1959 Porsche 356 D Convertible from North America - Comments

The wiper motor failed.

The car's undercarriage was severly rusted.

The steering wheel is directly in front of you and is at arms' length.

The seat is on the floor so that the pedals are directly in front of your feet.

Your legs are on the floor.

It goes 60 MPH in 2nd gear and runs all day at 110 without overheating.

If your battery dies, you can start the engine with a piece of rope (included, with wooden-handle and a knot).

I sold it because I wasn't sure I could safely repair the rust damage. What an idiot.

I could not tell whether the author was happy that his feet were on the floor or that the steering wheel was at arm's length. I don't think I ever had my 1960 Super Roadster up to 60 in second because that is over the 5500 redline, but I'm glad to know that I could have run 110 all day and not overheated. According to the factory, the Super model topped out at 109, as I recall. I sold mine because I got a '64 SC and my father told me I didn't need two Porsches. Now my 19-year-old daughter is furious with me for having sold it. It was a great handling car.

Jock Ellis.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...So, I owned a 65' cab many years ago while in college (1972)...I gotta' tell you guys that I think about it almost everyday... Really!

Not a lot of problems except for the usual rust on undercarriage. Actually, I drove it everyday for three years and never tired of it. It was hit from behind by a drunk driver and totaled, but I received almost $ 5,000 in total compensation...But, I still miss her...

Regards to all,

John W Durkin

Makati City

Philippines.

I own a 1959 356A Convertible D. There is no way that, with the stock motor ("Normal" or "Super"), it will do 110mph "all day" or even for one second. It might break 105mph downhill with a tailwind, but you'd be at redline. Also, with stock motor and gearing it will definitely not go 60mph in second gear unless you are determined to blow up the engine.

Some of the other comments make no sense to me. "The steering wheel is directly in front of you..." - I believe that is the case for every automobile, not just vintage Porsches.

The idea of starting the engine with a piece of rope and a wooden handle is ridiculous, and such items were never included when the car was new.

I'm not even convinced this person is talking about 1959 Porsche. Maybe they got it confused with something else.

Old Porsches are notorious for rusting. However, given today's prices for the open cars (Speedsters, Ds, Roadsters, Cabriolets) they are worth restoring, as in very good condition they go for $40,000 to over $100,000 in some cases. It varies depending on the model and condition.

At the risk of sounding offensive to the first author, I totally agree that a stock standard 356 of any year (1948 to 1965) would not handle 110 MPH all day or even do 110 unless it was pushed off a cliff and reached it's terminal velocity. I drive my 356A Carerra (1956) weekly and it couldn't get near these speeds without overheating even though it once spent time as a race car. I have taken the time to write this down in case any would-be James Dean's out there are willing to put there engines on the line to see if they can match it. Don't even try unless you have spare push rods, crank casings, gaskets and a truck load of cash to rebuild a 356 engine. Drive her hard every now and then then, but don't red-line it. Enjoy your 356 for your whole life... then pass her down to someone else who will take the same care of her.

Greg Australia.

I agree that the rope and wooden handle are fantasy. However, with respect to the speed, I had a 1960 356B Normal which was the base model 1600 cc (60 HP DIN I believe) and it would top out at 103 mph indicated. I raced a friend with a 67 MGB for about 30 miles one day and we were both running flat out on the freeway the whole way. I think the Super 90s were good for about 117. And yeah, I still think of my old 356 over thirty years later.