1954 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500 Coupé
Coachwork by Reutter
Registration no. 937 YUX
Chassis no. 51451

Although Ferdinand Porsche had established his independent automotive design consultancy in the early 1930s, his name would not appear on a car until 1949. When it did, it graced one of the all-time great sports cars: the Porsche 356. The work of Ferry Porsche, the Type 356 was based on the Volkswagen designed by his father, Ferdinand, and like the immortal 'Beetle' employed a platform-type chassis with rear-mounted air-cooled engine and all-independent torsion bar suspension.
Having commenced manufacture with a short run of aluminium-bodied cars built at the Gmünd, Austria-based old sawmill, Porsche began volume production of the steel-bodied 356 Coupe at its old base in Stuttgart, at first in premises shared with coachbuilders Reutter and then from 1955 in its original factory at Zuffenhausen. In 1951 a works car finished first in the 1,100cc class at the Le Mans 24 Hours, thus beginning the marque's long and illustrious association with Le Sarthe.
Constant development saw the 356's engine progressively enlarged, with 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre units first becoming available in 1951. In 1952 the original split windscreen was replaced by a one-piece bent screen and a Porsche synchromesh gearbox adopted. 1955 marked the arrival of the revised 356A, the newcomer being readily distinguished by its curved windscreen and 15" - down from 16" - wheels.
Sold new via Hoffmans, New York, production was completed on 20th November 1953. Delivered new in May 54' chassis 51451 was finished in Adria Blue, R509 and De Lux USA finish optional equipment. Delivered as a 1500S, (current engine details see text ) this example is not to be confused with the 1100 or 1300 examples.
This car was built by a Dario Calandra and formed part of his collection in Canada. Dario, a close family friend of Rod Emory. Rod commented.... We had a hand in the building of this car, it is a very neat car, Dario did a wonderful job building it in the same spirit of the cars we build so much so we awarded it with the honorary Emory badge on completion. Within the 356's history file is a photograph of the car at Emory Motorsports.
Imported to the UK in 2013, the car was bought to use, and the previous keeper spent much time making this already addictive fast road car as reliable and useable as possible. The original engine was removed, and 51451 was fitted with a super 90 engine, bored out to 1800cc. It now develops close to 125bhp and is paired to the cars original four-speed transmission.
Despite its low-slung stance, suspension upgrades took the previous keeper many years to perfect. It now performs compliantly well on A roads, and on motorways. The car boasts a host of very rare and desirable period extras, which include; a Carrera fuel tank with racing style bonnet access, Bosch driving lamps, leather bonnet straps, aluminium Carrera mounted wing mirror, a black half-roll cage, Speedster seat for the driver & the passenger's seat is in the style of the original mechanics seat from a Porsche 550 also included is plexiglass quarter glass windows, brakes were also upgraded to 60mm Carrera GT-spec drums ,Carrera style drop door glass, Racing harness, fire extinguisher, rear seat delete , a quad-exhaust exit system and much more. The decals are self-adhesive and can easily be removed. Works were carried out by Border Reivers.
Sold to the current keeper 2020 for in excess of £300,000, these early 'Pre-A' Porsche 356 models are today considered some of the most collectible and rare Porsche cars ever produced and are admired for their pure and clean design. This stunning example is both quick and well prepared, offering it new owner the opportunity to benefit from the development of its well-known and respected previous keepers.