Chassis No. 159548
Engine No. 97118
Few engines can be credited with establishing a marque’s racing reputation the way the “Fuhrmann four-cam engine” put Porsche on the map in international sports car racing. The ingenious design by Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann paved the way from the long-running, Volkswagen-based four-cylinder pushrod engine towards an all-conquering, Le Mans-winning racing engine. First utilized in the fabled aluminum-bodied 550 Spyder, the “Type 547” engine and its derivatives were characterized by two overhead camshafts per cylinder bank which were controlled via vertical shafts with angular gears. The new design produced an impressive 110 horsepower in its first iteration, powering the 550 Spyder to a one-two finish in the 1,500 cc class at the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans, followed by a class win at the Carrera Panamericana later that year.
Dubbed the “Giant Killer,” the spectacular 550 Spyder had proven the Type 547 engine to be a mechanical masterpiece, so much so that Ferry Porsche was convinced to begin offering it in Porsche road cars. The 356 A was the first road-going Porsche to offer the four-cam engine as an option, bearing the prestigious “Carrera” lettering on its engine lid, paying homage to the marque’s class victory at the final Carrera Panamericana race in 1954. Over the next several years, the Carrera nameplate would come to signify the most expensive and powerful production engines to hail from Zuffenhausen, with the 2,000 cc, 130 horsepower “Type 587/1” Carrera 2 engine becoming available in the “T6” 356 B from 1961. By 1963, the 356’s successor, the 901, was set to make its debut at that year’s Frankfurt Auto Show as the 356 rounded out production with its final revision, the 356 C. The Carrera 2 engine remained unchanged from the 356 B, enabling a top speed of almost 130 miles per hour while four-wheel ATE disc brakes and a rear transverse leaf suspension ensured the 356 C Carrera 2 was the most refined and best-performing iteration of Porsche’s original sports car.
Across the whole of 356 production, approximately 76,000 examples were built, with just 3,265 of those being the final, most refined 356 C in open-top Cabriolet form – the most expensive body style when new. Of those, a mere 30 356 C Cabriolets were optioned with the coveted Carrera 2 engine as per Sprenger and Heinrich’s Porsche Carrera four-cam book, making this 1964 356 C Carrera 2 Cabriolet the most expensive 356 offered when new and a truly rare specimen today.
A left-hand-drive example hailing from the penultimate year of production, a digital copy of its factory Kardex warranty card shows that this Carrera 2 Cabriolet was completed at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen factory on 8 November 1963, in Rubinrot (Ruby Red – 6402) paintwork with a Schwarz (Black) leather interior. The Kardex also notes that the car was originally equipped with chrome-plated wheels mounted with Dunlop tires. The red Cabriolet’s first owner is recorded as none other than Robert “Bob” Estes of Los Angeles, California – prominent car dealer, racing driver, team owner, and later in life, devoted car collector. A dedicated enthusiast with roots deeply entrenched in Southern California’s car culture, Estes ventured into the automotive business after World War II by founding Bob Estes Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Inglewood, California. This endeavor allowed him to fund an illustrious career as a team owner which included 13 entries in the Indianapolis 500 from 1948-1960, a Class C land speed record in 1952, numerous AAA Midwest Sprint Car victories with driver Pat O’Connor, and competitive entries in everything from Carrera Panamericana to the Mobil Gas Economy Run. In 1955, Estes expanded his dealership business to include imports, opening Precision Motor Cars – later Estes-Zipper Porsche Audi – on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California with his associate Otto Zipper. The Precision name would also become well known on American racing circuits as the Estes-Zipper team campaigned Porsche 550 Spyders to numerous wins with driver Ken Miles behind the wheel, including an overall victory at the 1959 Examiner Grand Prix at Pomona.
With such success fielding Porsche’s most advanced four-cam racing engine of the era, it’s no surprise that Estes opted for a Carrera engine in his own 356 C Cabriolet for off-track use as well. Although it is not known how long Estes retained chassis number 159548, the Cabriolet’s place in his collection of significant models no doubt reflected the quality of the Porsches he chose to race and sell in his showroom. The Carrera 2 Cabriolet would eventually come into the ownership of Warren Eads, a prominent collector of rare Porsches based in Southern California. Under Eads‘ ownership, the Carrera 2 Cabriolet underwent a thorough restoration during which it was restored to “as-delivered” Ruby Red exterior paint and trimmed with new beige hides by Jim Rinker and Autos International respectively. It is noted by the consignor that during restoration, ex-Brumos mechanic and renowned four-cam specialist Paul Willison of Willison Werkstatt conducted a complete rebuild of the current 2,000 cc four-cam using original components supplied by Eads.
The Carrera 2 has remained impeccably preserved since its restoration, housed in recent years in a prominent Northern California-based Porsche collection. This exceptionally rare Porsche is now presented in its wonderful original paint scheme, made even more exclusive by its black-finished Reutter hardtop with a built-in electric sunroof – an extremely rare period accessory. Other rarely seen period accessories include a front trunk mounted gas-powered heating unit as well as a chromed luggage rack affixed to the rear decklid – all combining to make this one very well appointed 356 both from a comfort and a performance standpoint. Chassis number 159548’s tremendous rarity and beautiful restoration by those well-versed with the model, combined with its fascinating provenance linking it to a legend of the American racing scene, make it one of the most interesting and noteworthy examples of the ultimate 356 variant available today.
