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Delightful Driver: 1960 Porsche 356

1960 Porsche 356

If the rusty tub we featured yesterday looked like a little too much work, then may we suggest this 356 instead? It’s not perfect, but it appears to be a nice driver that could be enjoyed right away. There are still some things that need attention, but that’s part of the fun. You will just have to ask yourself which one makes more sense financially. The other car is cheaper, but will cost more in the long run. This one is more, but is complete and drivable right now. It’s located in Chicago, Illinois and is listed here on eBay for $58,500 or best offer.

Drivers Seat

Well, you might want to do something with that seat before doing any driving. Not sure what happened there, but everything else looks good. The door panels have been recovered and the carpet is original.

Engine Room

This 356B came standard with the 1600 flat-four. The earlier car’s base engine was the 1300 so this was a nice upgrade that improved drivability and fun factor.

Single Grill

This one has suffered a color change, but it does looks pretty good in the photos. There’s some damage that needs fixed, but the paint is a factory color so it should be fixable without a full respray. Oh, who am I kidding? If you have the money to buy this car, you can probably afford to have it professionally repaired. Just dont go too fancy or you’ll be afraid to drive it!

Comments

  1. Avatar DirtyHarry

    The world has gone mad. I could buy a new Mustang, a nice classic, take a cruise and still have money left over or I could buy this “Fadmobile.” If you want to lose money in the future, buy this.

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    • Avatar Jesse Staff

      I don’t think this is a fad DirtyHarry. People are buying these as investments and there’s no sign that the 356 market is going to crash anytime soon.

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      • Avatar David C

        I agree Jesse. If we had only known back when, I had so many opportunities to pick up a used Porsche for a fraction of today’s pricing. I remember when it was routine to run across 912’s for 4 to 5000 in great condition. But that is true with so many classic’s. I do have some great memories as I’m sure many of the readers do also of having owned quite a few great cars for a while before they were collectible. Who knew?

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      • Avatar Dave Wright

        A lot more fun than watching your money in the stock market and a better investment in the last years. I prefer buying cars without fresh paint and that sort of thing. It covers sins that show up later. I prefer a poor looking honest car that you know what you getting into without the extra expense of the lipstick.

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    • Avatar Yellowjax Member

      To each his own. No need to belittle someone else’s “dream car”. Not top of my list, but I would like to drive it around for a few weeks.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar RayT

    Call me a cynic, but after seeing that driver’s seat, I’d be looking carefully for signs of repaired collision damage under all that Shiny Stuff. I’ve never seen one look like that unless the car it was in suffered a pretty hard hit.

    Otherwise, this seems a pretty good deal (well, it’s WAY too expensive, but that’s no surprise for any 356), though I suspect the bid will rise considerably before it goes.

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    • Avatar paul

      Ray I ve always though a larger driver might have srtetched the seat like that?
      In my original 64 Impala is back a couple inched on top!

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      • Avatar RayT

        Could anyone heavy enough to bend that frame even get through the door?

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      • Avatar Dave Wright

        One of the reasons I owned so many 356’s is because they have plenty of room in the interior. I am 6’2″ and can push the seat back so far I can’t reach the pedals. I have to crawl into most British cars……with a couple of exceptions…..

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      • Avatar Lee G

        Paul, a heavy settin’ driver would without a doubt break the frame in a seat. Any seat! I took a seat pad from a semi I owned into a friend’s upholstery shop to have a seam stitched and repaired. Right away the upholstery guy pulled his cart full of welding gear out from under his work table. He said, “Your seat is broken!” I didn’t believe him. He pulled the upholstery off the seat and showed me where the bear sh%t in th buckwheat ! I’m not a big driver but some one with a large frame could twist that seat up over time just over the course of regular drives.

        Like 0
    • Avatar MG'zer

      After see the picture of the scratch in the bondo and the crack in the thick bondo, I’ll agree about the hard hit

      Like 0
  3. Avatar Gbauer

    That’s as much coin as my 1968 Camaro (show winning car) AND my loaded 2014 Mustang GT COMBINED!

    ….but I still would kick it out of my garage…

    Nice car despite the seat.

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Fred W.

    Looks like the seat frame broke in half inside the cover. I’ve seen VW frames do that from constant flexing from use. Most likely an easy fix – just replace the seat back frame.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Dolphin Member

    Fred’s right, it’s just an internal seat frame break. But it does raise the question why a knowledgeable seller wouldn’t do the fix for that before listing it for sale.

    I would run a magnet in a handkerchief all over this body because it’s obvious there’s lots of filler in front of the left rear wheel. Where else? In a ~ 60 year old sportscar body with visible filler you have to go in expecting to find more. If you don’t that’s a surprise to the upside.

    And that ugly orange peel in the dash paint? Did I mention that the repainted dash is ugly?

    This is a way to maybe get a useable driver if you don’t mind visible filler and a resale red repaint. But the asking is just under $60K for a base 60 HP coupe with needs. The SCM Guide says the median recent auction price paid for these has been $69K, and I doubt those cars had the needs that this car has. I would be very cautious here because you can’t make this into a #2 condition car that will sell at auction for that median $69K price for the ~ $10K difference, especially since the vintage street Porsche market seems to have leveled off.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar jumpinjimmy

    Having owned a few of these already, my opinion is that they are beautiful but hugely overrated and certainly not worth the money. If it hasn’t had the big bore kit, it’s not even fun to drive. I could think of so many other cars I’d rather buy than this little cutie. Only chumps are spending this kind of dough on a rough 356.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Bob Hess

    Seat frames left the factory with bare metal inside the tubes. Not surprised one that old broke. Was fixing those in the ’80s so by now most of them should be just about to crash. I agree that a big guy diving in or out of one of these could take the seat back with him/her, whatever.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar TBAU Member

    I think that the 356 has one of the most beautiful shapes in the automotive world…

    Like 0
  9. Avatar billy de Hulst

    I gave up on 356 Porsches after my Super 90 T5 Notchback set itself on fire in the desert near Mojave, California. It left about 20 pounds of melted, factory lead filler on the sand

    Before the Notchback I had a 1955 Pre A Speedster, which may have been the first 356 to leave the factory with a 1600 engine. It was the best percentage investment I ever made. Cost me $1,200 and sold it after 27 years of ownership for enough to pay off my not insubstantial mortgage. Lack of a mortgage payment set me up to run a Formula Ford in Vintage Racing. If it rained, I was soaking wet but on the podium.

    I see a bubble popping in the Porsche market fairly soon. Just the way other car prices were dragged up by the incredible bump in Porsche prices, I think other car prices will be dragged down.

    I don’t think you will be able to buy an original Shelby Cobra for pocket change, but the less popular cars may drop to the point that we paupers could afford something like an Alfa GTV or an Austin Healey 3000. Or am I just dreaming?

    Like 0

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