1963 Porsche 356B Super Cabriolet – A Cooper Classic

Model History

In 1947, Dr. Ferry Porsche, son of the founding father Ferdinand Porsche, would embark on an engineering journey that would forever launch the burgeoning brand into sports car stardom. The idea began with Ferry wanting a roadster with very simple lines and a mid-engine that would be cooled via rows of air intake slots. Dubbed the 356-1, or Porsche #1, this design however was unsuitable for series production and the very next year work began on the 356/2. The one we know today.

Just recently we covered a piece on Austrian born businessman Maximilian Edwin Hoffman, the sole importer of Porsche cars into the U.S. beginning in the early 1950’s. In 1950, Hoffman, a car dealer in New York, traveled to the Paris Motor Show to negotiate terms with Porsche to convince them to sell their cars in America. The love affair for the 356 caught on quickly and by 1953 Hoffman was responsible for selling nearly 30% of all units Porsche could produce.

The 356 would see a few model designation changes through its life as well as great success in the States until production stopped in 1965. In 1955 the 356A (T1) Speedster was introduced with welcomed chassis improvements, a 1600cc engine and a new Type 644 gearbox. At the same time, aesthetics were improved by adding a curved windshield rather than the split or bent windscreen. For the 1960 model year, the B-series (356B) was introduced and brought with it external styling changes to the headlights and bumpers. Porsche reshaped the front fenders, gave it slightly more raised headlights along with larger, reinforced front and rear bumpers. New vents were added to the lower front valance to help cool the front brakes, and the front trunk handle was enlarged rather dramatically. Disc brakes finally appear in 1964 on the 356C series, along with the then powerful 95hp powerplant. By 1966, the 356 gave up its reign to the nascent 911 / 912 series and in total, approximately 79,470 Porsche 356’s were produced over the 16 year tenure.

Car History

Currently for auction is this numbers matching twin-grille Porsche 356B 1600 Super cabriolet chassis #157027. It is being offered by one of New York’s finest classic car dealers, Mr. Elliot Cuker of Cooper Classics in Greenwich Village. For over 40 years, Mr. Cuker has been entrenched in the collector car market dealing with some of the world’s preeminent automobiles…300SL Gullwings, E-type Jaguars, Ferrari, Lamborghini. Mr. Cuker’s cars are of the quality fit for a king, and, not surprisingly, he sold over 35 cars to the then King of Morocco.  And most recently, Mr. Cuker delivered a 560SL to the King’s son, who by the way, is the current King of Morocco.

Cooper Classics is world renown for the high quality of cars they represent, thus we are very excited here at Second Daily to be featuring this 356B Super from their collection. This iconic cabriolet is finished in Ruby Red over Black Leather. She carries only 83,000 original miles and only 8,000 miles since the engine was rebuilt to SC specs. The T-6 body style was introduced in 1962, and is most notable by the squared off front hood line and twin rear grilles. The car was fully restored to factory specs in 1985 and benefited from a recent refresh restoration earlier this year, which includes new factory Ruby Red paint, a complete engine detail, new interior carpeting, new top and a complete mechanical service. This 356B comes with documents dating back to the full restoration in 1985, a complete set of photos of the restoration, original tool kit (notable red handle screwdrivers pin this as an earlier T-5 leftover kit perhaps) and a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity indicating a build date of July 10, 1962.

Exterior

As mentioned previously, the car received a documented restoration in 1985. And as recent as this year, she received a refreshed restoration including new factory Ruby Red paint and a new top. The windows are crisply clear and free of cracks, the soft top rear window shows no markings or discoloration. All lenses present with no cracks, the front marker lights are properly U.S. spec clear matching the rear red/red combination lighting (Euro spec received orange marker up front, with red/orange combo in the rear). 

The simplistic lines of the 356 was the starting point for Ferry Porsche and his design team. The wide rear hips of a 356 carry well into the current 911 design. The panel gaps are perfectly aligned and the chrome presents as new. The rear badging is properly positioned below the dual-grille marque.

Wheels

The wheels show as new and wear proper Super-style Porsche spec hubcaps fitted from the factory.  The Michelin XZX spare is held into place by the leather strap as it should be. With the front bonnet raised, you get a glimpse of the rubber seals and they show no signs or wear or cracking.

Interior

Inside this cabriolet shows as new. The carpet was recently replaced and the black leather shows no sign of wear or tears The shift boot and dash are free of any apparent cracks. The door skins, seals, chrome finishes, knobs, all appear without flaws. The gauges are all clear, free of cracks or any apparent flaws.

It’s cars like this that make writing paradoxically boring and exciting at the same time. This 356B is truly stunning and must be seen to really grasp the impeccable condition.

Estimated Value

As with many of the cars we feature, proper valuing is difficult given the low production volume and the rarity of examples going to market, compounded by the wide-range of examples and conditions you may find. Cabriolets bring an approximate 3x increase over a comparable Coupe in today’s market.

Recent Market:

• 1963 356B 1600 Super Cab – Sold $165,000 (non-original color respray and non-rebuilt engine)
• 1963 356B 1600 Super Cab – For Sale $225,000 (matching numbers)
• 1960 356B 1600 Cab – Sold $168,000 (normal non-S 1600)
• 1962 356B Super 90 – Sold $145,000 (unrestored barn find, little documentation)
• 1961 356B Super 90 – Sold $245,000 (sold by Cooper Classics, full documentation)
• 1962 356B Coach built – For Sale $365,000
• Hagerty values place this car between $200,000 to $275,000

Final Thoughts

Although nearly 80,000 356’s were made in total, only 933 cabriolet’s ever made it off the production line for the 1963 model year. Meet one of the finest examples of those 933 you will ever discover, brought to you by one of the finest dealers you will ever encounter. The lines of the 356 did not change much throughout the 16-year production run, and because of the subtle differences it can be difficult to distinguish them even by experts. What is not indistinguishable, however, is how this Cooper Classic 356B clearly standouts in quality, condition and character. Register now to bid, examples like this do not come to market often.

Bid Now and Drive Fun Daily.

Bidding at Second Daily

Second Daily is an online curated auction house for specialty vehicles like you see here. Auctions run 24/7 and are 100% online. A reserve price has been set, so you must meet the reserve price with your bid in order to win the auction. If your bid is below the reserve, you may continue to bid until you hit the reserve price. The estimated value of the vehicle will give you an estimated indication of where the reserve price sits.

You may choose the style of bidding you prefer, either a Direct (exact) bid or Dynamic (proxy) bid which is the default. If your proxy bid amount exceeds the reserve price, it will only bid to the reserve. It will increment up to your maximum if someone bids against you. More information can be found on our How it Works page.

Disclaimer: We do our best to represent the vehicle from the information provided but this should not be implied as an inspection. Second Daily is not the owner of the vehicle and therefore we recommend as with any online vehicle purchase, as a potential buyer you should either arrange to visit it in person for a personal inspection, or hire a professional service to conduct a pre-purchase inspection. The full VIN number is given here, as potential buyers, you can perform your due diligence to determine if this vehicle meets your standards. Second Daily is not liable for the condition or contents of the vehicle. Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information.