1959 Porsche 356 Convertible D

This car, Lot 474, sold for $109,760, including buyer’s premium, at Worldwide Auctioneers’ Auburn, IN, sale on September 2, 2023.

The Convertible D is part of the “sports” series developed to augment “daily-driver” Coupe and “luxury” Cabriolet variants. All regular production 356s used the same chassis and pushrod engines, with each model aimed at different market segments.

The iconic Speedster introduced for the 1955 model year presented a striking profile through a radically low windshield frame. It also saved weight with a rarely used minimalistic top, lighter seats, a simplified dashboard and removable plastic side curtains rather than roll-up glass windows. Think of the Speedster as the 996 GT3 of its day — a car you can sort of use on the street but is really a track weapon.

Back in the day, most local rules allowed you to unbolt the windshield, top and bumpers, saving even more weight. Stiffer shocks firmed up the ride, and a free-flow exhaust allowed better breathing at high rpms. This setup looked fabulous, as if you just returned from Watkins Glen doing hot laps.

Part of the enduring appeal of a Speedster was owning one; it telegraphed you didn’t just drive a Porsche — you raced one. And how cool was that? However, Speedsters (1955–58) weren’t terribly practical other than in the sunniest parts of the Western U.S., especially car-crazy Southern California.

The Convertible D’s odd name comes from the body maker, Drauz, with later roadsters also built by a Belgian firm, D’Ieteren. This variant has a Speedster body and chassis but with roll-up windows, a roomier (but still spartan) top, more-comfortable coupe seats and a beautifully sculpted chrome-framed windshield which, while taller, remained removable. It was often raced, just as Speedsters were. Porsche sold 1,331 Convertible D cars in 1959, with 356B Roadsters continuing the sports series in both T-5 (1960–61) and a small run in T-6 (1962) body configurations.

Upper class

The sports series models are considered among the most beautiful roadgoing 356 Porsches built. At first glance, the Convertible D and roadster look like a cabriolet with a smaller windshield, but the doors and rear cowl area are quite different. These small changes taken from the Speedster make Convertible Ds and roadsters look lighter, which they are, and sportier — as intended.

Speedsters have always been the most valuable with Convertible Ds and roadsters selling a bit above cabriolet money. A Porsche newbie may see lower production numbers of the Convertible Ds as a sign of potential value appreciation approaching Speedster prices. But over 60 years later, it hasn’t yet happened.

On the other hand, for a striking car you can drive in more than perfect weather, Convertible Ds and roadsters have always been great values. Porsche 356B roadsters add significant upgrades in mechanical bits, the most important being an entirely new and vastly improved transmission.

Facelifted

This particular example is a 356A that somehow acquired the front-end of a 356B. No, I am not impressed that a talented metalworker did the job. I don’t want a charming 356A Convertible D to look like a 356B. It’s the droopy, swoopy A front fenders that most enthusiasts find especially appealing. It may be unique to have B fenders welded onto the front of an A, but the front bumper, if mounted, will be awkward, as the 356B was designed for a much higher mounting point than the low-set 356A bumper. It all seems the creation of a mad (or perhaps slightly cheap) scientist.

The other issue here is that the engine does not match the Kardex. If we only saw the Porsche-issued CoA, it could be a mistake. But the Kardex is rarely wrong. It doesn’t matter that the seller thinks this is the original engine — let’s see the proof.

Likewise, the car was originally Ruby Red, but has been repainted Ivory. Why? It has also lost its original brown leatherette interior along the way for black.

We are told the car is “solid,” with a long California history but those of us who have owned genuine Golden State 356s know rust is common. Often it requires new floorpans, a new battery box, repairs to the bottom of both doors and the aft edges of the front fenders, replacement of the longitudinal reinforcements placed outboard of the pans, and more. And our on-site auction reporter called the undercarraige “rusty.”

He also said it was not running at the sale. Pricing this as a car needing lots of work to be driveable let alone correct, I’d say the seller was wise to let it go. Or we could leave this one in the corner of the warehouse as-is, hoping for future appreciation.

If you wanted a do-it-yourself project and don’t mind the “unique” period modifications, that would be okay too. But as a candidate for a full and complete restoration, I’d call this well sold. ♦

(Introductory description courtesy of Worldwide Auctioneers.)