The Porsche 356 is, without a doubt, one of the most desirable classic sports cars on the planet. Especially the early 356A with its beehive taillights and "fat" seats is a prime collectible.
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Porsche 356s are usually placed in one of two groups: totally restored cars, often "better than new" and ready for the PCA's annual Porsche Parade, or non-running hulks, needing everthing. Finding a car that has been the recipient of a comprehensive mechanical refurbishment while deliberately being left to look like the proverbial barn find, is almost unheard of.
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Well, we at Californiaclassix strongly believe in this concept, owning time-worn but mechanically superb classic cars ourselves, and driving them on a daily basis. Understandably, this fine ole steed ticked all the right boxes for us; it certainly must be the coolest Porsche 356 we've ever had the pleasure to own. Wish we could keep it!
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Languishing for decades under an orange tree behind the locked gates of a secluded orchard high above the new-age enclave of Ojai, Calif., this Reutter bodied 1956 Porsche 356A, VIN *57812*, was recently discovered by an enthusiast and PCA member who happens to be a retired Porsche and Volkswagen master technician, living in Santa Barbara. He took his time going through the entire car, system by system, refurbishing every one of them as needed, to turn the car -- lovingly called Die Ratte (German for "The Rat") -- into a fun and reliable daily driver once again.
Yep, here it is, a unique and beautiful animal: a Porsche 356, beautified by no other than Mother Nature.
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Die Ratte came with a ratty-looking folder containing exactly 85 documents, dating all the way back to 1970. We carefully sorted them chronologically, and now they're preserved for posterity, inside clear sheet protectors, in a three-ring binder.
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The car was owned during the late 1960s by an architect teaching at USC and resided in Beverly Hills, then in La Canada, before finding its way up to the Santa Barbara/Lompoc area in '72. The receipts bear the names of many famous, long-defunct Porsche emporiums like Estes-Zipper, Porschop, Anything Ltd., Allred Porsche, Boggs & MacBurnie, and Lavia Porsche-Audi.
Let's now inspect this highly unusual vintage Porsche in more detail.
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Being 56 years old, chassis No. *57812* has benefitted trememdously from having spent its entire life in Southern California. Though obviously exposed to the elements, ridden hard, and put away wet more than once, the car still features straight coachwork with good gaps. Doors and deck lid fit excellently; the hood was kinked at one time, and there's been a repair to the nose, but it's still the factory original sheet metal all the way. Corrosion is limited; apart from the mild surface rust here and there, all we can see would be the usual bubbling on the lower outside door skins.
Bumpers were ditched, decades ago, in favor of nerf bars. Those, along with some mild lowering, slightly wider rolling stock, a TALBOT mirror, and CARELLO quartz-iodine fog lights, resulted in the very popular California Outlaw look. We love it!
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A most interesting aspect of Die Ratte and a big part of its outsize personality must be its unique livery. Originally Rennsport Silver, the car was painted Icon Gold sometime during the swingin' Sixties and, finally, black. The merciless Ojai sun burned off most of the black paint, resulting in a rolling piece of art displaying a fantastic patina only the passage of time itself could have created.
You cannot fake this look. No way!
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5.5 J x 15 chrome steel wheels have been fitted with slightly oversize 165-15 radials. Cal look all the way, baby!
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A's small front trunk, made even smaller by placement of fuel tank. Spare and jack are present, as is the original rubber trunk mat.
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Battery box has been repaired, most likely due to acid damage from a leaky battery. Note new Optima 6-Volt unit.
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Porsche's cabin looks inviting. Windows roll up and down with such ease and precision, you'd think they'd be brand new.
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Cockpit oozes 1950s sports car finesse. Sitting behind the large ivory steering wheel with its Porsche-crested black horn button and surveying the classic dash layout, you'll be overcome by the urge to fire up the engine and go for a drive, a joy ride, with no particular place to go, to paraphrase Chuck Berry.
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Dash top with remnants of safety padding. Priceless! Floor mat is the original, ribbed black rubber one. Below the dash, the fuel petcock peeks out; along with the remainder of the fuel system from tank to carbs, it has just been rebuilt.
Check out the correct high bend shifter, topped by a period wood shift knob.
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All of the gauges work perfectly, even the mechanical tachometer and the rare accessory 48-hour wind-up clock installed in the glove box lid. Apart from the CARELLOS, all lights work, too, thanks to many hours of tireless tinkering by the car's rescuer. Frozen windshield wiper motor was replaced with a freshly rebuilt 6-Volt unit.
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Original front seats display slightly distressed look. Upholstery color was originally red, as evidenced by the original, if faded, door panels. A set of custom sheepskin covers would go a long way here!
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Rear seats. Aahh, that Sixties Morrokide!
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Ready for a test drive?
So are we, but let's take a look at engine and undercarriage first.
Hilarious license plate frame will remain with the car, if so desired.
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Clean and tidy engine compartment houses engine # P*73778, a late 356A unit, which has been thoroughly rebuilt, a job detailed in the 3-page spec sheet that's included. She's not a leaker nor a smoker, runs excellently, without any unusual mechanical noises, and is mated -- via a brand new clutch -- to transaxle #74419, featuring BBBC gears. It was replaced/rebuilt, too, @ 45,407 miles, back in 1970.
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Undercarriage shows a bit of surface rust and some dings here and there, but there are no gaping holes. Actually, we were surprised how solid this 56 year-old Porsche presents itself. Area around jack spurs may be a little weak; otherwise, we have no complaints. Click on the image to the left for an XXL-sized view |
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Close ups of Porsche's bottom. Some sellers of vintage Porsches would rather not show you any pix of their cars' underbellies, but we think there's nothing to hide here.
Note functional heater with good cans and new brakes all around.
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Friday, January 27 turned out to be a super nice "winter" day here in olde mission town San Buenaventura. Blue skies and temperatures in the low-to-mid 80s provided the perfect environment for our "official" test drive and photo session -- mind you, we've been using the car as a sort of Cafe racer for the past couple of weeks. It's just such an irresistible machine!
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Driving this exhilarating Porsche will really elevate your heartbeat! First off, Die Ratte always starts easily, without huffing and puffing. Throttle response is crisp, the engine sounding great as it revs to redline, abundant power signaling a thoroughly healthy state of affairs. The car idles, runs, drives, shifts, handles and brakes excellently.
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Die Ratte corresponds with you, talks to you, urging you to rev up the engine and go fast. You are the Maestro, der Herr Kapellmeister, creating music of a different kind, inconceivable to those who lack experience or understanding. The ghost of Denis Jenkinson beckons you to get up early on a Sunday morning, just to hear the "A" in full song, hurtling down some deserted backcountry road.
In the realm of vintage sports cars, apart from this unrestored 1956 Porsche, perhaps only a 12-cylinder Ferrari of the same period possesses this much soul . . .
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On the freeway, doing 85mph in the fast lane, this Porsche hums along as happy as a bumble bee. Drivers of cars being passed all of a sudden speed up to try and take a closer look. Children point, their soccer moms smiling, slightly irritated. Soon they all disappear in the rear view mirror.
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This Porsche is not for everybody. Driving it "as is" requires the will power to "leave things be" and perhaps a somewhat eclectic personality. But park it next to a new Porsche or other exotic, and guess which car will be surrounded by a throng of admirers in no time at all? That's right: Die Ratte !
Sure, you could also restore body and interior of this car, without losing a penny doing it, simply because fully restored "A" Coupes are getting harder to find and more expensive all the time, with super fine examples already exceeding the $100,000.00 threshold.
But wouldn't that take away most of the fun?
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This is the perfect vintage Porsche for an enthusiast who knows that you can't judge a book by its cover and takes wicked pleasure in owning a properly sorted vintage motorcar that hides its qualities so well, only cognoscenti will realize it without a thorough inspection.
It represents a unique opportunity to acquire a true show stopper for those who dare to be different.
Here's an idea: fly in to sunny SoCal, pick up Die Ratte at our showroom in Ventura, and drive to the fabulous, '4th Annual SoCal All-Porsche Swap and Car Display' held on Sunday, March 4th 2012 at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim. You'll be the star of the show!
Addendum:
We sold this stunning Porsche early in 2012 to an enthusiast in the United Kingdom.
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