1956 Porsche 356A T1 Coupe

1956 Porsche 356A T1 Coupe

*History

This 1956 Porsche 356A T1 Reutter Coupe is finished in attractive Dark Blue over a black leatherette interior. It was purchased in 1979, by it’s second California owner, from the first owner who also resided in California. Power is from it’s numbers matching 1600cc flat-four paired with a 4-speed manual type 741 gearbox, and a top end engine rebuild was professionally performed in 2018 after removal from thirteen years of storage. This 356A is offered with a detailed service records file dating from 1979 to 2018, a copy of the original factory Kardex, and a clear South Carolina title. It is very difficult to find an early 356A T1 Coupe at this level of condition.

*Exterior

Having resided mostly in California, the body shows no serious rust. Floors are original and solid. Nose and tail sections are also original with no clips. The original hood is numbers matching and unkinked. Rear decklid is also numbers matching. The original beehive tail lights were updated to the teardrop style many years ago, but the original mounting holes for the beehive lights were luckily still present so we have installed a new set of beehive lights in their original factory positions.

While the original color of this car was never recorded on the factory Kardex, it received an exterior repaint in attractive Dark Blue in 1987. Since then a few blemishes and a couple of minor dents have accumulated over the years. The prior owner always garaged the car. Exterior equipment includes both body-colored bumpers with four correct aluminum bumper guards (not currently installed), driver door mounted side mirror, and correct headlights. 15” x 5.5″ chromed steel wheels wear 165-series tires and a new set of correct polished moon caps. Close-ups of the body vin stamping, vin plate, door tag and opening panel numbers have been provided in the 100+ photo gallery below.

*Interior

The black leatherette upholstery was last refreshed in 2004 with a seat repair and new headliner.  Grey square weave carpets, and a correct black rubber floor mat are also installed.  The painted dash houses the stock gauges, including a dash clock. The speedometer, tachometer and combination gauges are installed and each is in working order. The odometer presently indicates 98,198 miles. Service records document the mileage back to 1979, when 4,910 miles was showing on the odometer. Three additional aftermarket gauges (oil temp, oil pressure and ampere) are installed, but only the oil pressure gauge is connected and functional. Headlights and tail lights are fully functional. Wipers are also functional.

*Mechanicals

The numbers matching 1600 Normal flat-four was rated at 60 horsepower by the factory and comes paired with 4-speed manual type 741 gearbox, for smooth shifting. Engine case stamping 62015 is shown close-up in the gallery below and corresponds to the factory Kardex. The correct 1600 type number stamping is also shown. The correct fuel pump and Bosch BR9 distributor are installed. The engine received a top end rebuild in 2018 (approximately 400 miles ago), with a copy of the rebuild record in the photo gallery. Prior to the engine rebuild, a brand new YnZ complete wiring harness was professionally installed at a total cost of $3200.

Additional service completed in 2017 through 2018 included:
*new axle boots
*new transmission mounts
*new oil cooler seals
*new oil sump plate and fuel tank cap seal
*new oil temp sender
*new crankshaft pulley and seal
*new fuel petcock
*rebuilt starter
*new battery

The most recent service was completed in 2019 included the following:
*valve adjustment
*oil and filter change
*ignition wires, spark plugs, rotor, points
*brake fluid flush

*Documentation

A clear title, copy of factory Kardex, original owner’s manual and a stack of service records spanning 1979 through 2018 are included.

More than 60 detailed photos are provided in the gallery, and three videos are shown below.

Videos

Photo Gallery