Considered by many to be the brand’s most iconic model, the Porsche 356 Speedster was introduced in 1954 in response to auto importer Max Hoffman’s request for a more lightweight, cost-effective and and race-ready competitor to British makes. An instant success and a cultural hit, the Speedster is now one of the most prized and collectible vintage Porsche models.

Wolf and Mare is proud to present this 1958 Porsche 356A Speedster with 84,000 original miles and matching numbers engine and transmission. The car was purchased by the seller from its original owner in 1975 and has been lavished with loving care and maintenance for 49 years. It is now offered for sale with a clean North Carolina title.

Characterized by its low, raked windshield, minimalist interior, and removable side curtains, the Porsche 356 Speedster embodied the essence of driving purity. Based on the 356 platform, it featured a rear-mounted, air-cooled flat-four engine and was lauded for its agile handling and sleek design. Approximately 4,100 Speedsters were produced until 1958, when it was succeeded by the more refined Convertible D and later the 356 Roadster.

As one of the most iconic and collectible early Porsches, the 356 Speedster played a pivotal role in establishing Porsche’s reputation in the U.S. and globally, cementing its legacy as a builder of distinctive, driver-focused sports cars.

Porsche 356A Speedster chassis number 83849 left the factory in October of 1957 as one of the earliest T2s produced for the 1958 model year. The car was imported through Hoffman Motor Cars and delivered to its first owner, Joan Humphreys of Pompano Beach, Florida directly from Stuttgart. Not much is known of the car’s earliest days, but it was eventually spotted by the current long-term owner at a Gulf filling station in the mid 1970s. After consistent persuasion, including the occasional martini cocktail date, Mrs. Humphreys eventually relented and the car was sold to its second owner on November 10, 1975.

For the ensuing years, the Speedster was driven and enjoyed by the seller as a companion car to his Volkswagen Beetle in the West Palm Beach, Florida area. The owner’s launch of a bakery business in Martha’s Vineyard took him away from the car for 6 months of the year, making it a seasonal driver.

By the 1990s, the car was starting to show its age, and it was decided to fully refurbish the Speedster to a factory-fresh condition. Michaelian Restoration in Stuart, Florida was chosen to perform the work. Detailed progress reports and a photo album document the extent of the restoration, which included stripping the car to bare metal, cutting out and replacing rusty panels with new steel, preparing the body and repainting the car in its original color, replacing the interior and installing the rebuilt numbers-matching engine. Photos documenting the restoration can be found in the gallery below.

For the ensuing 30 years this 1958 Porsche 356A Speedster has been treated to regular pleasure drives and massaged with Klasse to keep it polished and protected. The restoration has held up beautifully — a testament to both the quality of the work by Michaelian Restoration and the owner’s exceptional care.

This lovely Speedster is finished in its factory original color combination of Aquamarine Blue over Light Brown. Repainted during its restoration 30 years ago, the finish shows some minor blemishes here and there as well as some (correctable) swirling in the paint, but is in truly outstanding condition for its age.

Exterior features include front and rear bumper uprights with chrome-plated tubular overriders, T2-specific “wedge” turn signals, The front bumper is from a 1959 model year 356A. Additional features include an Aero side mirror on the driver’s door, chrome-plated bolt-on windshield frame, teardrop tail lights, side spears, Speedster badging and a high-bow convertible top.

During restoration, the car received new a tan convertible top from Jean-Noel Greffeuille, who owned and operated JNG Creations out of Pittsboro, North Carolina and performed upholstery and leather work for world-class restorations. The craftsmanship of the top is outstanding, and its current condition excellent.

While no trim color was noted on the Kardex, the interior of the car was light brown when originally purchased in the mid-70s and this color was retained when the Speedster was restored. The interior is in excellent condition, with some light wear on the carpet of the door sill and small blemishes from use.

Mrs. Humphreys made the unusual choice to option her Speedster with coupe seats, which are fully sprung and upholstered with reclining hinges. During the restoration, a set of genuine Speedster buckets were purchased from a gentleman selling them out of his Volkswagen dune buggy. These seats are mounted on original-style wood frames and the fresh upholstery fitted in the 1990s is in excellent condition. Given the Speedster’s enjoyable handling, the extra support and grip of the bucket seats are a welcome change.

Additional features of the intentionally spartan interior include a banjo-style steering wheel beautifully wrapped in leather, oatmeal-colored square-weave carpets with brown trim, and Porsche script on the dash. A Deutsche Sportwagen Meisterschaften badge is mounted to the right of the script. The beautifully patinaed original shift knob was wisely retained.

Powering the Speedster is a 1.6-liter air-cooled flat 4-cylinder engine good for 60hp and 81 lb-ft of torque. Atop the dual Zenith carburetors sit a pair of black Knecht air filters. The engine starts well after sitting with a small puff of smoke typical from engines with horizontal cylinders. The engine was rebuilt in 2022 to address a misfiring engine due to a mechanical issue with cylinder #2 and now operates well. Some wetness can be seen on the oil sump studs, but the engine is very clean and overall very dry underneath.

The suspension on the Porsche 356 was fundamentally the same throughout its production, with improvements made along the way. A trailing arm front torsion bar system provided independent reaction to bumps in the front end. A swing-axle rear transaxle mounted to a pair of torsion sprung swing arms suspended the rear. This Speedster retains its numbers matching type 644 gearbox, stamped with “16350” as indicated on the factory Kardex. The gearset is indicated as BBAB. New synchros were installed in 2022 during the engine rebuild and the steering box was rebuilt in 2020, according to service records.

Based on a road test, the car steers and drives very well with no grinding from the transmission and smooth shifts. Braking is provided by four-wheel drums as standard. There is some blue gearbox fluid visible at the front of the transmission from a leaking shift shaft seal, a common issue.

The only options noted on the Kardex and the Porsche Certificate of Authenticity are the aforementioned coupe seats and United States bumpers. Four reproduction Mangels chrome wheels dated to 1997 are fitted to the car, including a chromed spare wheel housed in the trunk. All 5 wheels wear Vredestein Sprint Classic tires in size 165/HR15. We’d be pleased to locate a date-matched set of original wheels for interested buyers.

Supporting the history above, the car includes a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, factory Kardex, service records for major maintenance, an album of photos documenting the restoration, detailed notes from the restoration shop, the bill of sale noting the seller’s purchase in 1975, and a copy of the original Florida title. There is no toolkit included and the jack is missing its handle.

The opportunity to acquire a 2-owner Porsche 356 Speedster with a thoroughly known history, original miles and fully documented restoration is becoming rarer with each passing year. This 1958 356A Speedster’s 50 years of ownership, desirable color combination, and high-quality restoration that has stood the test of time place it among the upper echelons of collectibility. Thanks to its regular exercise on the Blue Ridge Parkway and recent no-expense-spared maintenance, this beautiful blue Speedster is ready to enjoy as intended.

If you are interested in this vehicle, inquire with us today!