1957 Porsche 356 T1 Speedster

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This car was found in Dallas Texas in the 1980s by well know Speedster restorer Roy Smalley of Eurowerks in Texas. Roy restored the car in 1988-1989 and sold it to the previous owner Bill T. When this car was last acquired from Bill T. we contacted Roy Smalley to ask if he remembered the car "You bet I do..." he replied and then went on to say "You got an exceptional speedster. I have 5 in the shop, two more on the way and none are even close." Roy's description of the car is also noted in a letter written to the last owner after Roy completed restoration work in September of 1989 where he notes that the car was an "Unrusted, unwrecked, original Dallas TX car", the letter goes on to offer to buy the car back for $80k if the owner ever considered selling, which was a good offer back then. The restoration work done 26 years ago held up extremely well partially due to the car only traveling 3000 miles since the restoration! The last owner was a Porsche collector and enthusiast who drove a 993 C2S as his primary car, he lived between Texas and California during different times of the year therefore the car was only used on special occasions.

In September of 2014 the car was brought to Vintage Excellence for a complete mechanical and cosmetic sorting - while the car was already an excellent driving car it had so much more potential with proper deep cleaning, polishing, and mechanical servicing. The result is what you see in the accompanying pictures. The entire body had all trim and rubber removed for a cut & buff of the Glasurit Ruby Red paint done so many years ago – the finished polishing made the paint looks as if it was recently done. When old paint looks this good, it stays looking this good with the right care. No need to worry about fresh paint shrinkage showing bad bodywork or rust bubbles - this paint is old, hard, stable and very shiny. Many old paint jobs show rust bubbles, fading, cracks but not the case with this car - there is NO RUST in this car. While most of the Speedsters being restored today have had drastic metal work and panel replacement this car wears all of its original metal aside from battery floor and main floor pan, you will not find another Speedster with this solid and original of a body. Solid body means a quiet smooth driving car. A complete inspection of the body panels showed it retains all of its original body panels, so they fit very well, verified by the last 3 of the VIN number stamped into- front & rear hood, left & right doors, even the door jamb panels have the VIN stamps on them which is usually unheard of (see pictures for confirmation of these stampings). The front and rear of the car have never been hit, there is no clip or body damage, a paint meter shows very respectable thin paint thickness on the entire car.

After the polishing was completed the body was re-assembled using all new correct rubber seals and floor mats. Trim was cleaned and repaired as needed - most all trim is original Porsche parts - not reproduction. The interior was done in the late 80s in black leather - still in great condition it has a slight patina that fits the car very well, unlike puffy new leather interiors. While the interior was out for cleaning new Oatmeal colored German Square Weave carpet set was made for the car. The top was also changed, Speedster tops are either “low bow” or “high bow” but this car has an intermediate top - in between the production of a low bow and high bow top - these are very rare tops and have subtle fitment differences than most all other Speedster tops. Due to the complexity of the top, since no pattern was available at either of the world’s best Porsche trim shops here in San Diego a custom top was created, to ensure the top fit perfectly the top bows were straightened using jigs made by Richard Miller (a Speedster expert out of San Diego, RIP), the first top that was made sagged in the corners so another one was made learning from the first mistakes, now the new canvas top fits like a glove and snaps against the body when you give it a little tug - the way it should. Top work was completed by an automotive trim artist – Thomas Pocius, not a major production shop. A matching canvas full tonneau cover compliments the convertible top. All mechanical items inside the car were cleaned, inspected, lubricated - new heater cables, shift bushings, etc - heater blows HOT. All lights were disassembled and cleaned, every 6V bulb was replaced, original horns repaired and are LOUD.

Work underneath the car included: Full brake job, drums machined, brake shoes re-lined, shoes were properly curved to match the drums, all new wheels cylinders, new flexible rubber lines, new e-brake cables, all new Ate brake fluid - entire brake system flushed. The wheels are correct original Lemmerz 15x4.5" all 5 with a November 1956 date stamp on them. These wheels were professionally restored by Andre at Custom Wheel Refinishing, the wheels look like new with no blemishes showing, they really make the car sit perfectly. 5 new period correct tires installed (Vredestien 165/15). The engine/transmission were removed from the car to be cleaned and re-sealed, new 1 piece axle boots with correct straps, new spring plate bushings, swepco gear oil, cable hangers installed.  Transmission is in excellent condition. The rest of the suspension, including the Koni shocks, were all in good condition. Ride height was adjusted right where is needs to be. Trunk was clean as can be, original fuel tank rust free inside and out, a new 6V battery and a new correct battery fiberboard cover fitted.

While the engine was out a complete tune up, re-seal, and cosmetic detailing was done. This engine is a 1964 356C 1600cc engine that has been upgraded to full SC specs and 1720cc big bore pistons and cylinders. Engine features include: counterweighted 912 crank & rods, 86mm NPR P/Cs, 912 cylinder heads, torquey cam, rebuilt Solex PII carburetors with original Knecht wire mesh air cleaners, Bosch 022 dizy, new Dansk Sport Exhaust with chrome tips. This engine produces a confident 110hp+ which is more than enough to push the lightweight Speedster to any speed you wish or to cruise slowly down the boulevard. The simple late model 356 motor can be serviced by any shop competent in 356 cars, parts are easy to obtain, and you will get a reliable 30MPG on the freeway.