1952 Porsche Type 540 America Roadster

This is an unusual example of a significant, yet somewhat mysterious early Porsche model, the enigmatic Type 540. It has taken decades for marque experts to unravel the numerous questions of the America Roadster, even including such basics as how it came about, who thought of it, and why its production was so brief.

Suffice to point out here that the America Roadster—of which perhaps eleven survive—was the model that began to establish Porsche as a street-useable marque also capable of being raced effectively. It provided the initiative, later acted upon by Porsche’s prime coachbuilder, Reutter, in creating the best-loved Porsche of the 1950s, the 356 Speedster.

So why so much mystery about this model? Partly because the car was never cataloged. Since it was intended only for American export, the model was not promoted within Europe. In addition, since Heuer, the coachbuilder, lost money on each body built, the...