We purchased this car in 2020 from a long-time 356 collector in Bochum who had owned it since 1977 and stored it indoors for over four decades. The car was complete and non-running, with visible rust but overall sound structure. It came with its original German papers and featured a rare manual sunroof. Prior to delivery, the previous owner had the car stripped to bare metal, inspected, and coated with green protective primer. He also provided a selection of sheet metal parts to support the restoration.
Disassembly began in March 2020, and the body was sent to Daniel Szewczyk from Classic Cars Renovation Poland (Instagram) for welding and paintwork. Most panels required some level of repair, though core structural components like the floor and torsion tube were largely intact.
The original matching engine and gearbox were rebuilt in-house to factory specification. All major systems – suspension, brakes, electrics, and fuel system – were restored internally with a focus on originality. The wiring harness was in excellent condition and retained, and the car remains on its original 6V system.
The complete interior was sourced from KHM (cabrio.de) following a recommendation from the previous owner. We opted to upgrade the material from leatherette to leather. All interior work, including installation of seats, carpets, and headliner, was completed in-house. To confirm authenticity, a Porsche specialist compared the chosen colors and materials to an original factory sample book and verified they were correct for the period.
The exterior was repainted in the original color using the car’s existing factory paint code and remnants of original paint found on the body as reference. Instruments, switches, and trim were retained and restored wherever possible, with only irreparable parts replaced. The manual sunroof was restored, and a period-correct radio was sourced from a Porsche specialist in Vienna. Chrome work was subcontracted and came to approximately €7,200.
We’ve invested over 1,800 hours into the project, excluding bodywork and paint. The majority of the work was completed by early 2022, followed by a long pause due to workshop capacity. Final assembly and road testing resumed in 2024.
At the time of writing, the car is near the end of its 500 km post-rebuild shakedown. We are performing a scheduled oil change and addressing minor issues discovered during driving – small electrical fixes, trim installation, and panel alignment adjustments.
The car can be delivered with historic registration prepared under FIVA in Slovakia.
So why is this car worth considering?
Originally delivered to the director of the Kronprinz factory in Germany – suppliers of Porsche’s early lightweight steel wheels – this car combines unique provenance with rare factory options:
- Golde manual sunroof – highly sought-after and seldom seen
- Speedster-style chrome side trim – rarely found on coupe models
- 75 hp “Super” engine, fully rebuilt, along with the original transmission
- Every component carefully restored, with original parts preserved wherever possible
- Original chrome parts re-plated to concours standard, even where new replacements would have been cheaper
- Reutter factory certificate, original German Fahrzeugbrief, and early Porsche specification sheet with first service records
- Comprehensive photo documentation of the restoration
- Will be registered on historic plates
- Delivered with a full mechanical guarantee
This early B-series car features the distinctive T5 body, with its single grille, smaller rear window reminiscent of the A-model, and slimmer rear section. These details give the T5 a more classic and refined appearance compared to the later T6 and C models.
Lightweight, nimble, and mechanically precise, this 356 delivers a genuinely enjoyable driving experience – refined yet responsive, comfortable yet engaging on any road.
This is a collector-grade 356 that retains its character and originality thanks to a restoration guided by preservation-first principles. It is offered by Stuart Garage, a classic Porsche specialist and experienced restoration workshop. Our work speaks for itself – view our portfolio on Instagram: @stuartgarage.
European delivery available. Presentation of the car can be arranged upon request at our partner Porsche workshops in Vienna, Munich, or Hamburg. Serious inquiries welcome.
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