Beginning in 1955, Porsche’s legendary Type 547 four-cam Carrera racing engine had the power and minimal weight necessary to show that a small car with a small engine could beat big competition cars with big engines. Offered in Spyder racing cars and, by special order, a few 356 street cars, the ingenious powerplant enabled the Porsche team and private customers to achieve countless victories worldwide. Over 10 years, the Carrera engine was the subject of continual improvement and refinement; the final iteration, built from 1962 to 1964, offered a reliable plain-bearing crank and increased displacement of 1,954 cc, which offered about 25% more power than the 1,500 and 1,600 cc four-cams. Only about 600 of these engines were built, one of which was installed in the 1958 Speedster offered here.

This remarkable 356 A Speedster had the good fortune of being the pet project of the consignor, a lifelong devotee of driving and improving highperformance automobiles. He developed an affinity for the early Speedster, the popular car that just 4,145 Porsche enthusiasts purchased during its 1955 to 1958 run. Of the 76,000 Porsche 356 cars produced through 1965, a mere 5% were Speedsters. Of those, only 151 were built with 1,500 cc and 1,600 cc Carrera engines, producing 100 hp and 110 hp respectively.

The owner began to envision that the ultimate Speedster would be one equipped with the final and much-improved version of the powerful race-bred engine. Beginning in 1992, with a bare-metal restoration of an intact 1958 donor Speedster, the owner sourced a two-liter Type 547/1 Carrera 2 engine with an unnumbered case.

Over the next 30 years, the owner continually drove this unique Porsche, upgrading and improving it to enhance not only the performance, but also its reliability, comfort, and convenience. After the car’s first 10,000 miles, the engine was entirely rebuilt and refined by respected four-cam expert Bill Doyle. Although the owner has no dyno data, the factory originally rated the Carrera 2 2000GS at 130 hp, which equates to about 14 pounds per horsepower, on par with the most powerful of the early six-cylinder road cars, the 911 S.

The Speedster features Carrera-style brakes with oversized alloy drums and lightweight, period-style TecnoMagnesio wheels, dramatically reducing unsprung weight. A removable roll bar adds torsional stiffness, and the Speedster’s suspension benefits from heavier torsion bars, and anti-roll bars make for a responsive but still comfortable ride. Cosmetically, the car incorporates a suite of Carrera GS/GT-style period features, including racing bumpers with alloy deco trim, 12-louver engine lid, and an aluminum racing-style fuel tank.

The interior features modified Carrera-specification instruments, a Carrerastyle steering wheel, as well as three-point retractable seat belts and a Bluetooth-enabled Alpine sound system that retracts behind the dash. Four of the nine hidden speakers are incorporated into the removable headrests that mount easily to the bucket seats, featuring the adjustability of Carrera 2.7 RS-style competition seats, which have been reupholstered in leather, in the Speedster style.

Today, after continual refinement, the owner reports that the factoryrecommended 5,000-mile break-in schedule of the engine after Mr. Doyle’s rebuild is complete. The Speedster comes with a space-saving Vredestein-shod spare, jack, Porsche reissued Carrera tool kit, and a set of factory driver and shop manuals, and a wealth of documentation of the build.

The owner is content that he has successfully realized his vision of the ultimate Speedster. Now well into his next project, he has decided to part with his treasured Carrera 2-powered Speedster, and the car will undoubtedly thrill its next driver-enthusiast beyond expectations.