1953 porsche American

[Alan Hall]

Looking at the card Charlie posted, does anyone know what was meant by super engines having an "extra oil system"??? I understood everything else, but that one is a mystery to me!
Alan

[Charlie White]

Alan,

I think that reference to an "extra oil system", refers to the canister on top of the engine oil filler inlet which improved the air flow in the engine's crankcase, first used in the 1500 Super in 1953. (see the reference: Excellence Was Expected, Ludvigsen, page 97 of original edition).

CW

[Vic Skirmants]

It also might mean the oil filter, since the early engines did not have one?

[Alan Hall]

Good suggestions, thanks! I know early '53 supers did not have the oil filters, but perhaps they were included on supers at some point in '53. Also, sodium cooled 8mm stem exhaust valves were pretty high tech in '53, does anyone know what the ATE number was for those valves?
Alan

[Jack Staggs]

It could possibly be the early round deep sump?

[kurt hoelter]

dont know about the date on charlies document but it seems in 55 they improved the oil circulation. see last paragraph.

[Vic Skirmants]

1955 saw the new 3-piece engine case; actually from November 1954.

[Charlie White]

And you were notified of the new three piece case by a paper paste-in on the inside front cover of your 54 dated owner's manual.

CW

[Jolene Cicci]

Hello,

I tried in vain to get America Roadster #12317 back home to Pittsburgh the weekend of July 23 & 24 for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix 356 Event, but the present owner was sorry to say that car had to be in Europe to be on display in several museums. Would have been nice to have it back home for our celebration. Definitely the most famous 356 sold in Pittsburgh,PA.

Hope to see you all in July,

Jolene Cicci

[James Davies]

A few notes on this thread:

1) What Hoffman called the cars and what Porsche called the cars were sometimes two different things. For instance, Porsche referred to the US-delivery cars as

USA Standard
USA de Luxe

on the Kardex and in internal documents in 1953 and 1954. Hoffman decided to call these cars America and Super respectively. Also, there were a small number of USA de Luxe models that had the 546 engine instead of the 528.

I think the same is true of the Competition Roadster, as Hoffman called it. Porsche called it the Sport Roadster or just plain Roadster internally. I don't know how it came to be the America Roadster.

2) Extra oil system is indeed the oil filter canister. All engines through the first half of 1953 lacked standard canisters from the factory. It was an option though, and many cars intended for racing that got the Type 528 Super engine also got the oil filter canister. Many cars had them added later. It seems all Porsche cases were drilled for the oil return line in the generator stand, regardless if a canister was factory installed or not.

3) The ad Charlie posted above from Competition Motors "Technical Data, Type 356" is likely from early 1953, as it mentions the Supers having the oil filter canisters standard, and it also mentions sodium-cooled exhaust valves, which I suspect were the 10mm stemmed "Spezial" valves that Porsche eventually made standard on their motors in ~March 1954.

Were the ATE 3931 the sodium-filled valves used during that period? Like Alan, I am also curious.

[Frank Barrett]

The Jaguar in the photo appears to be the one once owned by designer Brooks Stevens, who modified the paint scheme as shown. He raced it at Watkins Glen, and today the car is owned by my friend Roger Morrison of Salina, Kansas. He has driven the car on the Colorado Grand several times. (Stevens also has been on the Grand, but not in that car.)

[Charlie White]

James,

You really dig deep................

CW

[Adam Wright]

A few years ago I got a call from a guy who had asked if I wrote the article for Excellence on 12371, The Steel One. I said I had. The guy on the phone said he had some interesting info. He had bought out a shop in downtown Atlanta, the owner had lost his lease. Nothing exciting, couple truckloads of parts. A few weeks later the shop owner was frantically calling him asking when he was coming to get "the car". What car? The one under the tree out back. He didn't know it was part of the deal. My man Mark Pribanic got these pics recently of the car "as found". So it was basically a free find, that turned into $100,000 a few days later. We all dream of a deal like that.

[John Standish]

I love it. Dump the nearly new '52 MG TD for a '53 Porsche 356. 'nuff said!

Of course, adios MG, hello factory-new Porsche with a 90-day, 3000 mile warranty.

[tim noble]

If that's John's steel Roadster how is it that his is billed as original down to the interior, top and rear plastic window?
Tim