Porsche
356 Continental
Key Facts:
- only made for one year, only available in the USA
THE CAR
Porsche 356 Continental
Like so many splendid marketing ideas, the Porsche 365 Continental was conceived by Max Hoffmann from New York – the man behind the legendary 300SL Gullwing, and the 356 Speedster. The idea was to replace the soon-to-be-discontinued 356 Coupe and Cabriolet with the new appellation “Continental”, particularly to emphasise their status as highly-developed European sports cars.
THE HISTORY
Manufacturer’s documents demonstrate that chassis #53692 was delivered by Max Hoffmann in June 1955. The car retains its original exterior/interior finishes of metallic graphite gray and wine red artificial leather, and its original motor and transmission.
Only the vehicle’s very early history is uncertain. According to the bill of sale, its owner of many years – Herbert Isono from California – sold the car to Gerard Auer from Amberg, Germany, in 1987. Because of the low rainfall on the USA’s West Coast, many older cars stay free of rust, and are ideal candidates for restoration. However, the new owner decided to ship the Porsche to Germany first, in 1993. On arrival in Amberg, the restoration began. A wonderful, classic photograph album minutely documents the detailed, very high quality work that was carried out. A concluding guarantee and diverse invoices also belong to the documentation.
After nearly two decades of loving care and use of the Porsche, Mr Auer decided to sell the car. In 2006, Karl Sachs was the next proud owner of this Continental. As the years went by, the vehicle was meticulously looked-after, serviced and also driven. The last owner, a Porsche collector from Munich, bought the car in 2011.
