Lot 366: 1964 Porsche 356C 1600SC Coupé

Although Ferdinand Porsche had established his automotive design consultancy in the early 1930s, his name would not appear on a car until 1949. When it did, it graced one of the all-time great sports cars: the Porsche 356. Having commenced manufacture with a short run of aluminium-bodied cars built at Gmünd, Porsche began volume production of the steel-bodied 356 coupé at its old base in Stuttgart, at first in premises shared with coachbuilders Reutter and then (from 1955) in its original factory at Zuffenhausen.
The work of Ferry Porsche, the 356 was based on the Volkswagen designed by his father, and like the immortal 'Beetle' employed a platform-type chassis with rear-mounted air-cooled engine and all-independent torsion bar suspension. Regularly revised and updated, Porsche’s landmark sports car would remain in production well into the 911 era, the final examples being built in 1965.
Outwardly very similar to the final 356Bs, the ultimate 356C model arrived in 1963 sporting four-wheel disc brakes - first seen on the 2-litre Carrera 2 - among numerous detail improvements. Engines available - both of 1.6 litres - were the 75bhp 'C' and 95bhp 'SC', the latter replacing the Super 90. Testing a 356C in 1964, Road & Track enthused over its comfort, quality and excellent performance, concluding, ‘one would look a long time before finding a sports or GT car that offers more pure driving enjoyment.’
A left-hand drive model dating from the penultimate year of production, this 356C has the more desirable 95 horsepower ‘SC’ engine. The car was extensively restored to a high standard in the USA by Porsche Specialists Inc during 2000-2002, work undertaken having included an engine rebuild, chassis Waxoyling and re-trim of the interior in red leather. Imported into the UK in 2005 and used as daily transport for the past year (but always kept garaged) ‘BDV 256B’ is said to run and drive exceptionally well and is described by the current owner as in very good condition throughout. Much enjoyed by the vendor and offered for sale only reluctantly, the car comes with sundry restoration invoices, MoT/road fund licence to November 2008 and Swansea V5 registration document.