1957 Porsche 356A Speedster. Registration No. Tbc. Chassis No. 84142. Engine No. Tbc. From the moment it was introduced, Porsche's 356 was fairly expensive. For the entry price, which was usually more than $1,000 more than such British sports cars as Mg or Triumph, buyers received exceptional engineering and build quality in a car that had a fraction of the power of the typical American sedan of the period. But handling from the fully-independent suspension was precise and the car exuded quality. In 1954 American Porsche importer and European car impresario Max Hoffman prevailed upon the factory in Germany to come out with a more affordable car than the 356 coupe. The car that resulted was the 356 Speedster. The fixed roof was gone, so too were roll-up windows. Interior trim was another area where costs were cut, but no savings were taken out on the engine or drive train. That engine was a horizontally-opposed air-cooled four stowed behind the rear axle. By 1957, when the car on offer was built, the engine was available in two versions, both of which displaced 1582cc. The standard version was good for 60 horsepower, a figure that was boosted to 75 horsepower thanks to higher compression and a host of other factory changes. Although the Speedsters generally sold for more than $400 beneath the cost of the coupe, the lighter (by almost 200 pounds) Speedster was faster and much more successful in competition. Today, they are also considered the most desirable of the early 'bathtub' Porsches and that is clearly shown in the market prices. This particular example was sold new in California. At the time of going to press the vendor was unable to find on the early history of the car provided by Porsche in Victoria but we do hope to have this information available by the time of sale. It was purchased by the current owner in 2004 from Brian Jones, a noted Porsche enthusiast and regular winner of concours events, in un-restored form. The vendor then entrusted a complete mechanical and cosmetic restoration to noted restorers 911 Cars and Morton Automotive which included a professional conversion of the car from left hand drive to right hand drive configuration. When the paintwork was stripped back to bare metal the body was found to be in exceptionally good condition with little or no rust and just a minor dent in the front. It is finished in the highly desirable color of silver, which is set off nicely by the red leather interior and black soft top. Upon completion of the restoration the car was taken to Melbourne where it won the Gold Class award at the 2005 356 National Concours event, a testament to the extremely high quality of the restoration. More recently the vendor has had the original engine (No: 67751) and original gearbox removed and totally rebuilt while the car is currently running with a 'tuned' Porsche 912 engine and gearbox. The car will be offered for sale with the 912 engine and gearbox fitted but the original restored engine and gearbox are offered as part of the sale. To this end what is offered here is perhaps the ideal Speedster, powered by a less valuable and more usable engine for everyday driving yet the fully restored original engine and gearbox are provided for those wishing to return the car to original specification and have the car welcomed at concours events around Australia.