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A detailed reconstruction

Now that Matthew was aware of what a special car he owned, he made the expensive decision to give it a groundup restoration. The car was delivered to Mckernan Restorations, a company in Brisbane, who agreed to do the restoration. Matthew would drip feed them money as he could afford it. Ninety per cent of the parts were there, and Matthew set about tracking down stray pieces such as air filters and Perspex sun visors. Apart from a small section of the floor around the battery box, which was easily fixed, the car was rust-free. The decision was made to retain the original six-volt electrical system as it was working perfectly, and it was doubtful that the car would do many night-time runs.

Bringing it home

Progress slowed when his family relocated for a short time to Suva, Fiji. While work continued in Australia, Matthew spent many nights in Fiji sourcing obscure parts, and this was when he found the air filters in their original 1956 packaging. His car was finished in time for Porsche’s 70th anniversary in 2018, and went for its first drive to Brisbane to take part in the celebrations. The following week, he entered it in the nearby Sanctuary Cove car show, taking out the top prize for best pre-1960 car, and then the top prize of the show as best car overall. Matthew and his family returned to New Zealand in 2015. After purchasing a 1905 homestead in the Wairarapa, they were finally able to bring the car, too.

The homestead had a room originally designated the ‘gentleman’s smoking room’. As smoking is no longer fashionable, and neither Matthew nor his wife, Vanessa, smoke, he decided to convert it into the ultimate man cave with a drive-in movie experience. One wall was removed and bi-folding doors installed that would allow the Porsche to be driven into the room facing a large-screen TV, hence the drive-in movie theme. This is where I first saw the car.

Definitely more than a conversation starter, the car has pride of place in the room and is easily the best 356 that I have ever seen. Despite being taken out for a spin on nice days, the car is still in concours condition, and the 1.3-litre engine started first time. The engine was clean enough to eat your dinner off.

The 356A is Matthew’s only Porsche, and it is still his and his daughter’s favourite car. His son, Harrison, is not as fond of this particular car as his sister. He prefers modern cars. Perhaps another Porsche project car is in the future, maybe even a Porsche 911, for a father–son project. As for Vanessa, she drives a late-model VW Beetle, and is content for the moment that her husband’s Porsche hobby only extends to one Porsche at a time.

The homestead had a room that had originally been designated the ‘gentlemen’s smoking room’