Lot 1027: The Porsche Speedster Collection

Introduction: The Ultimate Speedster Collection

Introduced at Watkins Glen in September 1954, where it won the Concours award, Porsche’s Speedster was launched two years after the ill-fated and extremely rare Sport Roadster (best known as the “America Roadster”). The Speedster is widely acknowledged to be the Porsche that spearheaded the company’s successes in the United States and, ultimately, the world.

This new open Porsche was the ultimate car for the enthusiast who wanted to drive during the week and go racing on the weekend. It received immediate acclaim. In both pushrod and 4-cam versions it was a mainstay on North American and European racing circuits. Among others, successful Speedster racers included Erich Buecklers, Hans Stanek, Jan Brundage, Paul-Ernst Straehle and Bruce Jennings. Legendary movie star James Dean also owned a 1500S Speedster which was his first racer. It was also the car he traded-in on the 550 Spyder in which he was tragically killed in an accident on the way to his first race in his new car.

For every new model Porsche builds, there are prototypes and pre-series cars. However, these cars are destroyed and never reach customers. In the early days Porsche rarely designated a car as a prototype or pre-series vehicle. In fact, the only production car of the 356 series designated as a prototype is one of the Speedsters included in this collection. For those who seek even more unusual examples, the collection also includes the only two Pre-A Carrera (4-cam) ‘RS’ Speedsters with 547 Spyder motors. In addition, the first Speedster ever raced is part of the collection, as is the first 4-cam Carrera Speedster to see competition.

It took more than 20 years to assemble and restore this collection of six stunning Speedsters. Each car was restored by world-renowned expert Tim Goodrich to impeccable standards, and each has won numerous awards. Many would argue that the Speedster was Porsche’s most important car. Few would argue that the six stunning and rare open 356 Porsches on offer constitute the finest collection of Speedsters extant anywhere in the world.

The Prototype Porsche Speedster
1954 Porsche Speedster
Chassis no. 12223

Max Hoffman was determined to convince Ferry Porsche that there was a growing market in the United States for a simpler, cheaper Porsche sports car. The aluminum sports roadster was a racing success but it was too costly to manufacture and its retail price was too high.

Ferry Porsche was a tough sell; he did not want to compromise quality for price.

In May 1952 Hoffman arranged for Ferry Porsche to meet with executives of Studebaker. The meeting resulted in a distribution contract for Porsche that, in effect, allowed Porsche to expand its production facilities. During the same trip, Hoffman arranged a meeting for Ferry Porsche with the president of a racing club in the New York area. They discussed a maximum price of $3,000 for an acceptable sports car. Additionally, Hoffman said that once such a car could be agreed upon, he would issue a blank order for 200 cars.

For many reasons, Hoffman’s vision was not realized until the fall of 1954. Porsche was busy with the Studebaker contract, a new production building and the 550 Spyder and 4-cam motor development. However, when the Speedster was finally announced, Hoffman lived up to his promise and took the first 200 units. He also received most of the series after that.

Back in the spring of 1954, the work order was issued to build a prototype roadster body. Replacement or spare bodies were then generally used for experimental work or for the repair of damaged cars. The body/chassis unit from a 1952 Cabriolet (Number 12223) served as the donor car. Modifications to the cabriolet body included removing the windshield frame and lowering the top edges of the rear of the body. The doors were very simple and had neither windows nor exterior door handles. Many other modifications to simplify the design and construction were made, including the inclusion of an integral instrument panel.

On June 30, 1954, that first new lightweight roadster was completed. The tank of the open silver sports car was filled with 12 liters of gasoline. On August 3, the car was registered to the company where it remained for many months as a test vehicle.

This very special car – very few Porsches were ever prototypes in this sense – did not receive any side script for a very basic reason. Porsche was not sure what to call it. Internal production and other records, as well as the advertisement for its official introduction at Watkins Glen in September 1954, all call it a Roadster. Factory engineering drawings suggest ‘Silver-arrow’ as well as ‘Speedster.’ By the time the car appeared at Watkins Glen, it was a ‘Speedster.’



The Speedster Collection Speedsters ‘80002,’ ‘80003’ and ‘80004’ This extraordinary group of hand-built Speedsters was completed on August 18, 1954 and each was immediately filled with 12 liters of gasoline. Both 80002 and 80003 were red with black interiors and 80004 was finished in white with a red interior. Even when beginning production of a new model, Porsche rarely built cars, as they put it, “not on the line.” As Porsche introduced a new series (‘A,’ ‘B,’ ‘C’) or model (Convertible ‘D,’ Roadster), the first of these cars simply went through normal production. This was true even for the special 4-cam Carrera Speedsters included in this Collection. However, these three pre-series cars were hand-built. Just seven weeks later, the first Speedster production car was completed in October 1954; some seven weeks after these hands built pre-series cars had been completed. The First Speedster Raced 1954 Porsche 356 Speedster Chassis no. 80002 Porsche Speedster, chassis 80002 was used as the brochure car and appears on all of the very early advertising material to support the introduction of the new model. All of these rare paper memorabilia items prominently feature 80002, which was finished by the factory in red with a black interior. Upon completion, the car was quickly shipped to Hoffman in New York. Hoffman then introduced it at Watkins Glen, where it won the Concours Award. This car was the first Speedster documented to have been raced. Owned by West Coast distributor John von Neumann, it was raced by Erich Buecklers at Torrey Pines, California. However, it was already no stranger to a racetrack, as Clark Gable had used it in his role as ‘Course Marshall’ at an event in Palm Springs. Restored to the highest standards by 356 specialist Tim Goodrich, chassis 80002 was first shown at the Speedster 50th Anniversary event in Pebble Beach in August 1998. 1954 Porsche Speedster Chassis no. 80003 Also Finished in red with black, Speedster 80003 was nearly identical to 80002. Chassis 80003 had painted rather than chrome wheels and did not have the unique hood handle of 80002. This Speedster is thought to have been sold new to an American serviceman stationed in Germany. Like 80002, car 80003 was built with an earlier version of the exterior trim that at first glance appears to read: ‘Spoodster.’ All but one subsequent Speedster used a redesigned side script. Also restored by early Porsche restoration specialist Tim Goodrich, 80003 made its debut at the Pebble Beach Concours in 1998, where it won its class against formidable competition including an award winning aluminum sport roadster. Chassis 80003 was originally thought to be the oldest Speedster until 12223 and 80002 were discovered. 1954 Porsche Speedster Chassis no. 80004 The fourth speedster built, 80004 was finished in white and trimmed in red. Like 80002, its wheels were finished in body color and it sported the ‘Spoodster’ pre-production side script emblems. Originally dispatched to the United States, it is thought to be the brochure car for west coast advertisements of John von Neumann and his associated dealers. Relatively unknown in recent years, it spent some time in Italy before being acquired for this collection. Restored to impeccable standards by Tim Goodrich, 80004 made its debut at the Speedster 50th Anniversary event in 1998. The First 4-Cam Speedster 1954 Porsche Carrera Speedster Chassis no. 80665 On September 3, 1954, Karl Rabe, chief engineer of Porsche wrote a memo noting that Ferry Porsche wanted to examine the installation requirements for the Typ 547 4-cam motor to be installed in the new ‘Roadster’ (the decision to call the new car a ‘Speedster’ had not been made). The memo was issued at the time when the second, third and fourth cars (80002, 80003 and 80004) were being shipped to the United States. As a result, the only vehicle available for trials was the very first car built to Speedster specifications, chassis 12223. As a result, this silver car, which had been registered to the company and issued a German title on August 3, 1954, was fitted with a 4-cam motor. The long-term test was still going on in March 1955. Using the Typ 547 motor in the Speedster was more than a matter of simply bolting it into what would ordinarily have been a pushrod-engined car. A memo from Erwin Komenda noted the following requirements: 1) A revised gasoline heater was required. 2) The rain shield on the rear engine cover had to be deleted on 4-cam cars to clear the engine. 3) Luggage racks couldn’t be used because they restricted cooling. 4) The rear engine bay panel needed to be removable on all 356 models to allow access to the 4-cam motor. While 12223 was the first Speedster to run with a Typ 547 motor, the first 4-cam Carrera Speedster, chassis 80665, was installed on the production line on August 31, 1955. The car was completed with a 550 Spyder specification Typ 547 motor. Production records note that it was built to a special order and assigned to Mr. Raether, who was responsible for export sales. Chassis 80665 remained with the company through at least October 1955. Late that month, an internal memo notes that the car, which had been subjected to some testing, was being returned to the sales department. The memo noted, among other things, that the brakes pulled to the right. As returned to the sales department, the odometer showed 5,156 km. Before it left the factory, it received the ‘Carrera’ badging that was then being placed on the 4-cam Speedsters and coupes. Although clearly the first production 4-cam Speedster, others were in service before 80665 left Stuttgart. However, with the exception of a single other car—also part of the collection–all other Carrera Speedsters were fitted with the detuned Typ 547/1 motor. Chassis 80665 was discovered in the United States several years ago. It has been immaculately restored and was the featured car at the Hillsborough Concours in 2003. This first 4-cam is very special, indeed. 1955 Porsche Carrera RS Speedster Chassis no. 80820 Porsche Carrera RS Speedster, chassis 80820, was the very first 4-cam Speedster to arrive in the United States when it was unloaded from a ship in Miami in December 1955. It was also the very first 4-cam Speedster to be shipped out. It had hardly reached the docks when new owner Jan Brundage had it loaded on a ship bound for Nassau. Like chassis 80665, this white Carrera RS Speedster was fitted with a Typ 547 motor and designated ‘RS’ for Rennsport, or racing. The Speedster was finished September 14, 1955 to the special order of Brundage Motors (now ‘Brumos’) in Florida. Brundage Motors had sent a telegram to Mr. Raether at Porsche on August 25, 1955 ordering both a Speedster and also a Spyder with the 4-cam motor. With 21-year-old Brundage behind the wheel at Nassau, 80820 became the first 4-cam Speedster to be raced. During the race at Nassau in December 1955, the Brundage Porsche and Phil Hill’s Ferrari had a run in when another competitor spun in front of Hill. Although the right side of the new Carrera RS Speedster was battered, Brundage completed his race. Brundage didn’t race the Carrera RS again, but he drove it extensively and regularly. He also used it to drive to the 12-hours of Sebring in 1956. In fact, he later told author Dave Colman that the little 4-cam Speedster carried him from 160 miles from Sebring back to Miami in “two hours flat.” The car was unknown for about 20 years until it appeared in Chicago with Joe Hannigan. In the late 1980s, Brent Fagen eventually found this remarkable Speedster on a Colorado used car lot. The subsequent owner was Gary Kempton, who reunited the engineless car with its original 4-cam power plant. The car was under restoration when the current owner acquired it and sent it to Tim Goodrich to have the work completed. Chassis 80820 is the only Speedster known where the data plate reflects the ‘RS’ designation. It lacks the ‘Carrera’ side script fitted to most of the 4-cam Speedsters. Other details that distinguish this car are the larger 60 mm Spyder drums with radial fins. The drums of this very special Carrera RS Speedster sit inside steel and aluminum 16 by 3.5-inch wheels, instead of the narrower 3.25-inch wheels used on ‘standard’ factory Carrera Speedsters. Stunning in its original white livery with correct red interior, 80820 was the winner in 1996 of the Overall Restoration Award at the 1996 Porsche Parade in Oklahoma. Chassis 80820 has been extensively researched and was the subject of a major article and pictured on the cover of Excellence magazine. One of the finest and rarest of all Porsches, this Carrera RS Speedster is clearly, as Excellence stated, one of a kind. Estimate: Refer to department