A Golden State Special. Featured this week at Coys of Kensington - London's renowned automotive auction house - is one Teutonic classic. On offer is a 1957 baby blue on charcoal Porsche 357A Speedster; a particular favorite of Hollywood star James Dean who raced Speedsters as well as Spyders. The actor ended his wild days in the latter.
Porsche-philes - of whom I tend to vacillate in affiliation - will appreciate this open top roadster for its classic design that would evolve into the famed rear-engined 911-series.
Porsche-philes - of whom I tend to vacillate in affiliation - will appreciate this open top roadster for its classic design that would evolve into the famed rear-engined 911-series.
Room for twoAs in most of the Stuttgart manufacturer's creations, the 357's 60 horsepower powerplant lies aft of the rear axle (which can make for some tail happy cornering).
The little engine that could
The Speedster wasn't fast. And in its day it fought fierce British competition of the likes of Austin Healey and MG; both British marques were able to undercut the Germans on price and pass the Teutons in popularity Stateside.
If only Porsche's contemporary interior were this slick This particular model was the ante-up in Porsche's American game. The U.S. was the crucial market for recovering European car companies. Recognizing this, the 357A benefited from a 20 horsepower increase (up from 40 bhp) and a cut in price to a competitive $3,000 (approximately $25,000 in today's dollars).
The other Love BugThis particular model spent most of its life on the West Coast of the United States. A Glaswegian collector bought the car, shipped it to Scotland, restored the Speedster stem to stern. For some reason the Scot now wants to part with it.
E-mail sales@coys.co.uk for more information on the 1957 Porsche 357A Speedster.
E-mail sales@coys.co.uk for more information on the 1957 Porsche 357A Speedster.
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