam visible in the far front upper area of the pan but that is believed to be the original weld from when the car was built. It has no rust anywhere and looks exactly as it should. Underhood: Under the front hood you will find all original finish and what appears to be an OEM NOS fuel tank. Its at least 6 years old as I did not install this. However the original plastic cover may have just simply preserved the 45 year old tank and it just looks new. The fuse box cover is intact and excellent. It will need a replacement rubber strap to hold it in place. I may have misplaced the spare tire but will include it if it is found. I will check my warehouse this week. The washer bottle is intact. I honestly cant recall every using it though. The chassis Vin # is clearly stamped with no corrosion. The battery is about 4 years old and about due for changing. It does however work excellent thanks to consistent up keep with an automatic trickle charger. Convertible Top: Not much to say here. No holes and no issues. The color is still a nice deep black thanks to either being stored indoors out of the sun and weather. If being driven it is almost always down. The top goes up and down smoothly without the need for a helpers assistance. The latches and seal are perfect and does not let wind noise or water in. The top mates very nicely to the door glass and fly window frames giving an almost (I said almost) wind noise free ride even at 70 mph. Summary: Finding an unrestored 356 cab in this condition is not a common occurrence. The best part about this car is how beautiful and solid it drives. Its a true survivor and being the last production year of the 356 it has all the best amenities for comfort and road feel. Buying this now gives a sure bet you will be rewarded with a nice resale value increase in the near future. You could find a perfect 100 point restored car for $200k if keeping it parked is your idea of a good investment. This description has been written by the actual owner of the car. The account holder that listed this for me is my friend and neighbor. He is also a Porsche enthusiast. All questions will be forwarded to me and answered by me. Final sale will be handled by me. This is a private sale. All information listed in this description is honest and accurate to the best of my ability. I do have more detailed pictures and encourage any perspective buyer to come see this car in person before bidding. I will be outside the USA during the 8/12-8/21 period but will have access to my computer at all times. All questions must be asked before bidding. This car has clean, clear, lean-free transferable paperwork with no surprises. Delivery and Pickup Terms: This car will safely drive home to any location if the high bidder desires to drive it. If it will be shipped I will assist buyer and shipper in any way I can. High bidder is required to pay a fully refundable $500 deposit within 36 hours of auctions end. Payment in full will be accepted by wire transfer or in person at my local bank within 10 days of auctions end. Shipment overseas will be without incident. Vehicle delivery to my local shipping ports are within 75 miles from the cars location and will be provided by request at the buyer expense. On Aug-10-10 at 20:47:23 PDT, seller added the following information: I have located the spare tire. It is the original and was restored at the same time the others were done. I will be in place with its new matching tire and included with this sale.