Swedish title

Chassis no. 127697 Engine no. P 97369

• Sold new to Baron David de Rothschild by Sonauto

• High-quality restoration, impeccable condition, original engine

• Rare model, the most powerful 356 ever sold

• Owned by Valentin Kaiser for nearly 30 years

• Original engine and colour combination

• No reserve

 

This rare Porsche 356 Carrera 2 left the factory at the end of 1963 and was delivered in January 1964 to Sonauto, Porsche’s importer in France, who sold it new to Baron David de Rothschild. As its build card indicates, it was originally grey (6401 A) with a red leatherette interior. The car then showed up in northern France, before it was bought in 1985 by Valentin Kaiser, the director of the Porsche Classic Centre in Vélizy, near Paris. Kaiser confirmed that he bought two 356 Carreras on the same day from an industrialist in the north! He also confirmed that the car had its original engine but that the gearbox had been changed. He then restored the car in what he considered the most desirable specification: Signal Red with black leather seats. He kept it for nearly 30 years in a secure parking facility. It was there that Roberto Bertaccini of Cremonini Classic came across it and bought it. He had it transported to his workshop near Modena, where it was restored a second time, again to a high standard, with the car completely stripped down. The engine was sent to the Swiss mechanic Armin Baumann to be checked over and the upholstery entrusted to Ferraresi Interni Auto to be completely restored in red leather, in keeping with its original colour. The body was prepared by Cremonini and then repainted in its original shade of grey, 6401 A. Once the restoration was finished, the car was bought in 2014 by another collector, and then by Staffan Wittmark. In 2020, it was serviced by Porsche Haninge, in Sweden.

Today, this Porsche Carrera 2 C may be described as being in ‘concours’ condition. The bodywork and paint are perfect, while the interior is like new, with superb seats, a faultless dashboard with a period radio, wood-rimmed steering wheel and impeccable carpets. The spare wheel, jack, tool kit and a battery charger are present in the boot at the front, while at the back, the engine cover still has its ‘Sonauto - Paris’ badge. The 356 comes with a specially produced book relating its history, documentation concerning the car and a comprehensive set of photographs.

It bears repeating that the Carrera 2 C was the most powerful Porsche 356 ever sold, following on from the first Carrera 1500 GS presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1955. Introduced in 1961, it was fitted with the air-cooled flat-four derived from the 550, with twin overhead camshafts for each cylinder bank and a dual ignition system, here with a capacity of 2 litres. A genuine ‘customer competition’ model, it could reach 200kph, its disc brakes provided effective stopping power, and it remained easy to use thanks to the essential comfort features provided. Finally, it is an especially rare model, as only 436 Carrera 2s were built.

The example we are presenting has many points in its favour: excellent French provenance, previously owned by a prominent businessman and then by one of the leading Porsche connoisseurs in France, and in exceptional condition following a high-quality restoration, with its original engine and colour scheme. This makes it one of the most interesting Carrera 2 Cs on the market, which will not be lost on fans of the model.