Footnotes

Although Ferdinand Porsche had established his automotive design consultancy in the early 1930s, his name would not appear on a car until 1949. When it did, it graced one of the all-time great sports cars: the Porsche 356. Having commenced manufacture with a short run of aluminium-bodied cars built at Gmünd, Porsche began volume production of the steel-bodied 356 coupé at its old base in Stuttgart, at first in premises shared with coachbuilders Reutter and then (from 1955) in its original factory at Zuffenhausen.

The work of Ferry Porsche, the 356 was based on the Volkswagen designed by his father, and like the immortal 'Beetle' employed a platform-type chassis with rear-mounted air-cooled engine and all-independent torsion bar suspension. Regularly revised and updated, Porsche's landmark sports car would remain in production well into the 911 era, the final examples being built in 1965.

Outwardly very similar to the final 356Bs, the ultimate 356C model arrived in 1963 sporting four-wheel disc brakes - first seen on the 2-litre Carrera 2 - among numerous detail improvements. Engines available - both of 1.6 litres - were the 75bhp 'C' and 95bhp 'SC', the latter replacing the Super 90. Testing a 356C in 1964, Road & Track enthused over its comfort, quality and excellent performance, concluding, "one would look a long time before finding a sports or GT car that offers more pure driving enjoyment".

A left-hand drive model dating from the penultimate year of production, this 356C has the more desirable 95 horsepower 'SC' engine. Although no paperwork substantiates the work, previous cataloguing stated that the car was extensively restored in the USA by Porsche Specialists Inc during 2000-2002, work undertaken having included an engine rebuild, chassis Waxoyling and re-trim of the interior in red leather.

The current owner purchased the Porsche at Bonhams' sale at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu in September 2008 (Lot 366). The car had been imported into the UK circa 1990 and used as daily transport by the then owner during 2007/2008 (but always kept garaged) and at time of sale was said to run and drive exceptionally well. Offered with an old-style incomplete UK V5C Registration Certificate. This Porsche 356 requires a complete restoration due to a poorly finished job in the past. Please note import taxes will be liable if the car is to remain in the EU.