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1954 Glöckler-Porsche 356 Carrera 1500 Coupe

Forgive yourself if you couldn’t identify this 1954 Glöckler-Porsche 356 Carrera 1500. There’s only one in the world, and the Porsche-backed racer began life as a 1954 Porsche 356 chassis sent to the dealership of Frankfurt, Germany’s Walter Glöckler where it received the custom body you see here. Porsche partnered with Glöckler on five earlier race cars, and this one received the coach-built body, a hopped up engine, and other modifications with eyes on the 1954 Mille Miglia (literally “1000 Miles” in Italian). Delays nixed that plan and the car first raced the Liège–Rome–Liège road rally that same year. The car’s restoration prior to 2016 shows extremely well, and be sure to check out pictures and more back-story at RMSothebys where this unique 356 comes to market in Monterey, California August 13-24, 2021. No estimated value is stated, but Classic shows other modified 356-based cars bringing between $100,000 and $200,000 USD. Reason would suggest that this car’s provenance, unique bodywork, and factory connection will command a much higher than average bounty. Plus, anything can happen if it catches the eye of two or more passionate bidders of means. Thanks to reader Mitchell G. for spotting this slice of racing history.

The original 1.5L (92 cid) four-cam flat-four parted ways with the chassis in the car’s “first decades,” according to the listing, after which this 1.5 L four-cam from a Porsche 550 Spyder took its place and remains to this day, making an appropriate and historically accurate replacement. A four-speed gearbox handles the gear changes.

After languishing in the Porsche factory for some time, the car came to America in the 1970s, then back to Germany in 1993. Other than residing in different hemispheres, little changed for the diminutive race car until the detailed and immaculate restoration you see here, completed between 2013 and 2016. It’s unlikely that it ever looked this good when new, though elements of the original car were preserved as much as possible.

While many racers of the time employed an open cockpit, the Glöckler-Porsche 356 featured a full roof with panoramic windows. Doors continue into the roof for easy ingress and egress by helmeted drivers. Many race cars suffer from an overabundance of “form follows function,” but not this one! If we didn’t know the car was designed for racing, we could believe it was conceived as a mini-GT for a well-heeled enthusiast with a flair for speed. Have you ever pushed the limit in a rear-engine car?

Comments

  1. Avatar bobhess Member

    Have a Porsche history book with a picture of this car in it. The pictures here are the first I’ve seen of the car since buying that book over 40 years ago. Rare indeed.

    Like 11
  2. Avatar Mike

    What an awkward look. The auction photos have no side view. Weird…

    Like 8
  3. Avatar Ike Onick

    Time to consider renaming this site. Lots of high-end Euro eye candy the past few days.

    Like 6
    • Avatar Steve R

      It’s worth cutting them some slack. We are in the dog days of summer, there are simultaneous heat waves going on around the country. Last time I checked most of the barns that typically house rusty Mopars and Mustangs aren’t air conditioned. I’m sure things will get back to normal in a few weeks.

      Steve R

      Like 12
      • Avatar Ike Onick

        Thanks. I wasn’t that concerned. Just noticing a trend. Noticing trends was my profession for 40 years. I have only been retired one year. No offense meant to anyone.

        Like 2
    • Avatar Max Powers

      The last thing Barn Finds needs is another Mustang or Charger. Nothing wrong with an oddity.

      Like 1
  4. Avatar sir_mike

    Great piece of Porsche history.I’ll say it will bring $500,000.+

    Like 5
  5. Avatar Chris Webster

    Gag! That is ‘homely’ at best.

    Like 7
  6. Avatar Dabig Kahuna

    Looks like a Porsche spider got in a wreck with a Willys Aero and a Studebaker Starlite

    Like 9
  7. Avatar stephen smith

    The engine alone is worth north of $200K

    Like 3
  8. Avatar Bullethead

    The car is well known and will easily see seven figures, my guess is around $2M. Possibly more.

    It is awkward, as were most of Walter Glöckler’s creations, google will provide a link to an R&T article on this car. Yes, the profile is as funky as hell, but it could be argued that for what it was intended, styling wasn’t important. Performance was.

    Like 2
  9. Avatar Armstrongpsyd

    Did your mother ever tell you, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. There are ways of expressing negative opinions without being snarky or outright rude. Writing is an art form. Practice saying everything you think in the kindest of terms and see how it feels. I enjoy the full range of metal that BF offers us from exotic, over priced Euro-trash to rusty Mopar rockers. Keep’em coming boys. Keep up the good work.

    Like 9
  10. Avatar Michael Babinetz

    Fugly,

    Like 2
  11. Avatar Araknid78

    nice

    Like 1
  12. Avatar angliagt Member

    “It may be strange,but it sure is weird”.

    Like 1
  13. Avatar martinsane

    Wow. Neat car and i appreciate the post. Naysayers get gone.
    The car reminds me of a Karman Ghia but then a 911 at the same time.

    Like 1
  14. Avatar Bill McCoskey Member

    Anyone know where the taillights were sourced? I can’t identify them, but as the design and finish are simply too good to be one-off lamps for this car I would think they were sourced from a different builder.

    Like 2
    • Avatar DayDreamBeliever

      They are reminiscent of a couple of American cars from the 50’s….

      Like 1
    • Avatar bog

      Bill – I could swear those taillights are from a Kaiser or something along those lines. Early fifties American car. Could be European, but a search of my memory is not coming up with anything like that….

      Like 1
      • Avatar Bill McCoskey Member

        Bog,

        Thanks for the suggestions, but they are certainly not Kaiser or Frazer, nor do I think they are any production US taillights. I first thought they were Kaiser KF-161 [Darrin] lamps, but those have more of a side profile suggesting a female breast.

        Not ’53-’54 Packard Clipper [also close], not Studebaker, Not GM, Ford, or MoPaR cars. Not Rambler, Nash or Hudson. That leaves damn few US cars, so they have to be from a fairly rare European vehicle.

        Like 0
  15. Avatar bog

    Bill McCosky –
    Well, I looked at the Sotheby’s photos and write-up for a bit more help on those taillights, but no real help. Though I’m getting closer. If one rotates the 1953 Caddy lights from the vertical plane to horizontal, quite close….

    Like 1

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