1961 Porsche 356

Normal

Manual

200025

Up for auction is my pride and joy, a Porsche 356 that I have owned for 15 years. I am selling it reluctantly, but I have one son already in college, a daughter starting this fall, and my youngest son going next year so I have to part with it for financial reasons. I am also not getting it out and exercising it enough anymore, I just take it to car shows and to run errands occasionally. I have only driven it about 500 miles in the past couple years. It is mechanically strong, but it does need some cosmetic restoration. It is in very good driving condition, but it is not a show car. It drives solid; no rattles when you hit a bump and the doors shut with a good “chunk.” Technically speaking, it is a 1961 Porsche 356B, T-5 type, Karmann hardtop. It is more commonly called a “notchback.” The VIN indicates that it was a very early model of hardtop (I only know of one earlier still existing). The body was built by Karmann for Porsche as a cabriolet (convertible), but as Porsche was having trouble selling convertibles it was decided to weld a hardtop on it. Only a couple thousand of this model were produced in ’61 and ‘62, so it is fairly rare. Many of them have had the roofs removed and turned back into cabriolets, increasing their value substantially. Easy to do with an early T-5, don’t have to weld the door posts or touch the window frame. The engine is not original, though it is a “normal” (60 hp) motor as was the original. It is a ’62 engine and has been completely rebuilt to normal standards by Ken Daugherty a couple summers ago. All the tin was powder coated, every part was inspected and replaced if worn, new decals applied, etc. It cost me about $6000 and I have the receipts and even pictures of the process and parts. The car was painted sand beige by a previous owner long ago, but it came from the factory painted silver according to the paint code on the door badge. The paint is old and thin and has a lot of orange peel. There are several small dents/dings, with the largest being a shallow crease about 4 inches long over the Karmann badge. There are a few rust bubbles along the bottom of the passenger door, but they have not grown in the past fifteen years (I painted the inside of the doors with POR15). I painted the entire undercarriage and engine compartment with POR15. The trunk was POR15’d already by a previous owner. The only rust spot I found on the floor pan was a spot the size of a pencil eraser, which I filled with POR 15 body putty. The longitudinals are solid, too. Gas tank has no rust. The tires are new Kumhos, less than 500 miles on them. The original moon hubcaps polish up nicely, but there are a couple small dings and some pitting. The wheels themselves are painted sand beige, kind of unusual. The interior is red and it still has the original leather seats that that early notchbacks came with, though I believe they were recovered at some point. The rest of the interior is red leatherette, in very good to excellent condition. I found a card from a Georgia company that specialized in restoring Porsche interiors behind a door panel, so I think it was redone many years ago. The headliner is perfect. The leather seats are not split or cracked (I condition them regularly), no seams pulled out. There is a small hole in the driver’s seat, but it is down low on the draping and isn’t very visible. All vinyl (such as rear seats, door panels, interior trim) is in excellent shape, not faded or ripped. The steering wheel has an old leather cover on it in good shape, the spokes are rust-free, and the horn button is in excellent condition. It has a wood gearshift knob with cloisonné Porsche crest in very good condition. The dash pad is perfect, no cracks or splits. Here are some other good points about the car: the clutch assembly has been completely rebuilt with new t/o brg, flywheel, & pressure plate); the brake system has been gone through and new wheel cylinders installed; the regulator has been rebuilt by Joe Leoni; a Zim’s starter relay installed, as well as an electronic turn signal flasher. The chrome is in outstanding condition, only a little pitting on one of the bumper guards. The rubber seals are in very good condition with little cracking or splitting, though the vent window seals could stand to be replaced. All lights work. The muffler is a new OEM stock Leistreitz muffler (try finding one and then paying less than a grand for it). The glove box still has the elastic ribbon. I have accessorized it with period items such as headlight screen mesh covers, aluminum threshold covers, and even nickel plated valve stem caps. I have replaced the tire strap and seatback straps with new leather ones. I installed a new positive battery cable (runs from front to back of car) and the battery (6-volt) is only a year old. It comes with new coco fiber mats for the floors in a red dot pattern on a black background. Here are the bad points: It needs to be painted (original silver?). The carpet is German square weave, but it needs replacing. It is faded and has several places where it has begun unraveling. The hood has a slight kink in it on the passenger side, though the hood still seals out water. All the glass is in great condition except for the windshield which has wiper arm scratches and lots of tiny pits. Gas gauge does not work (needs new float?). Oil pressure gauge doesn’t work. Windshield washer doesn’t work (I have original rubber bag, new check valves and tubing). No sun visors. No jack points (not needed or wanted, Porsche 944 aluminum jack included). It shifts smoothly thru all 4 gears and reverse, but there is a slight whine most noticeable in 3rd gear; my mechanic said it’ll need to be looked at sometime, but not for another few thousand miles. Speedo works, but cable starts to squeal after a few minutes (replaced cable with new one, didn’t help). No radio, it has an old and cracked Porsche delete plate; but it does have an antenna from way back when. Interior dome lights are missing, though I do have a set of door switches. The heater slide is from a C model, but I have the correct all metal slides with a Stoddard screw set for them. If you have any questions or want to see more pictures, please email me your request. This auction is a NO RESERVE auction. If you bid, you could win this classic car. So please be sure that you have the funds available before pressing the bi button. As this car is over 50 years old, it would be in your best interest to have a Pre Purchase Inspection done by someone who is familiar with old Porsches. I have done my best to fully describe all of the defects of which I am aware, but you are purchasing it as is. I will assist with shipping if needed. I know a reputable hauler who can transport it anywhere east of the Mississippi in a covered trailer at a very reasonable cost. Or fly in and drive it home. I prefer payment through PayPal; it provides protections for the both the seller and buyer. Cash is always acceptable. I'm not a business, so I can't take credit cards. A certified check is OK, but it must clear first. Any other kind of payment will be viewed with suspicion (so many scam artists out there!) and may delay taking possession of the car.