1964 Porsche 356C

At first glance, the 356C, introduced in mid-1963, differed little externally from its predecessor, the 356B, since it continued to use the T-6 body type which had arrived in 1962. Porsche, however, brought the 356 concept to its zenith with the 356C, available in Coupé and Cabriolet form, with the addition of Dunlop four-wheel disc brakes as standard, a higher-lift camshaft for the 1,600cc engine, new flat-face hubcaps, and deeper bucket seats. These seats came courtesy of Porsche's acquisition of Reutter, which included the future Recaro subsidiary. 356 production peaked at 14,151 cars in 1964 which coincided with the arrival of the new 911 model, however, Porsche continued to sell the 356C in North America right through to the end of 1965.

According to the Vehicle Identification sheet issued by Porsche Cars GB, Chassis number 131884 is a right-hand drive 356C Coupé built during 1964, fitted with Engine Number 716623 and finished in Light Ivory with a Black Leatherette interior. It was shipped to supplying dealer, Lindsay Saker Motors (Pty) Ltd. in Johannesburg, South Africa and onward to its first owner. We next hear of the car when it’s being shipped to the UK in late 2001. The Bill of Lading details that it was accompanied on the trip by a 1960 356B and a ‘65 Chevrolet Corvair and the trio set off from Durban on 23/10/2001 arriving at Tilbury Docks in January 2002 all bound for Douglas Valley Breakers in Standish, Lancashire who were handling 131884 on behalf of Forty Forty Cars in Harrogate. Within the substantial history file are documents confirming that all VAT and Duty was paid and they include the Bill of Lading, correspondence with the DVLA and Customs and Excise, a UK Bill of Entry, the South African Title and a Vehicle Clearance from the SA Police.

Now safe in the UK, a major rolling restoration was commenced in 2003 and appears to have been completed in late 2007 judging by the fact that the first UK MOT in the file is dated 16/01/2008 @ 79,872 miles and the car was first UK registered on 1/03/2008. It was a full, engine out, glass out, trim out, bare-shell restoration in its original Ivory White and there are photographs in the history file of the Porsche when it first arrived, during the process and one or two of the finished article. There are dozens and dozens of invoices in the file addressed to Larry Goff, the car’s owner at the time, and we would suggest that interested parties take an hour or so to have a detailed look. They include PR Services £8,811, Southbound Trimming £2,795, Paul Brown - wiring £843, Karmann Konnection – parts £5,396, Zentrum - engine parts £5,420, Maxted Prill engine rebuild and more - £8,891 plus a 500 mile service - £1,842, and various others, suggesting that over £35,000 was invested in the 356 during this period. The invoice for the engine rebuild is dated 5/12/2008 and confirms that the cylinders were re-bored and fitted with Shasta 86mm forged pistons taking the capacity out to 1,720cc with a consequential increase in horsepower.

Our vendor purchased 131884 on 26/01/2011 with the appropriate invoice on file together with an Insurance Valuation from Sherwood Restorations of Nottingham carrying the same date and suggesting that the car at the time had a value of £60,000. Our vendor is particularly fastidious when it comes to his motor cars and towards the end of that year he noticed that one or two small areas of bodywork were not quite as pristine as he had hoped. As we all know, once you see these things it’s very difficult to ‘unsee’ them and inevitably one thing led to another and the decision was made to replace the front wings and door skins. Realistically, if you are going to paint both wings and doors on a car the size of a 356, you may as well prepare and paint the whole car and a few months later 131884 emerged blinking into the sunlight looking fabulous and now in a classic shade of Porsche silver. The work was carried out by DMR of Doncaster and there are invoices in the file.

The car’s mileage at that point was around 88,000 (MOT on 31/08/2012 shows 88,424) and, at the time of our photography in March 2022, the odometer was reading 97,352. Pleasingly, there are 11 older MOT Certificates on file (first on 16/01/2008 @ 79,872 miles) corroborating the Porsche's light but regular usage.

Andy Lee of Sandbach, Cheshire appears to have been entrusted with looking after the car in recent years and there are invoices on file from him (£3,209) for routine servicing and the inevitable niggles up to 27/11/2018 with an oil and filter change at 95,860 miles. The Owner’s File also contains a couple of photocopied period brochures, Porsche Club GB correspondence and a wiring diagram. As well as being a competent and sporting Coupé, this superbly presented right-hand drive 356 is a perfect representation of the late fifties/early sixties period that is absolutely in fashion at the moment and this desirable example would be welcome anywhere.