Those of you who know me already know that I love Porsche cars. Over the years I have had 28 different Porsches with the earliest being a 1955 Speedster and the newest a 2001 Boxster S. I enjoyed all of these Porsches immensely and have had the gift of driving just about every car in the entire Porsche catalog of road cars, however my single favorite of all is the 1959 Porsche 356A Convertible D.
The 1959 Convertible D is an interesting car in that it is quite rare and yet not nearly as expensive as, say, a Speedster. This is interesting, as having owned a Speedster I can firmly attest that the Convertible D is a better car in every way. How is the D better than the Speedster? Well it has the Speedster body shape but then combines that with roll up windows, comfortable seats, and a windshield that (while still low) is one you look through as opposed to over. The convertible D is a civilized Speedster that somehow loses none of the driving experience of the Speedster and actually improves it.
The Convertible D was a special one-year-only model built for Porsche by coachbuilder Drauz, offering very similar styling to a bare bones Speedster but adding just enough creature comforts to make it that much more enjoyable to drive. During the single year of production Drauz only built a total of 1,331 Convertible D cars making it one of the rarest production 356s. Compared to the total 356 Speedster production of 3,676, it makes the Speedster seem quite common. that being said a Convertible D is almost always priced 1/3 less than a comparable 356 Speedster.
Why you ask? Well as we all know this collector car hobby is not always logical and some things just do not always make sense.
The Pick of the Day is one of these amazing early Porsche cars, a 1959 Porsche 356A Convertible D being offered by a dealer located in Costa Mesa, California, on ClassicCars.com.
They describe this Convertible D is an example painted in its original color of Meissen Blue over its original red leather interior. The car received a comprehensive restoration in 2016. Shortly after the restoration was completed it was sold to a Porsche collector who titled it in Alaska, but always kept the car in his collection in San Diego, CA. While under their ownership, service and repair work was performed by Wayne Baker’s Personalized Autohaus until he retired, when it was then serviced by Black Forest Automotive. Receipts on hand detail a very thorough post-purchase inspection was performed by Baker after which many minor details were corrected.
After experiencing some difficulty with shifting, Baker rebuilt the gearbox with all new syncros, bearings, and a taller fourth gear. He also replaced the clutch, flywheel and axle boots. After Baker’s work, only oil changes and basic services have been needed.
The seller calls this car a well-sorted driver that is presented in its very desirable color combination and complete with a matching number engine. The car of course includes a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity that documents the color of the paint, the color and material for the seats, the chassis, engine, and transmission number.
Looking at the pictures they show a car that looks to be exactly as described, if not even a bit better than advertised. To me this looks like a strong #2 condition example that you could drive or show with success. As I said before the Convertible D is a wonderful car to drive and to me is the absolute sweet spot for 356 cars. I wish I had bought one 15 years ago when people were still largely unaware of how great these cars were and the prices were extremely low. That being said these cars are in my opinion quite reasonably priced, especially when you look at the Porsche market as a whole. Sure you can buy the latest special 911 model in a paint to sample color, but that car will not begin to be as cool as this Convertible D is. The asking price for this Convertible D is a very fair and market correct $279,500 or about the same price as a 2018 911 Turbo S Exclusive edition. Somehow this stunning Meissen Blue over red leather 356A Convertible D seems a lot more exclusive to me.
If you have been thinking of buying a reliable, easy to service, fun to drive, and truly analog classic Porsche, this 1959 Porsche 356A Convertible D is just the ticket.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
First car I ever owned. Sold it when I went to Vietnam for $1700, and made money. A sweetheart to drive.