This 1957 Porsche 356A Speedster was ordered new through Hoffman Motors of New York and was delivered on March 12, 1957. It was purchased by the seller in Chicago in August 2013 after long-term storage in Missouri, and underwent a refurbishment between December 2016 and April 2023. Work included rebuilding the replacement Type 616/1 flat-four with a big-bore kit along with overhauling the four-speed manual transaxle, repainting the car black, and installing a tan soft top, side curtains, and leatherette upholstery. Additional details include dual Solex PBIC carburetors, Koni shocks, 15″ chrome ventilated wheels, fixed-back bucket seats, Oatmeal square weave carpets, and Coco floor mats. This Speedster is now offered with a copy of the Kardex, a 1975 letter from Porsche, a replica tool kit sourced from Harvey Rosenthal, removed windshield glass, refurbishment photos and records, a car cover, and an Illinois title in the seller’s name, listing the car as a 1956 model.
Delivered from the factory in red, the Reutter-built bodywork on this example was stripped to bare metal during the refurbishment. Body work was performed by The Tin Man’s Garage of Sycamore, Illinois, and included replacement of the rear clip, passenger door skin, floors, and battery box, reportedly due to prior rear-end damage that occurred on track. A two-stage repaint in black was subsequently carried out by Posematos’s Bodyworks and Restorations in Gurnee. A replacement windshield was also installed, and the removed glass with 1966 and 1967 Northwestern University parking decals is included in the sale. Additional equipment includes body-color bumpers with chrome overriders, a driver-side mirror, a removable tan canvas soft top and side curtains, gold badging, and quad beehive taillights. Photos of paint meter readings are presented in the gallery below.
This is a relist after the vehicle was previously sold on BaT in July 2025 and the sale was not completed due to a disagreement over the terms and timing of the sale. The buyer and seller attempted to work together but eventually agreed to unwind the sale.
The chrome-clad ventilated steel wheels wear baby moon hubcaps that were re-chromed during the refurbishment, and they are mounted with 165VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN36 tires. A matching spare wheel is stowed in the front trunk. Koni shocks are fitted at all four corners, and the car is equipped with hydraulic drum brakes that were overhauled by J&G Brake Drum Relining & Refinishing of McHenry, Illinois, in March 2020.
The fixed-back bucket seats and rear bench were reupholstered in 2021 using tan leatherette sourced from Autos International of Escondido, California. A matching dash pad and door panels were also installed along with oatmeal square-weave carpeting that extends to the seatbacks. Additional equipment includes an adjustable–height rear-view mirror, a body-color painted dashboard, gold Porsche badging, a passenger-side grab handle, and Coco floor mats.
The two-spoke steering wheel features a tan rim and horn ring, and it frames green-letter VDO instrumentation including a central 6k-rpm tachometer, a 120-mph speedometer, and a combination gauge monitoring oil temperature and oil pressure. In August 2025, the seller had the steering wheel, dash knobs, and door release lever trim refinished in tan. The five-digit odometer shows 94k miles. The seller tells us that the trip odometer was reset during the refurbishment, and that 300 miles have been added since the completion of the build.
The replacement flat-four was rebuilt and increased in displacement to 1,720cc during the refurbishment, and it features Wilhoit Auto Restoration WR cylinder heads, JE forged pistons, a DPR 74mm counterweighted crankshaft, and an LN Engineering camshaft. Induction is through dual Solex PBIC carburetors topped with Knecht air filters, and a replacement YnZ’s wiring harness was installed in 2021. Engine stamping 62349 can be seen in the gallery, and it is consistent with a Type 616/1 engine built in 1956 for a 356A 1600.
Power is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transaxle that was rebuilt by 356 Works of Glenview, Illinois, in February 2016. The fuel pump was overhauled in October 2020.
A copy of the Kardex lists initial delivery via Hoffman of New York, on March 12, 1957.
A letter from Jürgen Barth on Porsche letterhead dated September 19, 1975, is shown above, and it also outlines factory colors and powertrain numbers.
A collection of photos taken during the refurbishment is viewable in the gallery.
The Illinois title carries a “Mileage Not Required” notation.
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