Two years later, at 65 500 km, he replaced all the brake pads. This includes an original 356 C driver’s manual, a repair and maintenance book, papers from events that the car has attended, old and new bulbs and an early life book stating that the owner’s father-in-law purchased the car in 1970 for R3 000 with 40 000 km on the clock. In the C the owner has a large wooden box that holds decades’ worth of history. The owner also added a badge on each ventilation grille, one being a ‘Legends of 1963’ and the other ‘Porsche 356 Register of Southern Africa’. The indicator lenses on the C should also be replaced with the correct units (such as those on the B). However, the owner admits the exhaust tips that protrude from the C’s rear bumper are aftermarket, even if the feature is perfectly functional – it limits bumper staining caused by the expulsion of exhaust gases. Buy a beautiful photo print featuring the Porsche 356.įrom the rear perspective, the two engine vents are different, but their bumpers are identical.The B left the factory painted Ivory (code 6004) and the C in Light Ivory (6404). Also note the thinner C-pillar of the C, no pun intended, which allows the C to have a larger rear window. The subtle changes continue towards the flanks of each, where the C’s rear three-quarter glass-and-side-window areas have been enlarged compared to those of the B. Whereas the B’s design is pointier towards the front, the C has a flatter nose.
People want to sit in them, stand against them and then we are not even talking about other drivers that has little respect for these old classics.”Īt first glance, the B and C might look identical from the front, but the owner points out the different designs of the bonnets. In 2016 the C also won the Porsche Club’s Concours in its class while the B won again in 2017.”Įven though this enthusiast has other Porsches in his collection, he makes it a priority to drive the pair of 356s. It wasn’t a bare-metal restoration as I wanted to keep it as original as possible. The C’s restoration was only completed in 2015, however. “My father-in-law bought the C in 1970 and drove the car almost daily. But our father-in-law in this story clearly had an affinity for Porsche, because the B wasn’t the only 356 he bought.
So, this car has now been in the family since 1962. Subsequently I restored the car and it won the Porsche Club of South Africa’s Concours in 2010, just shortly after its restoration had been completed. “When I turned 50 my father-in-law generously transferred the car’s ownership to me. I managed a game farm for a number of years and Hazel, my wife, had to do the school run in the 356 on a sand and gravel road for several years. Incidentally I met his daughter just after I completed military service when I was 19. “When I was about 11 years old, I saw the 356 B pull up at our school. The custodians of these two 356s are a husband and wife, and the former eagerly shared his story.
Buy a stunning 1/18 scale model of the Porsche 356 Speedster, as raced by James Dean.With the 356, however, there seems to be a broader consensus. Porsche experts can discuss for hours which 911 model they yearn for most and why it should (or should not) have a rear wing, why earlier models are truer to the Porsche ethos than the later ones, etc. I’m instantly re-enamoured with the venerable 1960s cars’ soft, classy and compact curves. Today we find ourselves on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, and we’re about to spend an afternoon with two 356s. If you listen to podcasts by enthusiast Spike Feresten, in which he chats with renowned Porsche collectors (such as comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Outlaw Porsche builder Rod Emory), you realise how significant this sub-category of Porsche fandom is. The early years of Porsche is a fascinating era, both in terms of road and race cars, especially when you start delving into the finer details of the changes between respective models. It seems that the 356 is one of but a handful of Porsches that is regarded as pretty by both brand enthusiasts and the general public alike.
Owned by the same family for more than 50 years, this 356 pairing might look identical and boast similar histories, but which is the better version to drive?