Porsche Speedster expected to fetch £300,000+ at auction

A rare Porsche 356 Speedster is among the star attractions at an upcoming auction of classic cars with a price estimate north of £300,000.

Described as one of the most collectable Porsches in the world, the 356A Speedster was a lightweight trackfriendly version of the German firm’s earliest sports car. The 1958 model being put up for sale at the Race Retro Limited auction on February 23 is one of only 555 356 A Type 2 Speedsters built in the final year of production. The silver two-seater with red leather interior is a full matching numbers car, with the original engine and gearbox, and is expected to fetch between £280,000 and £320,000.

As a Speedster model, the sale car features a low-cut removable windscreen, lightweight body, minimal folding top and side curtains in the place of windows. The minimalist interior includes a large, two-spoke steering wheel, lightweight racing style bucket seats and very little else.

The weight saving is probably just as well since the air-coold 1.6-litre flat-four engine produces a meagre 60bhp.

The car was sold in New York in 1958 and spent most of the intervening 60 years in the United States before being bought by a British collector in 2015. Following its sale, the car was converted to right-hand drive by JD Classics.

It has spent the last few years in storage but will now form part of a sale of classic motors at Silverstone Auctions’ upcoming Race Retro Sale on February 23 at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry.