Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500S Reutter Cabriolet, 1952
Chassis No.: 15051 • Exterior: Strawberry Red • Interior: Sand Beige • Body: Cabriolet • Finished in Strawberry Red with Sand Beige interior • Kardex copy and Certificate of Authenticity • Air-cooled 1500cc flat 4-cylinder engine • Engine no. 40058 • 4-speed manual transmission • Dual carburetors • Telefunken radio • Black soft top • Bent windshield • Steel wheels with chrome hubcaps Emerging in 1948 from a converted sawmill in Gmünd, Austria, the first Porsche Type 356—a midengine roadster—established an industrial and racing dynasty and soon created an everlasting sensation among sporting drivers worldwide. By 1950, much-improved versions were being built in Zuffenhausen, Germany, and sales soon began to grow in the crucial and robust American sports car marketplace, thanks in no small part to the tireless efforts of New York City-based European-car importer Max Hoffman. For many drivers, a sporting European grand-touring automobile required an open body style with a refined interior, spurring production of Porsche’s first series-produced 356 Cabriolets in 1950. While the Gläser coachworks in Dresden produced 33 examples that year, Karosseriewerk Reutter of Stuttgart built five. Cabriolet production rose the following year and Reutter would go on to assume all 356 Cabriolet body production by 1954 and continue enjoying its favored status with Porsche through the end of the 356 series in 1965. Both luxurious and relatively expensive, the 356 Cabriolet model enjoyed popularity with touring drivers, and its fixed windshield, snug multi-layered convertible top and fully bolstered seats made it a most comfortable and stylish choice for fast transcontinental dashes. Captivating in Strawberry Red with a Sand Beige interior, this early production, Reutter-built 1952 Porsche Pre-A 1500S Cabriolet, Chassis No. 15051, is powered by a correctly numbered Type 528 1500S air-cooled, dual-carbureted, flat-4 engine (Engine No. 40058). The top power choice for 1952, that engine is matched to a 4-speed manual rear transmission, which replaced the prior Volkswagen-derived unit. According to Porsche texts, including “The Porsche Book” by Lothar Botschen and Jurgen Barth, just 116 such top-specification 1500S-powered 356 Cabriolets were produced for 1952. In addition to the bent windshield, black convertible top and steel wheels with ventilated chrome hubcaps, this historic, early production 1952 Porsche 356 Cabriolet by Reutter is equipped with a Telefunken radio and accompanied by a copy of the factory Kardex production record, plus a Certificate of Authenticity. https://www.mecum.com/lots/520688/1952-porsche-356-pre-a-1500s-reutter-cabriolet/
