1961 Porsche 356 Karmann Hardtop For Sale
This lovely blue Porsche comes to us from the state of Utah.
It is a fine example of one of Porsche's rarer coupes...the Karmann Hardtop or "Notchback"
A grand total of 1048 examples of this model were built in 1961 and
there are significantly less remaining in the world today.
At one point a registry was attempted that cataloged remaining examples
and of the early T5 models (including this one) they got up to 118 cars.
Certainly there are more than that out there, but the numbers are few.
The early models like this car in essence are a Cabriolet with a fixed roof.
I have personally stripped one of these cars down to the metal and have seen the leaded seams
where the top was affixed and it is for this reason that quite of a few of these have been "converted" to
a Cabriolet, which makes the remaining coupes even that much rarer.
While the emblem states that it is a Super 90 model, it was actually delivered with the normal 1600
with 75 horsepower and badged as a 1600S.
The Porsche Certificate of Authenticity spells out the original equipment.
The car remains in its original color of Aetna Blue, but the interior was originally delivered in black.
The Aetna Blue color is fantastic and with the red interior it is truly a stunning combination.
Parked in front of the majestic Utah mountains...it is even more gorgeous.
The car is very nice inside and out but is not a flawless concours level car.
This is a well sorted driver that has a few chips and age spots but is still
extremely presentable and pretty.
The restoration was done over 20 years ago and the car has been driven and enjoyed since.
The T 5 model with its narrower hood stopped after 1961 and the T 6 with the squared off hood came in for 62.
Both have that happy smile to the front end, but these earlier ones just a bit more-so.
The restoration as mentioned above is not fresh, in fact it was done back in the 90's.
It was a full restoration at the time, down to bare metal, all rust repair done with proper metal and
no bondo was used, it was all done in lead like they did at the factory in Germany.
In 2015 the current owner began a full drive train rebuild along with the restoration of the suspension and brakes.
The car has been driven less than 12,000 miles since this work was completed and mechanically is excellent.
The engine is not the original numbers matching case, but are from a
newer model of the 356C/912. The current displacement is 1720cc
and while not tested on the dyno, is estimated at about 100hp.
The engine has all the correct components to look quite stock and proper
and the level of detail is good. The full wiring harness was replaced at the time of the engine rebuild as well
so all is working properly in that regard.
356C oil filler/breather and Weber carburetors.
Documentation of all the mechanical work is available and
the owner has told me he spent well over 30k in having all this work done.
The engine and transmission were rebuilt and tuned by Jack Morris of Morris Brothers Motorsports
and they are well respected for their work on Porsches and Mercedes.
The interior of the car shows very well and is clean from front to back
This was all done at the time of the restoration in the 90s and it has held up well.
German square weave carpets.
Dash and instruments look great.
All the gauges were rebuilt by the masters at Palo Alto Speedometer
and the mileage was reset to zero at the time of the full mechanical rebuild.
Headliner looks clean and tight.
No sun visors.
The carpet on the kick panes was cut for speaker mounting
but no missing material so perhaps it can be repaired with a cloth backing and a little adhesive.
Rubber mats are holding up well.
Rich red leather on the seats...so nice.
Paint wise there are a few flaws and very minor bubbles starting to poke through.
This shot of the tip of the front hood just below the handle shows some of this clearly.
Door gaps look very good.
Glass and wheels also look to be in great shape.
Tires are new as of about 2000 miles ago and are quality manufacture.
Rear bumper detail .... some bubbling to the finish here.
Hood gaps look reasonable as well
Original Karmann tag in the door jam including paint color info.
Karmann body badge in the proper spot on the passenger front fender.
Note that in this photo the chrome trim on the windshield is missing...the windshield has just recently
been replaced with a new one and the trim is now back in place.
The trim around the rear window is missing however.
Underside shots show it to be a very solid example with signs of normal road use.
Under the engine and trans it looks very clean and dry!!
Very nice to see this all looking good below.
Definitely a good scene under here!
Nice!!
Some more interior details...clean rails and recliners
Glove box looks good
Original owners manual
Fuel tank and trunk details.
Reservoir for the brake fluid is not original
Rust and body damage are the biggest foes of these 356 cars and this one appears
pretty solid. The owner has provided a lot of images of the deep corners so you can see what you are getting.
Open up and say "Ahhh".
There are a lot of great things about this car. First...look at it...dang shes pretty,
but underneath all the pretty stuff the car has fully professionally rebuilt mechanics and is truly
ready to drive and enjoy just as it is. Fly in...turn the key and drive this baby home!
Asking
$62,000 obo
For More Info...CALL
951 767 1600
or email oldbug@earthlink.net