On occasion, I’ll see classic race cars and wonder about the lives they’ve led. Were they dedicated to racing ever since they rolled off the dealer lot? Were they once much-loved family cars that, after years of service, were too expensive to restore and so became racers? 

I suppose in the grand history of vintage racing, there are thousands of unique stories. Today’s Good Find Friday is a car that likely has plenty to tell. While it has been featured elsewhere, we felt it was worth taking a closer look.

After the success of the Porsche 356 Speedster, sales began to decline by 1958. To attract buyers, the factory produced the Convertible D, which added roll-up windows and more creature comforts to the stripped-down Speedster body. This model was short-lived, however, being produced for only a year before its replacement.

In 1960, the 356B Roadster took the Convertible D’s place, adopting the then new T5 356 body’s more upright headlights and other features, but retaining the Convertible D’s creature comforts. Porsche 356 Roadsters are among the most desirable classic Porsches to own and therefore some of the most expensive.

For those of us interested in expanding our participation in the car hobby to include racing, the Sports Car Club of America sanctions numerous programs for both amateur and professional racers. 

At the end of each year, the SCCA holds a championship race meeting for competitors where national trophies are awarded for each class. It’s considered the “Olympics of Amateur Road Racing” and has been an annual event since 1964. Today’s find is a car that was raced in E Production way back in 1980, and can be seen mixing it up with other purpose-built race cars in the video above.

Owned and campaigned by Weldon Scrogham, this 1960 Porsche 356B Roadster is listed on Craigslist in Michigan as a non-running project car.

Weldon Scrogham was well-known in Porsche circles as the proprietor of G&W Motorwerkes in Virginia and an expert in the Porsche brand. He also built quite the reputation as a talented racer, even winning the Northeast Division SCCA Championship. Weldon passed away fairly recently but left his legacy to his sons, who carry on the Porsche-loving tradition of their father.

Evidence of this 356 drop-top’s race history is plainly apparent. A roll bar protrudes from the cockpit and flares have been grafted onto all four wheel arches for wider wheels. The car is now sporting a set of narrower disc brake wheels, which look a bit funny but at least make the old girl a “roller.”

The body seems generally sound and noted as rust free, but clearly has had a number of modifications, cut-outs, and reinforcements made to prepare the car for the rigors of racing.

While not currently mounted under the rear decklid, the sale includes a 1960 flat-four air-cooled 1600 Super engine, though it is completely unassembled down to the case.

As for the cockpit, it’s been completely stripped for racing. Even the Roadster’s elegant padded dashboard with eyebrow over the gauges has been banished. The pedals appear to be mounted—at least the brake and clutch—but the shifter has been removed with no sign of the linkage in the included parts. While the car does come with a fair number of spares, there are a lot of missing components that aren’t pictured.

The seller is actually another icon in the early Porsche community: Ron Roland. Ron literally wrote the book on Porsche 356 restoration, and knows what it would take to bring a car like this back to life as a restored street car. I have Ron to thank for an untold number of restoration projects I’ve tackled on my own 356C Coupe.

Ron’s incredible knowledge of these cars is one of the reasons we find the price so puzzling. One can find a running Porsche 356B Roadster race car for sale at a much more realistic price, such as this 1961 Porsche 356 Roadster listed for sale on Excellence magazine’s classifieds. 

Being a non-matching numbers project car, this car’s condition is a #5 or “restorable,” making its asking price of $125,000 hard to swallow. We can only assume Ron believes the noteworthy ownership history adds value to the package.

For my money, I’d retire the car from racing but attempt to preserve a bit of its heritage. While the factory never made such a car, I could see a “GT-style” 356 Roadster being quite the showpiece and one heck of a fun driver. I’d give the car its stock bodywork but retain the racy elements including the 356C disc brake setup and transmission. A Willhoit Restoration 2.2L rebuild of the Super engine would add a tremendous amount of punch over the stock 75 horsepower.

Interior-wise, I’d keep the finishing minimal, with perhaps GT-style vinyl floor coverings, a 911R or 904-style steering wheel and Speedster buckets mounted to the floorboards. 

Finally, we’d reproduce the racing stickers and numbers, placing them in their original positions on newly painted bodywork. What a vision that could be!

I stumbled upon a 356B Roadster with similar upgrades in much better condition, though it lacks the racing livery and sports-purpose interior I imagine. Unlike our featured car, this Roadster listed on Elferspot would provide instant gratification, but it wouldn’t have the incredible stories this car has.

What do you think? Anyone want to bankroll our vision for this old girl? We’d be happy to general contract such a build!

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisal and auction services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. We also provide importation services. Give us a call or drop us a line!