Formerly the property of The Rt Hon Alan Clark, MP
1960 Porsche 356B Super 75 T5 Cabriolet
Coachwork by Reutter
Registration no. 336 JGH
Chassis no. 153664
Engine no. 716702

Cabriolets had been manufactured right from the start of Type 356 production but the first open Porsche to make a significant impact was the Speedster, introduced in 1954 following the successful reception in the USA of a batch of 15 special roadsters. The Reutter-bodied Speedster was dropped in 1958 and replaced by the more civilised Convertible D, which differed principally by virtue of its larger windscreen and winding side windows. Porsche sub-contracted cabriolet body construction to a number of different coachbuilders including Drauz of Heilbronn, d'Ieteren of Brussels and its long-time collaborator and close neighbour, Reutter.

By the time the 356B arrived in September 1959, the car had gained a one-piece rounded windscreen and 15"-diameter wheels, and the newcomer's introduction brought with it further styling revisions. The engine, now standardised at 1,600cc, was available in three different stages of tune, the most powerful - apart from the four-cam Carrera - being the 90bhp unit of the Super 90. The 356B represents significant advances in driveability and comfort over earlier 356 models, and is a pleasingly quick way to enjoy the traditional Porsche values of quality, reliability and mechanical robustness.

Right-hand drive chassis number '153664' was completed at Karosserie Reutter in 1960 for Alan Clark, the outspoken Conservative MP, historian, diarist and motoring enthusiast. Clark took delivery at his Zermatt, Switzerland home where he was living while writing his first famous book about World War One, 'The Donkeys'. He brought the Porsche over to England in May 1962. The original old-style logbook is on file together with a letter from Alan Clark recalling his memories of the car. '336 JGH' was later sold to AFN, the UK importer, who have records of it in their archives. It is, reputedly, only one of eight right-hand examples of its type in the UK.

In 1968 the 356 was purchased by David Carnwath, who had AFN fit a new 1964 356C engine (number '716702'). The car had three subsequent owners prior to its acquisition by Michael Chadwick in 1990. He took the car to Peter Nardelli, who fitted side mouldings and a dashboard clock (both factory options in 1960) together with new 5.5" chromed wheels shod with 185/70 tyres. Peter also persuaded Michael Chadwick to have the engine fully rebuilt, commenting that Michael's was one of the best 356s he had driven. A full rebuild of the engine and ancillaries was duly carried in mid-1991 by Chris Mannion & Company to very high standard (see photographic record on file). At the same time a halogen headlight conversion and a reproduction Nardi steering wheel were fitted.

In 1993 a full bare-metal repaint was carried out and the car was then put into storage until 1996 when it was acquired by the current owner from Peter Nardelli at Tower Bridge Porsche. The car has been kept garaged since acquisition and is used occasionally, covering no more than 200-300 miles annually, mostly in the dry summer months. It has been regularly serviced, maintained and MoT tested. The vendor describes the Porsche as in generally very good condition and says that it attracts more admiration than any other car he has owned. A superb example of this rare classic, '336 JGH' is offered with the aforementioned logbook and photographs, sundry restoration invoices, MoT to February 2015 and V5C registration document.