Porsche 356 B 1600 Coupe by Reutter 1963 - World Of Classic Cars -

Porsche 356 B 1600 Coupe by Reutter 1963

Porsche introduced its first car, ultimately referred to as the 356, in March 1948. Volkswagen-supplied running gear, suspension, brakes, steering, and gearbox underpinned the car, while Porsche modified the engine with redesigned heads and a Solex carburetor above each bank of cylinders on twin-port manifolds. About 50 hand-built coupes and cabriolets were produced between 1948 and 1950, with the company soon finding itself in need of better facilities in order to grow and prosper.
Series production began in March 1950. Demand quickly exceeded the original quota of 500 cars, with the company reaching that number just one year later. By March 1954, Porsche had built ten times its original estimate.

Porsche 356 B 1600 Coupe by Reutter 1963

The 356 A introduced in 1956 was an update of the original design. Included were a curved, one-piece windshield, more specialized Porsche components, and a greater choice of engines. This model remained in production through the 1959 model year.
Its successor, the 356 B, was introduced in September 1959 at the Frankfurt Auto Show. It featured higher front and rear bumpers, a raised front fender line, and higher-placed headlamps. Porsche reasoned that the higher bumpers would protect the bodywork in parking situations, and to this end, larger vertical bumper guards were fitted. The license plate lamp was removed from the rear of the body and placed in the rear bumper upper surface with small dual directional lamps. Small air intake grilles similar to those for the horns were placed in line with the horn grilles beneath the bumper at each ends of the car. The year 1963 saw 356 B production total 9,692 cars.

Porsche 356 B 1600 Coupe by Reutter 1963

According to the Porsche factory Kardex this 356 B was built on August 27, 1962, and delivered new through Hoffman Motorcars in New York to its original owner, Edward W. Ver Hoef, of Rockville, Maryland. The car was originally finished in Silver Metallic with a red vinyl interior. While its subsequent ownership history is currently unknown, it is reported that the Porsche spent much of its life in California. It is currently fitted with a period-correct, 60-horsepower 1600-series engine and four-speed manual transmission, along with the highly desirable factory sunroof option.

Porsche 356 B 1600 Coupe by Reutter 1963

Prior to its purchase by the consigner in 2007, the 356 B was professionally restored by Classic Showcase in Oceanside, California, to a high-quality driver standard in its original silver color. At that time, the engine and carburetors were rebuilt, the car was treated to new brakes, clutch, and suspension, and the gas tank was restored. The car was stripped to bare metal and painted with a base coat/clear coat finish, then color sanded, buffed, and fitted with a new black interior.