No matter how bad a car looks, you can’t always judge a book by its cover. Looking at this Porsche 356, one would think it was DOA – do not pass go – no way, no how. Turns out, it actually runs and drives, even after sitting for 44 years. The seller doesn’t provide a ton of detail, but it would seem this car was healthy enough before being parked that he was able to do a bit of recommissioning work to establish proof of life. This 1964 356C is listed here on craigslist and is the first year of the refreshed model following the retirement of the 356B.
Interestingly, I don’t see much in the way of massive corrosion on this 356, with traces of what could be original yellow paint still visible against some evidence of Bondo from prior collision repair and meaningless surface fact. The glass appears to be in good shape all around, and I’m curious if it’s still stamped with factory markings. The 356 does have that vibe of being a very original car, although the seller doesn’t note whether the drivetrain is still numbers-matching. It’s always a bonus to see factory hubcaps still present. If you believe the seller, he simply wired in an electric fuel pump and the car started to turn over.
More signs of sustained preservation continues inside the cabin, with an original rubber floor mat, color-matched painted dash, and factory steering wheel and gauges. The seats themselves don’t show any signs of righteous abuse, just the passage of time. The 356C offered buyers a number of upgrades over the B model, including disc brakes, independent suspension, pop-out rear windows, and a leatherette upholstery option, which this car appears to have. The interior, to me, is always an indication as to how a car was looked after, as total basketcase cars usually have trashed interiors.
When the 356 B was introduced, it came with a 1.6-liter, 95-horsepower engine that was the most standard horsepower offered in a 356 to date. The seller obviously isn’t too concerned with confirming numbers matching status, likely due to the car not being a particularly special models as 356s go. I would venture the value here is the seemingly solid condition and the fact that the seller has already confirmed it runs. The asking price is $56,000, which is where that logic falls down: to make that sort of ask, I believe the originality of the drivetrain should be verified. Regardless, this looks like a solid project that hasn’t been previously messed with.
The best of the 356 line. Owned a ’64 and a ’65 and drove them all over the country multiple times. Took the ’64 to Europe and drove it all over there. One note: The ‘Cs had the same suspension as the ‘Bs. They went totally independent front suspension with the 911 and their front to back individual torsion bars. The swing axles were replaced with the two universal joint per axle set up in the rear. If this car is solid it would be a great restoration candidate.
’64C out of the garage in Norway. Never saw snow. Great touring car.
HO-CHI-MAMA! $56,000, for this. Better have deep pockets to bring this back to life.
At the asking price, this proves the adage – always by the absolute best example you can afford. Good cars are available for much less than the cost to buy this and upgrade it.
My buddy bought a 64 back in 2000. It’s was in great shape. Not a show car, but a well cared for driver. Paid 15l Still has it. He also bought a decent 912 shortly after. Paid just under 10k.
Those days are gone….
The top end B had a 90 Horsepower..ie it was called Super 90. When the C came along it had the 75 horse and the SC was upped to 95.When Porsche brought out the 912 with basically the same motor they slightly detuned it to 90 horse again so it would not compete with the 200 pounds heavier 911 with a basic 110.If this is solid underneath ( why no shots?) it could be a decent deal..
Wouldn’t grandma’s 4 door ’67 nova with the 155hp 250 cube 6 cyl be faster at the stoplight drags?
Haha… you just described my first car, Joe! Had a 2-spd powerglide automatic. But nobody’s buying a 356 to go drag racing.
Correct, back when these were new, men bought them to pick up women. You could pull up to a bar (with windows) in a brand new high performance Chevy or Mopar and attract some bar girls, but the real lookers, the gold diggers, knew what Porsche meant. If you were looking to string along some trophy babe for a short time, flashing your wallet almost always worked. I knew a guy who was even more homely than me, but he had Jaguar, he rarely slept alone.
Nicely restored ones sell on BaT for around 60k (actually, they’re usually bid to around 60k but don’t meet the reserve). This is a 30k car at best. Even then, you’d have to be restoring it for personal pleasure because, even if you did all the work yourself, including painting, etc, you’d still have another 40k in the restoration for a car that’s only worth about 60k.
Missed the rear windows comment. All the 356s had opening rear windows.
Without undercarriage photos, such ads are almost worthless.
Without undercarriage photos, such ads are almost worthless.
You can say that again !
Never understood the allure of the 356. Ugly, little, over-engineered, and IMHO, overpriced cars. But as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.