This Porsche 356A Cabriolet Police Car is Just the Ticket

Sean Rooks | March 22, 2024

Classic Driver

An article I wrote featuring a 1949 VW Hebmüller Cabriolet revealed my personal fascination (OK, obsession) with European police cars, so it should come as no surprise that this week’s Good Find Friday is yet another German law enforcement vehicle. This time, it’s a Porsche 356 police car.

Unfortunately, detailed information on Porsche police cars is quite difficult to find. A 2020 article in Excellence magazine contains some of the most accessible information on the subject, but even the author of that piece lamented the lack of resources for his research. Time to start digging through old Christophorus magazines, perhaps.

The general consensus and factory talking points are that Porsches were selected by the German police for autobahn and highway duty for their reliability, speed, safety and comfort over long distances. Cabriolets were preferred over coupes as it was a European practice to stand and direct traffic from the safety of the interior. Later, after Porsche created the Targa roof, that model became the popular choice.

The Dutch state police or “Rijkspolitie” seemed to take quite a liking to Porsches as enforcement vehicles, with Porsche 356B and C Cabriolets making up the 1960’s fleet with longhood 911s, G-bodies, and even 964s being requisitioned for use over the decades. I’ve even seen 914 and 924 Dutch police cars, but in far fewer numbers.

The community of collectors in the Netherlands is pretty robust, even holding regular meetings for owners. The Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in 2022 ran police Porsches in their driver’s parade, which was quite the sight to see for this Euro police car fanatic!

Today’s Good Find Friday car is a 1959 Porsche 356A Cabriolet Police Car said to be built originally for the German Polizei of the North Rhein-Westphalia state capital of Dusseldorf. The car somehow made its way to Italy, where it is offered by the selling dealer as a restoration candidate.

The purchaser on the included copy of the Kardex is “Polizei-Beschafftungstelle” or Police Procurement Office, lending credence to the claim that this is an original German police car. 

Reviewing the photos, one can see other clear signs this was a police-ordered vehicle. For instance, the dashboard includes a series of switches and plugs typical of police vehicles. Unusually, the dash is covered in black vinyl, perhaps to prevent blinding with the top down. Unfortunately, there’s no view of the open trunk, which might house a long-distance fuel tank commonly fitted by the factory to Porsche police cars.

A set of auxiliary lights are body-mounted beneath the front hood, which is typical for the 356A Cabriolet police cars used by the Autobahnpolizei, but there is no sign of the bumper-arm mounted Hella siren horns seen in the historical photos, or the bumper itself for that matter.

The body appears to retain the holes for the forward-mounted mirrors of the police cars, but there is no visible sign of the mounting points for the blue police light or whip antenna on the passenger side.

Of note in the engine bay is an additional fat wiring loom snaking its way to the rear of the pan. They terminate into a couple of metallic boxes whose purpose is unknown. Perhaps some kind of relay for a rear-mounted stop light? 

Other included photos document the state of the car, which at a minimum shows surface rust on undercarriage and braking components. 

Restored Porsche 356 police cars do exist in the hands of collectors, but I have never seen a 1959 356A police car in any contemporary media or documentation. It’s possible that they are all squirreled away in private collections. Fortunately we have owners like Jerry Seinfeld who enjoy bringing their cars out of storage to bring smiles to a few faces.

Classic Driver

So what is something like this worth? Porsche 911 Rijkspolitie variants can be had in the $120,000-200,000 range depending on the model. Needless to say, Porsche 356 police cars don’t come up for sale very often. Classic and Driver wrote an article on a 356B Cabriolet purchased by the Dutch Police in 1960. Elferspot had a listing for a 1965 Porsche 356C Cabriolet also made for the Rijkspolitie but the sale price is not disclosed. That car is one of only 10 Porsche 356SC Cabriolets made for Dutch police duty that year. Those 10 Dutch Police cars were the last 356s ever sold, making them particularly special.

Elferspot

A 1965 Porsche 356 Cabriolet is listed on Classic Driver and claimed to be a police car, but its police equipment is long gone. The last police Porsche 356 I recall seeing at auction was a 1962 Porsche 356B Cabriolet “Rijkspolitie” sold by Bonhams in 2014. That car hammered for €235,750 including buyer’s premium. 

While €154,000 is a lot to ask for an unrestored Porsche 356A Cabriolet, this car is a precious opportunity to acquire an exceptionally rare Porsche that, once restored, could be worth a quarter of a million dollars or even more. If I had the funds, I’d be on a plane to Italy right now.

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!

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