Description:

Highlights

This car is on view as part of our ‘For the Love of Porsche sale’. This car is currently on view at Boxengasse and will be on view during the Megaphonics event weekend 1-2 August. 

• Genuine 1955 Pre-A Porsche 356 Speedster: the 344th Speedster to leave the Zuffenhausen factory  
• Emory Outlaw build with SCCA competition logbook signed by both Rod and Gary Emory
• Ten documented SCCA starts between 2004 and 2010, including entries by Rod and Gary Emory
• Eligible for the Mille Miglia by virtue of its 1955 factory credentials
• In current ownership for over 14 years, maintained by a marque specialist with 25 years' experience

The Appeal

The Pre-A Porsche 356 Speedster occupies hallowed ground in the sports car world: fewer than 1,250 were built, and genuine survivors with documented histories are vanishingly rare. When that history includes a transformation by Emory Motorsports, the most revered name in the Outlaw 356 movement, the result is a car that commands attention.

Chassis 80344 was completed at Zuffenhausen on the 3rd of March 1955 and delivered new through the famous Hoffman Motors of New York in Speedster Blue. Around 2003–2004, Rod and Gary Emory were commissioned to build it into a purpose-built competition car, and the SCCA logbook that accompanies it records ten starts at the Pacific Northwest's most prestigious historic events. Both Rod and Gary Emory took the wheel in competition, a detail that speaks to the car's capability and the regard in which it was held by its builders.

Since arriving in the UK in 2012, the car has been in the hands of a 356 specialist, who fitted rubber suspension and engine mounts, a 12-volt charging system, lights, and indicators to bring it into road-legal compliance. It has been enjoyed on hill-climbs, track days, tours, and the occasional trip to the pub. The paintwork, now over two decades old, carries the honest marks of a car that has been driven rather than displayed. As a 1955 Speedster, it importantly qualifies for the Mille Miglia by right of its factory credentials and is potentially eligible for Goodwood and other major historic events.

For those seeking a 356 Speedster with genuine Emory provenance, a serious competition record, and the character that only comes from honest use, chassis 80344 has it all.

History and Paperwork

• Factory completion date: 3rd March 1955, with Porsche factory completion certificate present
• Originally delivered through Hoffman Motors, New York, in Speedster Blue
• Original specification included miles odometer and sealed beam headlights
• Emory Motorsports Outlaw build commissioned circa 2003–2004 by then-owner Walt Cox of Lacey, Washington State
• SCCA competition logbook present, documenting ten starts between 2004 and 2010, with signatures from Rod and Gary Emory
• Imported to the United Kingdom on 26th April 2012
• In current ownership since 2012, maintained by a 356 specialist with 25 years' experience in the marque
• Extensive history file accumulated over the car's 71-year life
• MOT/road tax-exempt

SCCA Logbook — Recorded Starts:

• 15 May 2004 — Spring Sprints, Seattle/Pacific · Walt Cox
• 2 July 2004 — NW Historics, Seattle · Walt Cox
• 1 July 2005 — NW Historics, Seattle · Walt Cox
• 30 July 2006 — NW Historics, Seattle · Gary Emory
• 3 July 2008 — NW Historics, Seattle · Emerson
• 11 July 2008 — Portland Historics · Rod Emory
• 4 May 2009 — Spring Sprints, Seattle · Emerson
• 2 July 2009 — NW Historics, Portland · Emerson
• 10 May 2010 — Spring Sprints, Seattle · Emerson
• 1 July 2010 — NW Historics, Portland · Emerson

The Condition

• Emory Outlaw build with roll cage and stripped interior, configured as a competition car
• Paintwork dating from the Emory build, now approximately 22–23 years old, showing signs of use consistent with a car that has been actively driven and campaigned
• Flyscreen fitted; an original full-height windscreen can be fitted in its place but does not accompany the car
• Rubber suspension and engine mounts fitted for UK road compliance; original solid competition items are retained and accompany the car
• Working lights and indicators fitted for road use
• The vendor describes the car as honest and ready, noting it is not a concours or show car

This is surely among the most visually arresting cars to ever grace the road. Emory Motorsports took the 356 concept and dialled it up to eleven, creating a machine that is as purposeful as it is beautiful. The vendor notes: "the brief was unambiguous: not a show car, not a concours restoration - a race car."

Commensurate with age and use on the road and race track, this Speedster has accrued a gentle patina which suits it down to the ground. Here is a car the new owner shouldn't be afraid to drive in the way its makers intended, while still being a thing of undeniable elegance to behold every time you open the garage door.

The Mechanics

• 1.5-litre flat-four engine with twin carburettors, as originally specified from the factory. Non matching. 
• Engine inspected and reported to be within specification
• The vendor reports the engine fires immediately, idles cleanly, and pulls strongly throughout the rev range
• The vendor describes the car as remarkably easy to drive, including in traffic - not your typical race engine
• 12-volt dynamo and charging system fitted during UK road-compliance work

The wonderful thing about this 356 is that despite it being a race car at heart, it is eminently usable on public roads. Various minor modifications were made upon arrival in the UK to meet road registration regulations, and the vendor notes that the engine remains tractable for road use and eminently capable of dealing with traffic. All these points make this car supremely usable, unlike so many track-focused cars, especially of this age. It deserves to be driven as much as possible.

Interested parties should note that cars need to be cleared from Boxengasse storage on 10th August. Unless otherwise instructed by 9am on the 10th August, all movements will be carried out by Indigo Blue European who are contactable on +44 (0)1420 477223 . The clearance / uplift to store price is £375 + VAT per car, storage would be £15 + VAT per day thereafter for the first 7 days then £45 + VAT per week. Delivery to your door is negotiable please do contact Indigo Blue European for a transport quote. 

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