Lot 206: 1959 Porsche 356B Coupé

By 1959, Porsche had made 30,000 356 and the new 356B and Carrera 2 would more than double that sales figure by 1963. The latest range now had sharper styling with raised headlights, revised bonnet, larger rear window and new bumpers and wheel trims. The new cars were sold only with 1.6-litre engines and all models had drum brakes, VW steering gear and a 4-speed gearbox. Whilst private owners rallied their 356s, on the race track, the Stuttgart marque, who had dominated the 1500cc class as well as beating much larger capacity competitors in sports car events, produced a single-seater version of the RSK sports-racer for the 1.5-litre F2. In 1961, the F2 car qualified for F1, though it took a bespoke F1 Porsche with flat-8 motor to win two GPs outright. Porsche Research did go on to design the TAG engine which powered McLaren to three World Championship wins during the 1980s.
This 1959-manufactured 356 - a left-hand drive 356B with rare factory-fit metal sunroof - was supplied to Stuttgart Porsche Dealers Hahn and first registered 1 December of that year. At some time the Coupe in red with black leatherette interior was shipped to the US, where it was owned by Terence D Moehnke of Fort Dodge, Texas, and later by Eric J Rubin of Beachwood, Ohio, there being a 17 June 1994 Ohio Certificate of Title and a 5 October receipt for refurbishment work carried out on file.
In June 1997, the Coupe was shipped to the UK where it was first registered 13 November and, subsequently, resided with 356 specialist Roger Bray Restorations of Whimple, Exeter. The speedo was changed and the odometer renewed 9 August 1999 with work undertaken to the 1.6-litre flat-four and oil-cooler replaced 29 August 1999 for West Hampstead owner James Faller. Gunter Ortner of London acquired the car 28 May 2003 and the vendor 12 March 2004. Apart from a V5C and the current MOT, valid until next April, paperwork with the road tax exempt fixed head includes an April 2008 receipt for repainting the 2-door bodywork in Wine Red, the original colour, as well as period 356B handbooks in both German and English.