Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500

The vehicle in detail

As the owners of Road & Track, John and Elaine Bond were no strangers to the highest-performing cars available in the 1950s. When John’s brother, Bill Bond, expressed interest in purchasing something more exciting than the cumbersome American sedan he was then driving, John invited him to attend the 1955 Import Auto Show at Los Angeles’ Pan-Pacific Auditorium. Upon arrival, Bill was immediately smitten with the white, sunroof-equipped Porsche 356 “Pre-A” Continental Coupe displayed by legendary dealer John Von Neumann’s Competition Motors. Not long after the close of the show, Bill was the owner of that very car—the same car RM offers here.
After four years of enjoyment, Bill Bond sold his Continental to a young Road & Track employee, William A. “Bill” Motta. Motta would go on to cherish chassis 54174 for the next four decades, using it as his daily driver and keeping meticulous service records stretching back to the 1960s. In 1998, 54174 was the feature of a multipage spread in Road & Track describing the car’s history and Motta’s adoration for it. In 1999, Motta sold the car to Bill and Carmie Casella, who commissioned a sympathetic restoration, which included new paint and chrome, refurbishing the interior, and a full rebuild of the car’s numbers-matching engine.
The Casellas would show the car extensively, including back-to-back First in Class finishes at the 2003 and 2004 356 Porsche Club Concours d’Elegance in Dana Point, California. After more than a decade of ownership, the Casellas sold 54714 to the White Collection in 2012, which continued the car’s fastidious care, including starting and running to operating temperature monthly.
Acquired by the consignor in 2023 and kept as part of his collection, this stunning Pre-A Continental Coupe, offered with a copy of its Kardex, service records dating back to 2000, period photographs, tool roll, and factory manuals, is ready to astound its next caretaker—just as it did under the bright lights of Los Angeles in 1955.