Porsche 356 B 1600 Roadster

Even though chassis 87378 was a great driver-level car once it was finished, its most recent owner began the discussion with Bruce Baker about bringing the car back to its original Ivory and Red color scheme as was noted on the Kardex and Porsche Certificate of Authenticity. A deal was struck between J.P. Moore and its recent owner, and the Roadster was delivered to Bruce Baker’s shop in Pennsylvania in March of 2015. The car was once again completely dismantled and stripped to bare metal, and further metalwork was performed to make the body’s surfaces and gaps the best they could be prior to paintwork. The convertible top and interior were sent to Jim Quartermus to be recovered in red leather and the convertible top to be recovered in black. A pair of headrests were added at the owner’s request, and regular emails between the owner and Bruce Baker show the two discussing addressing the correction of numerous safety and mechanical items, including the suspension, braking system, and gearbox. At the end of 2018, chassis 87378 had been completely sorted by Bruce Baker and his team performing a mechanical overhaul during its reassembly. Wills Werks performed a complete gearbox rebuild in 2018, and has since covered approximately 200 miles since.

Today, chassis 87378 is still in excellent overall condition thanks to the care of its most recent owner. The care that Bruce Baker’s team took in its restoration shows to this day- the paintwork and bodywork is straight and is still in excellent condition, the body gaps are tight and consistent at each opening panel. The interior shows hardly any wear. The engine fires up with no hesitation and pulls strong throughout the rpm range,  and the type 741 gearbox shifts smoothly through each gear. Through and through, chassis 87378 is an excellent high-level driver example of the T5 Roadster that would be as at home on the show field as it would be on a spirited drive through a set of twisty back roads.