In 1952, Maxie Hoffman, the most successful Porsche salesman in the USA, had the idea of bringing a light, open and particularly sporty version of the 356 to America and had the “American Roadster” developed. With its aluminum body, Hoffman can only sell 24 units. Only the “Speedster” made of sheet steel enables more cost-effective production and more sales. The “Speedster” is tailor-made for the rich youth of Los Angeles and Malibu and quickly becomes a toy of Hollywood stars. Since James Dean drove the Speedster, the most purist of all Porsches has become an icon of the Zuffenhausen sports car brand.
4144 Speedsters were produced between 1954 and 1958. According to the Porsche data sheet, this 356 A 1600 Speedster was manufactured in the 1957 model year for export to Japan. A few years ago the Speedster was extensively partially restored to its well-preserved original base. The vehicle comes from a German collection and is historically registered for road use. The driving characteristics are outstanding.
Maxie Hoffman, the most successful Porsche salesman in the USA, had the idea of bringing a light, open and particularly sporty version of the 356 to America in 1952 and had the "American Roadster" developed. Hoffman was only able to sell 24 units with its aluminum body. It was not until the "Speed-ster" was made of sheet steel that production became cheaper and sales increased. The "Speedster" was made for the rich youth of Los Angeles and Malibu and quickly became the toy of Hollywood stars. Ever since James Dean drove the Speed-ster, the most purist of all Porsches became an icon of the Zuffenhausen sports car brand.
4144 Speedsters were produced between 1954 and 1958.
According to the available Porsche data sheet, this 356 A 1600 Speedster was manufactured in the 1957 model year for export to Japan. A few years ago, the Speedster was extensively partially restored on a well-preserved original base. The car was part of a German collection and has a historic road registration. The driving characteristics are outstanding.