The “European” designation of the US-market 356A was adopted following a lawsuit from Ford due to Porsche’s usage of the “Continental” name. The Reutter bodywork of this example was stripped to bare metal during the refurbishment performed by Deluxe Customs of Tempe, Arizona. Rust repair was performed, the trim was refurbished by Victor Miles Concours Refinishing, and a replacement trunk lid, nose, rocker panels, floors, and other body panels were installed prior to a repaint in the factory…
The “European” designation of the US-market 356A was adopted following a lawsuit from Ford due to Porsche’s usage of the “Continental” name. The Reutter bodywork of this example was stripped to bare metal during the refurbishment performed by Deluxe Customs of Tempe, Arizona. Rust repair was performed, the trim was refurbished by Victor Miles Concours Refinishing, and a replacement trunk lid, nose, rocker panels, floors, and other body panels were installed prior to a repaint in the factory shade of Aquamarine Blue Metallic (607). The car was originally fitted with sealed-beam headlights, and equipment includes a single decklid grill, quad taillights with LED bulbs, body-colored bumpers with aluminum guards, European badging, and a Hirschmann-style red-tip retractable antenna. Photos from the paint and bodywork can be seen here.
Silver-painted 15” Tecnomagnesio wheels are mounted with 165-width Vredestein Sprint Classic tires, and a replacement ZF steering box and rebuilt brake drums supplied by Martin Willis Machine Shop of Colorado Springs, Colorado have been installed. The car rides on Koni shock absorbers with a Willhoit Auto Restoration sway bar up front. The seller notes a recent brake adjustment and lubrication of the front suspension.
The seats were reupholstered in gray Connolly leather during the refurbishment by Autobahn Interiors of San Diego, California and the cabin features a matching dash pad, door panels, and blue square-weave carpets protected by black rubber floor mats. The locking glovebox houses an auxiliary cable connected to the rebuilt Blaupunkt push-button AM/FM radio. Various scuff marks on the front seats are visible in the gallery below.
An ivory-colored two-spoke steering wheel sits ahead of a body-matching metal dashboard housing rebuilt or replacement gauges sourced from North Hollywood Speedometer, including a 6k-rpm tachometer, a 120-mph speedometer, and an added combination display for fuel level, oil temperature, and oil pressure. The five-digit odometer was reset during the refurbishment and shows just under 6k miles, all of which have been added during current ownership. Total mileage is unknown.
The 1,883cc air-cooled flat-four was originally a Porsche industrial engine that was installed during the refurbishment and reportedly features a Competition Engineering machined case, LN Engineering “Nickies” cylinders housing 90mm forged pistons with Porsche 912 connecting rods, and dual Weber 44mm IDF carburetors that were sourced from Wilhoit Auto Restoration of Long Beach, California, along with the 6″ sport air filters and 4″ velocity stacks. A set of Solex carburetors, intake manifolds, and air cleaners will accompany the vehicle, and the seller notes a recent valve adjustment and oil change. Additional equipment includes the following:
The removed engine short block is included in the sale and displays stamping 60540, which matches the number shown on the Porsche Certificate of Authenticity and the Kardex as seen in the gallery.
Power is sent to the rear wheels through a Porsche 741 four-speed manual transaxle that was rebuilt in 2012 by Arizona Transaxle Exchange of Phoenix, Arizona and features a replacement nose cone along with a 200mm flywheel. Additional underbody images are provided in the gallery below, along with receipts from some of the aforementioned work.