Imagine stumbling upon this in the corner of someone’s garage. That’s not a replica under there. That’s a real deal Porsche Speedster! It has been parked since 1971 and the lucky guys who discovered it have listed it for sale here on eBay and the auction ends in about a day!
If you look closely at the Barn Finds logo you’ll notice that the car in the barn is a Porsche Speedster. That’s because it’s the holy grail. Even if you are not into air-cooled cars, the Speedster is the car you want to find in a barn. They are very valuable so finding this one had to be a a serious thrill!
Apparently people have been dreaming about Speedster barn finds for decades and this 1986 Porsche brochure found here on eBay is proof. It features a Speedster on the cover and the text describes a recurring dream that Porsche enthusiasts were already having back then.
What makes these cars so special though? Well, the Porsche 356 is a special sports car in any form, but the Speedster is the one everyone wants. Ironically, it was the cheapest most stripped down model when new, but now it’s the most sought after.
It was intended to be an affordable racer so in place of wind up windows there were side screens. A simple top and low removable windshild provided minimal protection from the elements. Inside there were special bucket seats and not much else. It was sleek and simple. The perfect sports car formula.
Out back there’s an air-cooled flat-four. It’s not a V8, but in a lightweight car like this, it’s plenty. Amazingly, the seller only had to rebuild the carbs and change the oil before the engine roared back to life. It supposedly runs strong so I’d be tempted to drive this one around just the way it is.
The floors might need some work before that though. Porsche wasn’t too concerned with rust prevention back then so corrsion is a common 356 problem. The underside actually doesnt look too bad for one of these, but I’d want to inspect the suspension mounts before throwing it into any corners.
Some people beleive that these are just dolled up Beetles. They may share a blood line and even a few parts, but the 356 was a different animal. It was higher quality, faster, and more expensive. While the Beetle focused on economy, the 356 forcused on driving dynamics. I’d love to have one and this is exactly how I’d take mine. With the current prices though, I may have to keep dreaming a little longer…
If a Porsche person sees this one, I’m sure they’ll be drooling. Not my cup of tea but I’m sure it will to someone. Not sure what it’s worth so I’ll end there.
“Drooling” is probably the most socially acceptable response the Porsche person will have.
My first car was a VW bug, a long time ago, but even then I lowered it, sway bars, shocks, good tires (for the day anyway), big bore kit and webers. The local Porsche club autoxs would always stick me in the class with 911 turbos and a 914-6 because I would beat everything else, and it would drive them crazy. So, dolled up Beetles, sort of yes to me. Every time I drive a Porsche it just reminds me of the feel and sound of my old bug.
$300,000???? No eff’n way.
I’d rather spend $60,000 on a 2019 Corvette base model, pocket the 240k I saved and enjoy a car that’s 10x the car that this is. 300k for a glorified Beetle is ludicrous.
Give it a break. Your whining about snooty rich people is old and tiresome.
Steve R
You have obviously missed the boat entirely on collector quality cars VS pocketing cash and cheap driver Vettes!
It’s ok…..
Well Paul you can wait a year and buy that Corvette for 30K. Not so with Porsche. A 65 SC Porsche could be bought for $2400. Today add two 0.
The jack receptacles tell the story. If they are as solid as they look in the picture this car has escaped the rust monster. Haven’t seen a find in this good condition in a long time. And yes, I wish I had at least one of the two of these we’ve owned back.
The bidding stands right now at $200,000. I did a triple take to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.
$200K ???
I bet he;s a politico with NO smarts..
I don’t think the “politico”, former bankrupt hotel builder/owner I have in mind would fit in that car. :)
The bidding is a little suspect as most of the bidders have very few transaction but two.
That said, its pretty sweet and for another 100 grand someone can buy it. But why?
An open top car would be a bad place to dodge sniper fire or safely hide a secret server and the seats are way to narrow for “her”.
BIN $300K…for essentially a chopped VW…lol
In 1983, I was storing my ’39 Pontiac coupe for the winter in a barn outside of Germantown, Wisconsin. Sharing the barn was a 356 Speedster, and in the spring, we were taking the cars out on the same Saturday. I asked about the Speedster and the owner offered it to me for $1500. I looked it over and saw that he had replaced the floorboards with plywood. I chuckled to myself and said no thanks. Somebody kick me HARD!
I say leave the real ones for collectors and buy a nice replica for 20% of the starting bid. These days there are loads of awesome imitations of great cars that are a fraction of the cost and won’t make you worried sick about driving them. I’d actually prefer a Subaru powered Coupe replica from JPS. Fast, simple, and easy to maintain while maintaining the vintage charm.
Yes! That is the hobby, driving, enjoyment, being carefree, not looking at a spread sheet.
Somebody call Jerry Seinfeld!
If Jay Leno hasn’t found one this clean I’d bet he’d give them a “Come to reality” wake up and buy it himself
my 356 conv d is the next best thing to a speedster….. i got it in 1977 and thank the god in heaven i still have it after all the crap the lefties dropped on me…..i don’t care if my car is worth 1000 dol or 1 mil…. the pleasure is …. priceless
In 1968 My friend and I were shipping out for Viet Nam. My buddy’s dad had recently passed away and left John his car. John said he would like to get some money selling the car and we had a couple of weeks, so would I paint it, so it might sell faster and maybe at a higher price. I said sure, didn’t really have anything better to do. The car was a little rough so I filled it with about a gallon of bondo and shot it silver metalic. It worked it sold right away for $1,200 bucks. Oh yeah, it was a 1957 Porsche Speedster. It is now easily the most expensive car I ever painted!
The difference between a collector car and a driver is the 300 thousand dollar question.
robert w johnston… Welcome to my club. Sold my “D” race car and miss it to this day.
Like a good dog, Bob, they give us good memories but are always gone too soon..
My computer prof drove one of these to school back in the 70’s, and told me he had just bought it with a parts car for $1,000. About a month later I saw he was driving something else, and he told me he got tired of keeping the revs up over 4,000 in town (and getting tickets) that he sold both cars for $1,500. Turned out the driver was a Carrera with a roller crank engine…
bob hess……….back in the late 80s i found another conv d that my bud here in Ontario bought and restored….. he sold it into California where it ended up being restored again to over ninety points…. it sold on BAT this spring for around a quarter mil…….. i know he wishes he kept it too!!!
I guess im one of the some people, here is how i save 299k, get a beelte a couple buckets a chickin an something to wash it down, get a new blade for my sawzall, walaa done
200K for a car that looks like a dodgem car with a VW engine. Ummmmm NO
This car went for over $300K
https://barnfinds.com/stored-35-years-1958-porsche-356-a-1600-super-speedster/
This week in boca raton , florida is the porsche parade , You will see some of the best cars , that porsche has to offer … Their is nothing like a porsche , Especially A 1959 356 A cabriolet … Wherever mine wound up , I hope it is their … Black with red interior … Woody …
In spite of the haters and ignorant people $300k will end being a bargain in the not too distant future. jealous here.
Ended: Jul 21, 2019 , 3:29PM
Current bid:US $200,000.00
Reserve not met
[ 15 bids ]
Price:US $299,795.00
Relisted now for a BIN of $299,695.
LOL! There is your new ragtop Dennis! Take care bud!
For all those who see these as VW’s, have you ever looked under a Corvette? Big pushrod V8 engine technology invented in 1930, otherwise 1920’s transverse spring suspension, solid axle, both being used until C6.
The Dude is firm. Relisted again. Time left: Time left: 29d 21h 9/19, 4:45PM
Price:US $293,995.00 Buy It Now –
Immediate payment of US $500.00 is required. Cool rig. I could come up with the $500 bucks. To bad that is not the BIN.