This 1962 Porsche 356 has a few different storylines to its credit, beyond just being a barn find specimen. For one, it’s a very pretty color that we don’t often see: Smyrna Green, which is an absolute treat for the eyes if you care to Google it. The 356 is also a numbers-matching example, which is extremely hard to find these days among project-grade 356s. The other interesting anecdote in its history file is that it was apparently featured on American Pickers in “as found” condition, and they were able to get it fired up on the show. Check out this rusty coupe here on eBay where bidding has reached $15,300 with the reserve unmet.
The seller is quick to point out that the license plate is not included with the sale; hell, I bet that vanity plate has a street value near to what the 356 is currently bid at! The body rust is significant; there’s no getting around that. This 356 has seen some hard times in its life, and frankly, it’s amazing how much of the car is still holding together at the moment. The seller reports that it was sold new in New Jersey and that’s about all we get for history. Of course, if it remained in the tri-state area, that could explain the prodigious amount of rot we see here. Amazingly, the floors are more or less intact, and apparently require far less repair work than the body.
Man, can you just imagine how pretty this 356 was when new? That color green – which you can still see on the dash – paired with a tan leather interior is simply stunning. The fantasy keeps rolling for me, with a pair of matching tan luggage strapped to a rack on the engine cover, and perhaps some period ski racks on the roof to bring the four-season look full circle. After all, this 356 had to have been used in all sorts of conditions for it to end up like this; I wonder if whoever discovered the car also found a set of snow tires in the garage. The dash is surprisingly clean and intact compared to the rest of the car.
The fact that the 356 remains a runner and numbers-matching is pretty compelling. You just don’t see them pop up all that often with both of those attributes intact. The seller is up front about the fact that even as a runner, this 356 will need a fair amount of work to become roadworthy (it’s a sad commentary on our public school system that such a disclaimer must be made.) Can the body be saved? I suppose yes, with many man-hours of metalwork, it can be. I believe cars like this are rescued because of the rare combination of features and pedigree, so the color, combined with the numbers-matching drivetrain, make a compelling argument for its pending revival.
Well,at least the trunk lid doesn’t look too bad,& it
appears to have “numbers matching” rust.
I wonder if it was aluminum?
Whoever owns this thing sure doesn’t know right side up when it comes to pictures. Car’s bad enough without bad picture alignment. Rough car.
Ya when I saw the picture here of the engine with the horizontal carbs & distributor I thought this must be a special engine?
Horizontal carbs? Just single barrels think those are zeniths
Again, proof positive, at one time, I suspect when it first showed signs of rust, say 1967, it became a beater, and someone drove it like one. I remember, a bathtub Porsche was almost a joke( still is to me), an expensive VW to most and many adorned the back row right next to that Rambler American. Hmm, the Rambler for $100 bucks, WITH HEAT,, or the Porsche for $150 and no heat. Most went with the Rambler, yet some, for whatever reason, like here, were stuck with this car and it had to do, hence the condition. People aren’t that stupid, if they had a shred of knowledge this car would be worth 6 figures someday, they never would have trashed it in the 1st place. All this shows, is the hype a TV show can create for some. I just don’t get it.
Don’t know about proversion of Capitalism but the folks on American Pickers have a long history of paying way too much for the cars they buy.
Did you mean ‘perversion’?
My father had a 356A, I learned to drive in that car. I must say, it spoiled me for the string of beaters I owned and operated in the ensuing fifteen or so years.
https://ibb.co/XCr2sJ9
That’s a ‘six-figure car’ that’s six figures in the hole.
I continually council people who have starry eyes about cars like this: Go to an exclusive car show, find the exact car you want and start laying $1000 bills on the hood until the owner says ‘that’s enough’. Take the keys and know you got a heck of a deal…. because restoring this POS will end up costing more than it will ever be worth.
Marcel,
I did something similar. I had an extremely wealthy overseas car collector as a client. One night he calls me and proclaims he wants a 1950s Dodge Power Wagon with winch. My client always wanted the best possible example of a vehicle. Money was not a concern, and my client knew I would not overcharge him for my services.
So I flew out to the Power Wagon Club national meet. Found the best one there [the truck had just won 1st place and already had an AACA Senior award], and began the discussion of what it would take to buy the car. I kept upping the offer by $5k increments, each time the guy said ‘No sale”, until his wife finally said “Sold!”. He gave her an evil look, and they both walked away to discuss what to do.
I had it shipped to my shop in Maryland, prepared it for shipping and loaded it into a shipping container, then shipped it half-way around the world. My client let me know he was very, very happy.
The moral of the story: If you want the best, have the money, and are not a restorer, buy the best you can find.
I don’t care for these. A Porsche enthusiast can have at it. Porsche people are a strange bunch anyway. They’re in between rich and poor, so wouldn’t send this car to Porsche to get restored (like a rich person would), and wouldn’t fix this car himself (like a poor person would). But they will pay large amounts of money to have work done that any average schmo could do in his own driveway.
I’m a life long Porsche enthusiast and do my own restorations but I wouldn’t touch this one even for $100.
Looks like a tea bag left in a cup of salt water. Remind me not to drive through new jersey
Just as Lexus = Toyota and
Acura = Honda,………
Porsche = VW.
A matter of economics, badging and the marketing of brands based on offering the addition of gadgets to vehicles with interchangable parts …..all targeted to certain demographics.
Among many, two that stand out are the 356/Beetle and the Cadillac Cimarron/Chevy Cavalier…..
Ah, there it is…..I knew someone just couldn’t resist the “Porsche is a VW” post. I guess your Corvette is just another Chevy? And that GT40 is just another Ford? Have you ever driven a Porsche? I owned a VW and I currently own a 911. Might I suggest you read the history of VW and Porsche.
By the way, I like the “patina” on this one! LOL
I’ve never understood the allure of a 356. A wimpy little air cooled engine and so-so looks. Small and out performed by many other makes. I’ve driven racing 356’s and show winners and they just leave me flat like an upscale vw. Pass.
A 911 RS from the early 70’s- now that is a real car, with great performance (still smells like a vw due to the seat stuffing and parts used) but at least it had balls. To each their own-
Fyi, My Porsche has the letters “VW” labeled and cast into more parts on the car than there are Porsche labels…
Don, you’re right of course. Porsche history is fascinating—even back to Ferdinand Porsche’s ‘mixed drive’ hunting car displayed at the 1900 Paris Auto Salon. Perhaps the first hybrid.
Ferry Porsche’s work with Cisitalia after WWII was intended to raise funds to buy his father’s way out of a French prison. It also resulted in the germination of a concept to incorporate standard sedan-type drivetrain into a sports-type car. Hence the first 356. The evolution from there is both intensely documented and legend by those who care to learn.
I once read that axle shafts coming off the assembly line were measured for run-out. Those less than .001” (in our measurements) became early Porsche axles. Those over .001” were used as period VW axles. The development continued with better parts, better metallurgy, better breathing, and mostly interchangeability with VW parts that looked the same but were SOOOO different.
No wonder a stock 356 could be had with twice the horsepower of a contemporary VW.
The 911 finally left the fraternal history mostly behind. Still, hard not to appreciate the heritage of a company whose racing budget doubles as their R&D and marketing budget.
I’ve been driving Porsches since the 70s. 356s, 911s, 912s, 914s, and now also a Cayman. My wife and I recently completed a ‘Porsche camping’ fall foliage tour in the Cayman. After 4600 miles I came home and jumped in my Dodge Cummins pickup which I truly love. It took at least 10 miles of driving to get past how crude and unrefined it is in comparison!
So Don, perhaps this monologue will help a few others understand our passion for these fancy Volkswagens. Just don’t try to hard to win them over. There are too many dollars chasing too few Porsches already!!!
Don’t take it personally, Don, remember, many folks don’t have the passion you may have, and generalizing is what they know best. I’m a stout Rambler fan, and the abuse I’ve taken over the years pales in comparison, I’ll take it to the end, Ramblers were good cars. While, yes, a Corvette IS a Chevy, but a GT40 is not something you associate with a Ford, as we know them. I’m not an expert on VWs, but I believe VW and Porsche went hand in hand, and Porsche created the VW for Hitler. We can’t go on the “have you ever driven one” thing, as most have not, and are going mostly by what their ignorant father told them. Porsches are very nice cars, only an idiot would disagree, but sadly, to many, having no interaction with one, they are just a fancy VW. That’s what dad always said, anyway.
For the record, a 911 is a FAN( pun intended) tastic car and has little, if anything in common with this.
Ah, there it is. The Porsche expert, explaining away why the 356 can get out run by your aunt’s Ford Falcon. But, you’ll “feel” better in the Porsche.
HowardA – that was a fantastic reply and I have read it twice. You’re absolutely right in your points.
BigC on the other hand, I don’t see where anyone said they were a Porsche expert. I was simply reacting to a phrase I get very tired of. Simple. Kinda like the Fiat Spider I owned for 30 years without a lick of trouble, but there was always “Fix It Again Tony”. As much as I love this site for the incredible history people here have for their particular cars and what they can teach you about them, there’s also plenty of people making ignorant statements about cars they know nothing about.
“You have the right to remain silent” – but alas, few people actually know how to.
Mr. Howard
If you want to debate what one thinks about these early Porsches thats fine…..but no mistake not everyone who you disagree with formed their opinion based on the teachings of an “ignorant father”.
Don’ t knock people you know.
My brother in law owned a beautiful later model 911 Turbo which was an absoulte road hugging beast.
But looking at a brand thru rose colored glasses doesnt change the fact that the early 356’s were nothing more than a re-tooled version of “The People’s” car.
Don’t laugh! This ugly duckling can come back to life.
Was looking at that engine picture thinking WTF engine is in that until I realized the picture is up-side down. 356 904 914 924 944 928 those are your winning Porsche lottery numbers.
The seller has it on his website “valued” at $30K. Ouch.
Well, I did Google it and see there’s a perfectly restored Smyrna Green ’63, with Super 90 engine to boot, for $79.5k available now. You would have to be an absolute miracle worker to restore this on top of the $22,650 it sold for for less than 100k. Realistically, I could see a top quality restoration hitting 150k, or more.
So makes no sense to me. I guess somebody wanted the challenge and money was no object.
I agree with Bick Banter, at the end of the day, with all things considered, it just doesn’t make sense.
Unless there is an extremely cavalier restorer of Porsche’s out there that excels in sheet metal bending, forming and welding, painting, trimming, engine rebuild/tuning, plating…..you get the picture…..
I admire Porsche’s extremely passionate fan base and following, and this one will take all of that love, passion and loyalty to bring it back to even a driver quality level.
Sure a lot of “I don’t get” or “price way too high” comments. You would think after decades of crazy prices and insane obsessions over a specific model or make, people would just fall into a not surprised attitude and just go with the flow. Kinda like my buddy is that’s pushing 70 and still gripes about “music today” and what was “real music”. Just let it go dude. It is was it is.
How could the owner of such a valuable car let it get to this point? I’m sure he noticed when the rust started as a little fleck. He proceeded to let the rust have it’s way with the sheetmetal. Dude needs checked out for mental illness.
I can’t say if this is a viable candidate for restoration, as I’ve seen people jack up a number plate and build a 356 underneath.
It’s a kind of devotion that just doesn’t make rational sense.
I’ve learned that you just don’t say some things to others.
Under no circumstances do you speak objective truth about another man’s car; (it’s hard life being used by many many reckless, pounding drivers, the obvious wrinkles and stretch marks of life’s hard passages, the worn-out and drooping parts)
or about his wife ( her past sordid reputation, her withered and day-worn appearance, how much more “settled” she’s become since the marriage or the competition between her chest and her knees when she stands or walks.)
These things must never be said.
If a man wishes to adorn either with his love, money time, and obedience, then that is his prerogative.
And all the better to keep him off the streets, poor and busy to leave more of what he doesn’t like for everyone else.
In this way, all may choose the object and manner of their own particular demise.