1964 Porsche 356C Carrera 2 Coupe

In August of 1954, the four-cam engine was fitted in a 356 for the first time using a leftover Gmünd coupe aluminum body shell and built to be an ultra-lightweight competition car. The 356 SL (Superleicht) was campaigned shortly after its completion in the most demanding rally race of its time, the Liege-Rome-Liege rally. At the conclusion of the four-day-long nonstop race, the 356 SL had taken the overall win and convinced Ferry Porsche that the Typ 547 engine was durable enough to be offered in a road car. Just two years after the Typ 547’s first test in a 550 and a year after the 356 SL’s outright victory, the 356 “GS” versions were offered to customers. It offered a 33% increase in power and driving excitement that was unmatched but at a price of nearly double that of its pushrod-engine-equipped siblings. Of the roughly 76,000 356s built over the years, fewer than 1,000 of them were fitted with the “Carrera” four-cam motors. Over the following years, the four-cam engines underwent several revisions for specific applications, as well as to improve reliability and power output. Beginning in 1962, the 130 horsepower, plain-bearing 2,000cc Type 587/1 engine was implemented in the Carrera 2s. These 4-Cam engines were the ultimate evolution of Dr. Furhmann’s legendary engine design. The Carrera 2 represents the culmination of Porsche’s racing technology fitted into a road car package and the ultimate performance-first sports car in the 356 model lineup.  

This 1964 356C Carrera 2 Coupe chassis number 130163 was completed at the factory on June 3rd, 1964. It was ordered through and delivered to Max Hoffman’s New York City showroom on June 19th, 1964 to its first owner Richard O’Neill from Paramus, New Jersey. It was configured with Light Ivory paintwork with a Black leather interior with the rare sunroof option, driver and passenger side headrests, chrome-plated wheels, a Blaupunkt Frankfurt radio and two loudspeakers, and an antenna. The incredibly rare Carrera 2 service book has stayed with chassis 130163 since new and states that this special electric sunroof coupe was processed by Hoffman Motors in NYC on July 31st, 1964. It was delivered to Hoffman Motors with just 20 miles on the odometer. Chassis 130163 is one of just 101 356 C Carrera 2s believed to have been constructed between 1963 and 1965. It’s also one of approximately 30 examples fitted with the electronic sunroof of the 310 Carrera 2s produced in total.

Mr. O’Neill had the Carrera 2 serviced by Essex Sports Car, Inc in South Orange, New Jersey. The last coupon used in the factory service book was filled out on June 11, 1965 with 15,972 miles on the odometer. Glen Hermann from Branchburg, New Jersey became the second owner of chassis 130163 in 1985. He used the Carrera 2 sparingly during his ownership and eventually sold the car to its third and final owner in Austria, whereupon the car was restored by well-known Porsche restoration shop Vehicle Experts Manufacktur in Hungary. Florian Scheuer and his restoration team at Vehicle Experts documented their meticulous restoration in a comprehensive book that details all of the original panels, drivetrain, and equipment retained throughout the process. Today, chassis 130163 retains a long list of its original components including the doors, front trunk lid, engine lid- all stamped with the last three digits of the chassis numbers confirming their originality, original date stamped chrome wheels, the Eberspacher heater that was delivered new with the car, the Blaupunkt Frankfurt Warranty book that was originally coded for 130163, and the complete Carrera 2 tool kit with the rare Four-Cam tools from the factory. Also included are a number of original pieces of literature, including the Porsche Carrera 2 Factory Manual, Carrera 2 Service booklet, Porsche 356C Driver’s Manual, Varta Battery Warranty booklet, and Eberspacher manual. 

Today, these cars are prized by enthusiasts and collectors for their heritage, rarity, and significance in Porsche history as the ultimate performance-first sports car in the 356 lineup. Chassis 130163 is an opportunity to acquire a numbers matching, original drivetrain Carrera 2 with the desirable and rare optional electric sunroof that has gone under a very well-documented restoration process.