1959 Porsche 356A Cabriolet; The Pur Sang “Pure Blood” (SOLD)

SOLD
The 1959 Pur Sang, “Pure Blood” Porsche  Cabriolet is a one-of-a-kind car with an intriguing story that begins the moment it was conceived. The Beutler brothers of Thun, Switzerland built this one-off Porsche Cabriolet for a very special customer in 1959: the Duke of Württemberg. In a totally unprecedented occurrence, Porsche remarkably supplied and sold a complete standard Porsche 356A chassis (No. 13011), to Beutler and the Duke Carl of Württemberg and approved this project. Duke Carl of Württemberg arrived with the chassis in Thun, then Beutler prepared a scale drawing, and together the two changed the lines of the fender and set a date for a fitting. It took eight weeks to build the aluminum body. As a 4-seater, the wheelbase was stretched 9.84 inches, an activity supervised by Porsche’s head of design, Erwin Komenda. Historically, the business of Carrosserie Beutler in Switzerland was custom body work. As builders of Porsche’s first Cabriolets starting in 1949, brothers Ernst and Fritz Beutler had long ties with Porsche from the carmaker’s early days in Gmünd, Austria. Ten years later, the Swiss artisans’ relationship with Porsche grew stronger with an idea for an open top 4-seater based on 356A underpinnings with a Beutler body. The mechanicals are identical to production 356A cabriolets including a 60-hp, 1600-cc air-cooled four-cylinder, four-speed gearbox, drum brakes, 15-inch wheels and independent front/rear torsion bar suspension. The Beutler bodies, for purposes of weight, were made in Swiss aluminum called Aluman, which was hand-pounded over tubular forms. Aluman was initially a smooth material that work-hardened with hammering. This made it quite suitable for Beutler’s assembly technique, butt-welding the panels by hand. “The Duke came once again to sit in the car,” Beutler explained, to check that he fit inside. “Because he was very tall.” So tall in fact, that Beutler had to redesign the convertible-top roofline to accommodate the Duke’s height. The Pur Sang sold for 26,000 Swiss francs (roughly $8,125), was finished in steel blue metallic with a beige cloth interior, and shipped directly to Württemberg. It was the last of the 4-seater Porsches in the “Beutler Style.” As a result, this unique Beutler Pur Sang is a remarkable moment in Porsche history that was never to be repeated. After several years, the Pur Sang was sold in the USA and went through many hands, including Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane, who owned it for nearly 10 years as she ran around San Francisco. In 1996, it was restored to show condition and repainted in its original steel blue metallic paint. The car’s burgundy interior appears just as it would in a 356A, save for the rear seat, which is more spacious than the back bench in the standard 356 Coupe and large enough to comfortably seat four. The Beutler Cabriolet Pur Sang completed the Colorado Grande successfully and also won its’ class at the Quail Motorsports Gathering in 2008. With its’ noble background and unique design, the Pur Sang marks an important moment in Porsche history. Road Scholars is pleased at the prospect of finding a permanent home in a major collection for this one of a kind, rare gem. Beutler – Porsche 2+2 (1958-62) Porsche No Beutler No Date 12335 1175 Dec 1958 13011 1182 May 1959 13030 1192 Nov 1959 13031 1193 ” 13069 1201 May 1960 13114 1213 Nov 1960 13175 1214 Nov 1961 Resources and information from: “Porsche Legends” by Randy Leffingwell “Excellence Was Expected” by Karl Ludvigsen “1959 Beutler Porsche Cabriolet” Autoweek by Jan Tegler December, 2006 “Feature Article from Hemmings and Sports & Exotic Car” by David LaChance June, 2009 “The Beutler Porsches” Porsche Panorama, Prescott Kelly July, 1990 Website: https://www.typ356.de/beutler/