Dossier Porsche 356_Carrera Speedster

1958 Porsche 356 Carrera Speedster GS/GT
Chassis No. 84711
Einer der sehr raren Carrera Speedster in originaler GT Ausführung • exzellent dokumentiertes Auto mit aussergewöhnlicher Rennhistorie • interessant für jede seriöse Porschesammlung oder als „Blue chip Investment“ • sehr guter, restaurierter Originalzustand
One of the very rare Carrera Speedster in original GT spec • very well documented
car with exceptional racing history • ideal for any serious Porsche collection or a
„blue chip investment“ • very good, restored condition
Model history:
In May 1957, Porsche offered two distinct versions of the 356 Carrera Speedsters, the GS
(de Luxe) for road use and this model, the GS/GT (Gran Turismo) for track use. The main
difference between the two models was weight and performance.
The Carrera GT was a purpose-built car with little on board amenities. For instance, no
heater was fitted giving the car its 'icebox' nickname. Furthermore, the interior was stripped of sound deadening, side windows were replaced by pull-up Perspex units and only
simple door panels were fitted. Further weight reduction was found on components like the
lightened bumper brackets, additional aluminium parts, Nardi steering wheel and no undercoating. Mechanically, the GT model was more powerful than the GS, having a sports
____________________________________________________
This car is offered exclusively through Jan B. Lühn
Tel: +49 (0) 251 28 44 691 & +49 (0) 172 530 3555 • www.janluehn.com • [email protected]
exhaust fitted which provided little deadening and no heater. At the front, an enlarged long
range fuel tank was fitted.
Front braking was provided by 550RS units that were 10mm thicker and had cooling scoops. The torsion bars were also changed at the rear to provide one degree of negative
camber. Offered as both Coupe and Speedster the GT version was considerably lighter
than any previous 356.
____________________________________________________
This car is offered exclusively through Jan B. Lühn
Tel: +49 (0) 251 28 44 691 & +49 (0) 172 530 3555 • www.janluehn.com • [email protected]
Some of the first Carrera GTs were raced in 1957 at the 12 Hours of Reims by von
Hanstein and Hild, but with enlarged engines using slightly larger pistons to make a displacement of 1529cc. They won their class and finished sixth and seventh overall. Probably the GT's best moment came when Claude Storez used a Speedster to claim victory
at the Liege-Rome-Liege rally in 1957. He used the same car to place fifth overall at the
Tour de France.
In late 1958 the new T2 body style was released and Porsche offered an even better version of the Carrera GT. Offered both as a Coupe or Speedster the new car featured aluminium doors and engine hoods. These can be identified by louvers on the rear deck and an
opening for the fuel filler cap on the front hood. Other less known refinements included a
larger steering box, stronger front spindles and improved transmission. Aluminium was also used in the bucket seat frames, two piece wheels with allow insert and aluminium trim
____________________________________________________
This car is offered exclusively through Jan B. Lühn
Tel: +49 (0) 251 28 44 691 & +49 (0) 172 530 3555 • www.janluehn.com • [email protected]
strips for the front/rear bumpers. Less than 10 of these models were offered with quadcam engines.
Specific history of this car:
This exceedingly rare motor car is chassis 84711 and was delivered new to Chuck Rickert
in 1958 to the USA. The car has been confirmed by Porsche as being an original 4-cam
speedster GT and was sold directly to Chuck Rickert as a race car in 1958 by the race department. The early race history of 84711, is without doubt exceptional, competing in the
SCCA championship winning eighteen out of twenty two races the car competed in between May 1958 and June 1961. The history is as follows:
____________________________________________________
This car is offered exclusively through Jan B. Lühn
Tel: +49 (0) 251 28 44 691 & +49 (0) 172 530 3555 • www.janluehn.com • [email protected]
1958
• May, Bridgehampton National, 3rd in class
• June, Elkhart Lake National, 1st overall
• July, Mossport Hillclimb, 1st overall
• August, Milwaukee National, 1st overall (2 races)
• September, Elkhart Lake National, 1st overall
• September, Meadowdale National, 1st overall (2 races)
1959
• April, Pensacola national, 1st overall
• May, Lawrenceville Regional, 1st overall (2 races)
• May, Louisville Regional, 1st overall (2 races)
• June, Elkhart Lake National, 2nd overall
• July, Indianapolis Regional, 1st overall (2 races)
• August, Milwaukee National, 1st overall (2 races
• August, Elkhart Lake National, 1st overall
1960
• April, Pensacola National, 1st overall
• August, Louisville National, DNF
June, Elkhart Lake National, DNF due to broken crank
____________________________________________________
This car is offered exclusively through Jan B. Lühn
Tel: +49 (0) 251 28 44 691 & +49 (0) 172 530 3555 • www.janluehn.com • [email protected]
The now familiar Carrera nomenclature was used in homage to the epic Carrera Pan Americana road race which was initially reserved for Porsche’s highest performance road and
race cars until the early 1970’s. Using a four-camshaft engine (instead of the single overhead camshaft units used in the series production 356 A), the four-cam was a really trick
piece of kit. With cylinder heads and barrels in light alloy, dual ignition with two spark plugs
per cylinder and dry-sump lubrication, each Carrera motor was carefully built by hand, taking over two weeks to complete plus a further couple of days to tune. GT's boasted an
extraordinary 110bhp at 6400rpm, this thanks to attention to the camshafts and ignition
(10% more than a GS). The only external details unique to these cars were anodised gold
Carrera scripting on the engine cover. The GT option included a sebring exhaust and oil
cooler, “rolled edges”, GT wheels, aluminium doors, aluminium engine cover, a roll hoop
and aluminium shelled GT seats. These GT speedsters were equipped with a 1500cc type
547 motor with V distributor drive on the crank shaft.
This car has been subjected to a "no expense spared" restoration to the highest standard
by the private mechanics of the previous owner, all experts including former Vasek Polak
employees. Since its rebuild the car has covered just a few hundred kilometers. A substantial history file including a wealth of supporting documentation accompanies the car including the original order by Chuck Rickert and various correspondance between owners,
sports car clubs and indeed Porsche during the lifetime of the vehicle. The car is presented for sale in its original colour combination and comes with German road registration as
well as FIA HTP papers which makes it highly eligible for some of the most prestigious events as Le Mans Classic and many more. Only very rarely does a Porsche 356 Carrera
Speedster GS/GT appear for sale in this outstanding condition.
Sources:
• www.supercars.net
• Porsche AG
• Porsche 356 register
____________________________________________________
This car is offered exclusively through Jan B. Lühn
Tel: +49 (0) 251 28 44 691 & +49 (0) 172 530 3555 • www.janluehn.com • [email protected]