Porsche Speedster

Back in my car repair days I remember burrowing under the hood of a Mercedes 300 SEL. We called them by their engine size so it was known as the 6.3. If memory serves, it was the water pump that I was trying to excavate from the maze of hardware and plumbing. About three hours into the job my friend Chuck ambled up, peeked into the darkness of the engine bay and said “German cars are always over-engineered…except Speedsters.”

He was right. The Germans have always produced sturdy, interesting cars but seldom can they be considered simple.

The Speedster was the suggestion of Max Hoffman, Porsche’s first US importer. Hoffman’s New York showroom had been selling coupes and cabriolets for fairly high prices, but Max clearly saw the need for a sub-$3,000 sports car to counter the British imports that had been selling so well.

The car could be a bare-bones rag top with side curtains. After all, this is exactly what the Brits were offering and nobody...