Porsche 356 A 1500 GS Carrera GT

The vehicle in detail

Engine No. 90816
Transmission No. 15148
Body No. 913

This exceptional 1957 Porsche 356 A Carrera GT/GT Coupe, chassis number 100913, represents one of the rarest and most authentic competition Porsches of its era. Built specifically for competition with the legendary Fuhrmann four-cam engine and lightweight components, its authenticity is confirmed by original factory correspondence, comprehensive correspondence, and an award-winning restoration to the highest standards.

Chassis 100913 was completed on 25 June 1957 and delivered new to U.S. Porsche importer Hoffman Motors of New York on 28 June 1957. The car was specified in Silbermetall (Silver Metallic R 608) with Schwarz Kunstleder (black leatherette) interior, as one of only 26 Carrera GT/GT Coupes built in 1957, as per Porsche Carrera: And the Early Years of Porsche Motorsports by Rolf Sprenger and Steve Heinrichs.

According to its Reutter Certificate of Production and factory Kardex warranty card, the car was designated as “erleichterte Karosserie in GT-Ausführung” (lighter body in GT version), identifying this example as a true factory lightweight. As such, chassis 100913 left the factory with distinctive competition features including a lightweight interior, no undercoating, Plexiglas door, side, and rear windows instead of glass, Speedster bucket seats, no backrest on rear seats, no heater system, and lightweight bumper mountings. Additional competition components included a sport exhaust system which increased the type 547/1 engine’s output to 110 horsepower, and an 80-liter (21.1-gallon) fuel tank ideally suited for endurance racing. The Kardex notes that the car was also equipped with sealed-beam headlamps, original transaxle number 15148, and a factory-fitted limited slip differential.

The competitive career of 100913 began almost immediately after its arrival in the United States. Its debut came at the inaugural Virginia International Raceway (VIR) event in August 1957 with Dr. Dick Thompson at the wheel. Thompson, a Washington D.C. dentist known as “The Flying Dentist,” campaigned the car for Hoffman Motors, finishing 7th in its class in front of a crowd of 5,000. From August through December 1957, Dr. Thompson campaigned 100913 at multiple events including SCCA National Virginia on 4 August 1957, where he finished 3rd place; Montgomery Preliminary on 17 August 1957, finishing 3rd; SCCA National Montgomery on 18 August 1957, finishing 8th; Nassau Tourist Trophy on 1 December 1957, finishing 16th; Nassau Memorial GT on the same day, achieving 4th place; Governor’s Trophy on 6 December 1957, placing 13th; and Nassau Memorial Trophy on 8 December 1957, where he finished 10th.

In a 1978 interview, Thompson recalled: “The Carrera was brand new and was imported by Hoffman Motor Co. in New York. Hoffman outfitted the car with Webers and a gutsier cam. Probably the first Carrera fitted with Webers.” He continued to explain that the car’s close ratio gears were installed at the track by factory mechanic Heinz Beda prior to the Bahamas Speed Week races.

On 28 March 1958, chassis 100913 was sold to its first private owner, Michael Cappiello. Under Cappiello’s ownership, the car continued to race successfully in SCCA events from April through November of 1958, with documented competition at venues including Marlboro, Lime Rock, Montgomery, and VIR, consistently finishing on the podium. After its glittering racing career, chassis 100913 passed through eight further documented private owners from 1958 to 1988, with comprehensive correspondence on file documenting each owner’s endeavors to uncover the history of the rare lightweight. By the early 1980s, the car was in the hands of Glenn Herman, a PCA Manhattan Trophy winner and former head concours judge who corresponded with the factory in 1988, confirming its original build details.

Mike Curnow purchased the car from Glenn Herman in 1988. Curnow recalled in a 2022 Porsche Panorama magazine feature article (Issue 780) that the car was “in pretty nice shape,” and enjoyed driving it for a number of years before it “developed a starting issue.” Thereafter, the car remained largely dormant in Curnow’s ownership for the next 30 years, stored under a car cover in his garage.

The current Texas-based owner entered the picture in early 2014 and spent three years pursuing the car. After numerous visits and persistent negotiation, he finally acquired the car from Curnow in February 2018, emerging from storage for the first time in nearly three decades. He immediately commissioned a comprehensive restoration to the highest standards while prioritizing preservation of the car’s remarkable originality. Receipts on file from Speedsport Tuning totaling over $60,000 detail a full engine out service and cosmetic restoration performed by four-cam expert Jeff Adams, including valve adjustment, oil pump rebuild, clutch replacement, reseal, leak down and compression test, as well as restoration of ancillary components, shrouding, and hardware.

Specialists from across the country had a hand in the comprehensive restoration. Roy Smalley of Euroworks undertook the meticulous restoration of the original Reutter coachwork, still bearing the body number “913” on the front trunk lid, engine compartment lid, both doors, and door hinge covers. Palo Alto Speedometer renewed the instruments to factory specification. Christensen Plating Works in Vernon, California, executed the chrome work and plating. The transaxle was expertly rebuilt by Vic Skirmants of 356 Enterprises in North Branch, Michigan. The special lightweight interior was carefully trimmed by Autos International, Inc. of Escondido, California, while Mike Doyle supplied the proper interior materials.

The entire restoration process took nearly three years, faithfully returning 100913 to its factory livery with Silver Metallic paintwork and black lightweight interior. All of the original stampings also remain intact and verified, including chassis number 100913, engine number 90816, transaxle number 15148, as well as its special lightweight factory equipment. The car made its post-restoration debut at the 26th Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in 2021, taking first in the Sports and GT Cars class. It subsequently won the Porsche Four-Cam Class at the Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance in September, followed by Best in Class at the Hilton Head Concours in November of that year. Most recently, the Porsche’s originality and impeccable restoration were recognized at the 2024 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance where it won a Porsche Carrera class award, followed by a class win in “The Art of Driving Collection” at ModaMiami 2025.

Chassis 100913 presents an opportunity to acquire an exceptionally rare, factory-built Porsche Carrera GT/GT—complete with documented racing provenance and an award-winning restoration. Having campaigned at the inaugural Virginia International Raceway event and Bahamas Speed Week, and other period events, this Carrera GT/GT surely ranks among the most pedigreed early competition Porsches to reach the market in recent years. Bolstered by period factory correspondence and its Kardex verifying that it retains its matching-numbers drivetrain and lightweight equipment—chassis 100913 is certain to receive a warm welcome at concours d’élégance and marque gatherings alike.