It must have been a very special day in 1956 the new owner picked up his 1955 built 356 pre-A Speedster at Carton Motors in Pomona, California. Was this a totally new 356? Not really, as the odometer stood at 180 miles. How come you ask? The story goes that the first owner managed to loose the car in a bet whilst still on its first tank of fuel in the summer of 1956 to its second owner. The owner, Jay Greer, kept the car for another 16 years. It was not his first choice either, but delivery times for a black 356 were so long that he decided to go with this cream-white (code603) Porsche. In 1958 he decided to convert this car to his fulfil his big dream: a black Speedster. The car is then completely dismantled, right down to the last screw, including the wiring, suspension and anything else you care to name. Two long years followed of polishing, cleaning, painting en putting together with the greatest care and precision. Once reassembled is turns out to be one of the most beautiful Speedsters and Greer wins many a prize at shows and events. Greer himself described it in a 4 sided letter to the next owner: It has brought home a lot of silver!”. The car is used sparingly with the majority of miles clocked up in the first years, quoting Greer again “Most of the mileage was put on in those early years of wine, woman and rallies”. After 16 years it is time for a new chapter in this car’s book “The most original 356 in the world”. The car is sold on to Lindsey Hopkins, racing driver, racing team owner and one of the largest Coca-Cola shareholders. Hopkins is active in the IndyCar-series and is on a winning streak during that period. Apparently he also enjoys sports driving outside these weekends as drives the Speedster over a period of four years. During this time the original matching numbers engine is not fitted as it has been replaced by a faster 1,720 cc engine in the Speedster. After four years in 1976, the 356 meets its new owner who amazingly kept the car for the next forty years. This person thoroughly enjoys the car and deeply values its originality as no other. No restoration, just a question of dedicated maintenance. And so this owner sees this 356 becoming one of the most authentic Speedsters around today. In 2016 this Porsche lands on the doorstep of its most recent owner in the Netherlands. This car enthusiast prefers authenticity over shiny paintwork so fortunately this 356 has landed in safe hands. This Dutch owner took the original engine to Porsche specialist Kraan in Alkmaar where it was reunited with the rest of the car after being overhauled. He insisted that no change be made to its appearance thereby maintaining the car’s originality. Looking at the photos you can see his brief was carried out to the letter. A unique, preserved 356 in mechanical fantastic order, it does not get much better than that. All of this provenance is supported by the accompanying documentation, the original owner’s manual and many interesting other items, including the aforementioned letter. This 356 Speedster not only has wonderful provenance it is also in a unique state of preservation. If you are on the lookout for a shiny, perfectly restored car then we advice you to look on. The same advice counts if you are planning to restore this car. If, as previous custodians and ourselves, you want to endlessly enjoy this Speedsters purity we would be more than happy to invite over to Brummen in order to admire this car. Gallery Aaldering is Europe’s leading Classic Cars specialist since 1975! Always 400 Classic and Sportscars in stock, please visit www.gallery-aaldering.com for the current stock list (all offered cars are available in our showroom) and further information. We are located near the German border, 95 km from Düsseldorf and 90 km from Amsterdam. So easy traveling by plane, train, taxi and car. Transport and worldwide shipping can be arranged. No duties/import costs within Europe. We buy, sell and provide consignment sales (selling on behalf of the owner). We can arrange/provide registration/papers for our German (H-Kennzeichen, TÜV, Fahrzeugbrief, Wertgutachten usw.) and Benelux customers. Gallery Aaldering, Arnhemsestraat 47, 6971 AP Brummen, The Netherlands. Tel: 0031-575-564055. Quality, experience and transparency is what sets us apart. We look forward to welcoming you in our showroom.