Despite seemingly years of unrelenting desirability among collectors, the Porsche 356 is still not showing signs of slowing down – for the right cars. Take this 1959 convertible, for example. As an early, drop-top car with the rare factory hardtop, the $60,000 asking price (with no option to submit a best offer) doesn’t surprise me one bit. Under 500 cabriolets were built in 1959, making this one quite special indeed. Find it here on eBay and located near Hoboken, New Jersey.
With the hardtop in place, the 356 closely resembles one of the ultra-rare notchback coupes that rarely come up for sale. The hardtop alone is worth several thousand dollars, a rare accessory that will get nods of approval (and some looks of envy) at any Porsche gathering. The car comes with multiple boxes and piles of spare parts that are, sadly, not documented in a particularly useful manner. The body is tired and the floors are rotten; door fitment is also haphazard, based on this picture.
A restored example of the same car sold three years ago at Sotheby’s for over $200,000. That number likely seems a relative bargain to some collectors who wish they had gotten in earlier, as now the prices are likely high enough that there’s little wiggle room in the price to carve out any profits once a car like this is restored. Still, if values for the right cars keep climbing, this soft-top 356 will likely still be a decent investment – especially since it remains numbers-matching.
In terms of assigning value, the collection of spares may have an overall positive impact if the items are in good, usable condition and there ends up being more than the next owner bargained for (in a good way). Right here we can see two very decent bucket seats and extra body panels. Then again, the extra parts could just be what was stripped off the car and now in questionable condition. There’s likely to be a lot of interest in this rare early 356A Cabriolet, truly one of the special “bathtub” Porsches.
60k? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice looking Karman VW .. kidding … I conquer with 60 grand for this ..I guess it’s the eye of beholder and wish them luck on the sale as with the cra cra pricing more will drag out of chicken coupes and barns etc.
People in Hell want ice water too..
Funny how some will actually get that damn ice water!
Someone thought it was worth the money, it sold a few hours ago.
Steve R
Yup!
It’s true. There’s a sucker born every minute.
Hmmmmmmmmm, I just wonder who that buyer just might be? LMAO!
Hardtop Cabriolet? No wonder the asking is $60K. Never knew such a creature existed!
As I’ve said before,when busted 356s
show up on BF:Nothing would make me happier than to be of the budget to buy one of these sacred cows…and restomod it almost beyond recognition in detailed You Tube episodes . Right down to the flat six powerplant stuffed into the engine bay. Oh…the delicious death threats.
60K isn’t what it used to be. It is what a decent pickup costs. Cabriolets are cruisers, commonly with normal engines. The Roadsters are the hot deals….this car will find a home. I had a couple of those factory hardtops in the corner of my shop in Germany that no one wanted…….off course, that was 40 years ago. 59 was a transitional time for Porsche, the year of the Convertible D and the year they built a brand new more automated factory stoping production for a period while they got the new one going. These will be the cars that you young guys will talk about as old men saying you could have bought one for 60K.
There are a lot of cars we all can say coulda, woulda, shoulda…for me, a 1970 Vitamin C, AAR Cuda for $5,000 from the original owner/machine shop owner that rebuilt the engine himself. Car went to a collector. $60k may not be what it used to be, but how long does it take you to earn $60k? Then how much are you going to have to sink into this before it is somewhat respectable and road worthy again. This car isn’t a barn find, it is a rich mans tax write off in the works.
There is so much money in circulation now that 60K is pocket change for many people. My kids own homes valued at 1.5 mil in there mid 30’s. One made 450,000 selling his last one after owning it for 3 years. Neither of them graduated high school or are high rollers, one is a contractor. He works for people that think nothing of dropping 500,000 on a remodel a deck or patio that in reality, adds little to the value of the home. I too have a difficult time getting my head around it……but we know those people and they are nowhere near the 1% that we hear about. In my wife’s engineering practice she has many clients that cost is the last concern. One is a serious collector that spent probably 500K on 3 garages on his property just to store his toys, the county wouldn’t let him build a building large enough to house all of them. He and his cars fly all over the world to participate in rallies. We are more affluent than any time in history. That is what supports markets for items perceived desirable and rare. My gun collection has gone through the same transisition as have my airplanes and real estate. Labor has also gone crazy, in both my and my brother’s shop we are at 110.00 per hr and numbers frequently come in higher than that.
Mr Wright, what kind of person allows their kids to not even graduate from high school? Sounds to me that they are headed for a fall, a big fall.. My guess, they are leveraged way too far and it only takes one banker to blow down that house of cards. Attitude may be everything to some people, but means nothing when life slaps you on the back of the head. All of these big spenders you speak of, where do they get all that dough? Ya know, money has to come from somewhere, and somewhere out there average people are making less then they once did so some people can drop 200K on a 59 year old toy. To me, that screams immorality, but maybe that is just me. Time for the rich status seekers to get out of our hobby and leave us alone, so we can enjoy it again.
A “tax write off” How so? Used as a tax deferred retirement object, or as a “business expense”? No one is policing the monied types these days, so who really knows?
My step kids both own there ranches outright……as well as numerous rental properties. The only way these could be written off is if you are building them as a business to sell. My wife’s clients come from all walks of life…..the fellow with the great collector cars owns an Italian sausage company, many are in the technical or medical world, the average home in SFO is something like a million dollars today. These kids have small acreage ranches in the east bay. I am sorry that your life has been so unproductive that you can’t compete with common Bay Area or other affluent area households. One of those sons spends 50,000 a year supporting his 10 year old son’s motocross racing, the other spends 20K or so. As I said, both are in there early to mid 30’s. A good size wheat farmer here in Idaho will make 1 Million dollars in a good year. My neighbor cattle rancher did that 3 years ago when beef was high. My brother that owns my dad’s Old shop is building a new 1millon dollar house with cash on a rural 20 acre view property. He has 14 full time employees, he also has a GED. My other brother has been in the tech world since before the huge growth started. He actually sold Jobs and Wozniak the parts to build there first computers. He rarely has been an employee and has a 20,000 sq ft warehouse in the South Bay full of classic Alfa’s, BMW motorcycles and Lotuses along with an estate near Carmel. I don’t remember if he graduated from High school or not. Money is not difficult to make and keep in our society if you avoid well known pitfalls and apply yourself. I have the most education of all these people and am quite comfortable but not at there level.
Mr Wright, in other words, be born well. Am I correct here? Start on third base, tell the world you hit a triple, and are heading for home. Very popular today, esp in the top reaches of government if you understand my drift..but enough of this, lets get back to bashing over priced bugs. This is a car sight, right?
No…….the moral is to be ambitious and smart……..just like it always has been in human existence.
Mr Wright, you mean to be ambitious and smart, but also inherit Daddy’s shop? You can be smart and also get an unfair head start advantage, then preach about hard work to everyone else. Again, lots of that going on today.
My brother bought out my dad’s 2 partners for cash he made building large high dollar aquariums, working 18 hrs a day many times, then he bought out my dad’s share with money he made after working at the shop all day. He took a 4 person shop in a rented building to a 14 person shop owning several buildings, became national secretary of the ASA, regional President and travels the country advising small shops on how to be more efficient and profitable. Then supported my folks in there retirement. My folks died a couple of years ago and left a modest inheritance but we were all self made many decades before that. You have a very unhealthy squed perception of the world. Opportunities are available for everyone in this country. I knew Alex Spanos, one of the wealthiest men in the country. He had very little education when he started selling sandwiches to field workers in the Central Valley of California. That was in 1951. He died last month with a net worth of 3 or so Billion. This was a humble man that never knew a day off or any class distinction other than you had to be a hard worker. He was interested in who you were and what you did. Never asked anyone for anything. I have met many people like him, some I had no idea who they were until someone told me, we met doing Horses,boats cars, or something outside there busisness world. They all shared the same ethic of hard work, optimism and forward thinking. It works every time it is tried.
@Poncho, about the same amount of time it took to earn $5,000 in the 70’s.
I know there are a lot of “nay-Sayers” on this site when it comes to these early bathtub relics…And I agree that this is a very niche sub-culture. However, as the saying goes to “each his own.” Being a longtime vintage aircoled collector, driver and restorer I can personally tell you that the excitement that comes with finding any remaining units never fails to keep the adrenaline flowing. Wether it’s these early Porsches, Volkswagens or the eastern block Tatra’s, having one resurface from time to time also helps fuel the desire to keep the hobby alive. I do agree as do some of my fellow vintage enthusiasts, that in more than a few instances “stupid money” is being asked for projects that most certainly do not warrant it. Fortunately, in most cases, if you are a serious buyer and take the time to meet the seller through private appointment, one can negotiate a price that will work for both parties. Having previously been educated in an aviation structural fabrication background helps me when looking at the overall condition and feasability for a potential project. I am currently resurrecting a very unique 1950 Tempo Matador truck that I purchased out of Uruguay several years ago. Talk about odd-ball projects: German built, only 1,326 ever produced, very few surviving today, exported to Ausralia and South America exclusively, front wheel drive 25hp VW (1192 cc) aircooled engine/ with crash box 4spd. transmission. Again, not for the faint-of-heart…I thrive on the challenge to make them road worthy again…
I agree, stupid (spent) money……
The $60,000 ask is about right, I sold a 59 Cab last Spring for $55,000, hard top and soft top, new floors, fairly complete car. Now the writer saying the hardtop alone is worth thousands, I wish that were true, I have one in about every color, they are slow sellers.
The hardtop collection.
Adam, as I remember, the hardtops had serial numbers but did not corrrespond to the chassis number. They could be purchased and installed by a dealer at any time. They are wonderful if driving in poor weather giving much better rear visibility than a convertible top but who drives these cars in bad weather any more?
Dave, correct, they are basically obsolete.
Sold! $60,000.
Cool car. Too rich for my blood.
Gosh, a crummy GTX and even crummier glorified bug to pick on the same night. I have much to be thankful for tomorrow.
Troll.
Steve R
I’m agreeing with Billy007, he’s gets it. Too much money for junk!
Man, you just need to drive one to realize they ain’t all that. Sure they are cute as a bug is but that is it. I had a few over the years before they became “desirable” but the charm was exactly the same feeling as cruising my 1956 convertible big.
I want to know more about the Corvair in the background. Since I drive my collector cars regularly, that one is more interesting to me. I wouldn’t want to leave a $200k car in the grocery store parking lot.
I like this cabriolet. Looks like an interesting and challenging project. As for the value, you just have to look at recent transactions to know what the market will bear. We can rail against it all we want in our anonymous online posts, but that won’t change a thing. The value is set by people willing to open up their checkbooks and actually make a purchase.
– John
To all the naysayers! These cars sell for 200 to $300,000 good condition! These are fabulous cars I would give my family jewels literally to own one of these!
To those that don’t get $60k…I’ll pose a question in “American” terms.
Why would anyone pay more for a basket case 1966 Shelby Mustang GT350 that is missing the drive train then they would pay for a nice running original 1966 standard “A” code fastback?
They are “better” than a VW beetle because they have better (bigger) brakes. And a little better performance with stock engine (What cannot be done to a VW engine these days?) However..to drive one? You’d be hard pressed to REALLY say it is a better car than something like a Karmann Ghia which, in itself, ain’t much of a CAR. It has been said that Porsche people are not CAR people, they are just PORSCHE people. All you have to say is “It’s a PORSCHE” and they melt.
It is all about being special. About being “smarter” because YOU understand what a PORSCHE is all about. Understand that I have owned and driven and worked on (and worked on and worked on and…) these cars and I don’t HATE the car. Smooth torsion bar ride. Those good brakes. Torquey engine. and when the car accelerates briskly you feel like you’re getting away with something due to the size of the engine. But 60K for a rusted one? Ahh…Ummm..Well…No.
IF it said “Buick” or “Sunbeam” on it, it would be seen as a hunk of unusable junk. It is a Porsche which gives the new owner something to talk about while holding his brandy snifter and playing the game of one-upmanship with his fellow Porsche owners. It’s not a car, it’s a FANTASY.
If I was unable to sell it to get something I really wanted, I wouldn’t take a restored one for FREE. I have better things to do with my time. Fun car but not 200,000K fun…..
Yep, you speak truth. We have a class of people who feel superior over ordinary people. Then we have people who get rich catering to the people with bottomless pockets. I have nothing against people who work hard and do well, but there is something deeply disturbing when you make money providing fantasies for the ultra wealthy who may or may not treated the people who worked for them respectfully and fairly. We all can’t be like the Wrights. Yes, they sound to be hard working and successful, good for them, I wish them all the happiness in the world, but does anyone feel that EVERY person in the world could be an entrepreneur? If everyone in the world would “kill something and drag it home” as Dave Ramsey says, then who would do the actual work? If everyone did this, who would be the customers? Capitalism has a tipping point. Plus, lets face it, not everyone has had the smarts, the drive, the work ethic, or the good example to follow as the Wrights , yet those people deserve a fair shot at a decent life too. There has to be a compromise here, yet the people with the means, get smug and do not wish to discuss it, but that rarely works out well in the long run, remember the French Revolution? BTW, if it were me, I would fix up an old bug to superior performance and go Porsche hunting near the local country club.
For another perspective, my ex would drive into the local fairly up-scale town. She would sometimes run in with my Land Rover station wagon and other times my buddy’s guards red 76 912E which had gotten the “930” look conversion with the whale tail and wide fenders etc. She commented that in both cases people looked…With the Rover they smiled and waved but with the Porsche they just stared and gave her dirty looks. The few times she took a 356 people wouldn’t even seem to notice and, if they did, the questions were “What IS that?” or “Is that some kind of a bug?”
For 60 grand “plus paint”…Wow….
I have been watching the posts going on back and forth and such, all I can say is WOW! I should pull the trigger on this one have it restored and show you young puppies how to make some doe! And we ain’t talkin about a bucks mate either! This guy knows what he has, he has done his homework tho! He is pretty much inline with what the final cost will tally when done! Done smartly and correctly there is a good profit here to be made! Especially if after restore you put it away and just watch what these will be going for in 10 years! And just because some of us enjoy the status symbol of driving a nice car! Doesn’t mean that we stepped on anyone else to own what we own! This is America, you get what you get by working nights and days to reach a goal that some set for themselves to reach so they can enjoy their sweat and profits later! Some have easy come easy go attitudes! Those are the people who envy what others have! Have a great Thanksgiving! JMHO, by the way!
Kinda like what Tom Seleck is pitching on those Home Equity commercials….something like 3 trillion seniors have tied up in their homes….dang it….
I am very much with Steve in the last two comments.
The different design and tech of the Early Porsches was significant.
In Feb ’65 I paid $1935.50 for a Bermuda Blue V W with the only options being a rear view mirror and seat belts (about $25.-$35.).
A yellow Porsche S C Roadster was over $5K. At 20 years old, about to get married, it was way beyond reach>>>