We’ve come across an incredible number of Porsche 356 barn finds over the years and while they are interesting car, I don’t really get all that excited by them. There is however one body style that does get my blood pumping and that’s the Speedster. These cars are quite rare and given their current values, they are clearly highly sought after. This ’57 Super 1600 Speedster was passed down to the seller from their father, who was its second owner. Their father was a doctor in New Jersey and was a major 356 fan. The car has been parked in the family barn since 1998, but is now running and nearly ready to be driven. This incredible find can be found here on eBay in Freehold, New Jersey with an astonishing current bid of $150,000!
The seller states that engine is running, but admits the car needs brake work before it will be safe to drive. It also has some rust issues that need to be addressed, of course that isn’t particularly surprising given how many rusty 356s we have seen.
Unlike modern cars, which add more technology and power to go faster, the Speedster was stripped down to go faster. In 1957, reducing weight was really the easiest way to make an air cooled car go faster. Stripping the car down worked great and made the Speedster very popular with amateur racers around the globe. Their success and insane values have created an entire industry dedicated to building replica Speedsters. While a replica would be cheaper, it just wouldn’t be the same as having the real deal!
It’s a bit sad that this family is selling this Speedster, especially given that the seller’s father passed away shortly after they were born. Their father apparently had a large collection of 356s prior to passing away and this is the last car to go. Given how valuable these cars are these days, I don’t really blame them for cashing in before the bubble bursts, but it would be hard for me to let go of something with history like this. Of course, given that nice examples are trading hands for well over $1 million right now, I would be tempted to do the same.
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I like it! (For obvious reasons)
About $100,000 only 10 years ago for a complete “done” car.
I’m the third owner of a 57 normal in slightly better original condition, fully sorted mechanically. I’m sure glad I bought mine years ago, because they are out of my league now. I’ll be curious to see where this ends up. It won’t stay at a buck and a half for long. Especially for a Super. I’ll guess $300k. The gas tank appears to be a standard tank. Bubble or not these are great drivers.
This is another Speedster that Jerry Seinfeld would love to own. It’s got the right story and just enough rust and bad paint to be convincingly original, which for him matters more than anything else.
Problem is, he just got through selling off a large chunk of his vintage Porsche collection at a high end auction, and people think that’s because there’s a sense that prices have maxed out and are pulling back. The current issue of SCM reports a lot of ‘No-Sales’ at high end auctions, and a lot of talk about “the current state of the market”, which is code for “Be Careful Out There, Prices Are Pulling Back”.
So maybe this Speedster will be a good Ebay buy, but at $150K with the reserve not met, and a nice story but no documentation offered, maybe it would be good to Be Careful Out There, Prices Are Pulling Back.
Good cars will always pull good money. Lately, there’s are a lot of tarted up junk that’s made it’s way to the auction circuit for the quick buck. Those are the ones getting the pass. Fortunately there’s a lot of good information available from registry’s and books for a buyer to educate up before plunking down a fistful of Franklins. Maybe the market has cooled on P cars or maybe it’s become more educated and discerning.
$22 Million dollars to Mr. Seinfeld and now he has room for more cars.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/g6586/here-are-all-16-of-the-amazing-porsches-jerry-seinfeld-has-up-for-auction/
A friend recently sold his for over 300K. When it was parked in my garage, the value of my house nearly doubled…
Great cars would love to own one. But I drove a very nice fake one and its just like an old vw with all the squeaks, rattles and flexes like a flexible flyer sled. I guess that’s part of the charm.
boxdin,
The squeeks, rattles, air-cooled noises, and the rest of the Porsche experience aren’t limited to the fakes. They’re in the originals too, which shows just how accurate the fakes are I guess.
I test drove a bunch of 911 SCs and Carreras, and the odd sounds, the quirky gearbox, the crashing over small bumps, the lazy acceleration, etc, are present in those too. Based on that I decided to leave both both the real ones and the fakes to the fans that like those features.
I guess the downside is that I didn’t buy one when they were cheap, so I can’t sell it now that they are expensive. The upside is that I have actually enjoyed driving the cars that I do own.
These is no comparison between a real one and a phony.
Agreed, Dave! We’ve got a real one (albeit a sunroof coupe), and there are no squeaks or rattles. The car is 52 years young.
And no comparison btwn a roadster and a coupe.
So can a new Fiat………so, what’s your point? If you were doing a movie and only cared about looks……that makes sense. Otherwise all you have is a VW with a plastic body.
Didn’t Nick Nolte or Eddie Murphy drive one of these in the movie 48 hours?
Just waiting for my Corvair to take off in value. It has rust too.
When a local guy in Maryland, a professional engineer, was unable to afford a real one, he bought one of the kits. But that’s when the story gets a bit more interesting. He decided to build this car as if it was an unrestored Speedster. He sought old Speedster & Porsche trim parts from PCA members restoring original cars, a worn interior set & carpets, a worn [but still usable] folding top, pitted chrome trim emblems, bumpers, etc. He painted the car to resemble a faded red color, as if it had not been touched in 40 years. This car really does look like an unrestored Speedster, and uses original parts that otherwise would have been thrown out.
He had me fooled until I opened the door and saw the joint between the fiberglass body and the original steel VW chassis. It should be noted that he has never tried to pass the car off as an original Speedster.
Interesting story, Bill. Do you have any photos of the vehicle?
Peter — At the time I didn’t think to take photos, once I realized it was not a real Speedster. It’s a local car in my girlfriend’s neighborhood, if I do see it I will get pics this time.
Better inspect in person check bondo lifting in door jamb. no engine pic’s?