356 AUTHENTICITY AND THE EARLY FENDER MOUNTED MIRRORS

[Chip Flor]

NEVER SAY NEVER.
Here is a factory photo of a T-2 (notice front turn signal light) with what? A fender mounted Ponto. Must be a transition period.

[Chip Flor]

Here is an interesting Factory photo.
Picture this? It is 1966, the factory is in full swing manufacturing the new 911-912 body, when the Dutch Police come knocking on your door.
The factory made 10 of these special White (Ivory) 1966 356 SC's for them. Notice the twin "Aero" mirrors mid fender. The last of the last 356's

[John Linden]

Those cabriolet police cars have drum brake hubcaps. Is this for sure 1966??

[Chip Flor]

Jerry Seinfeld owns number 10.
The last of the last 356’s.
Long spiel about the special 10 ordered Dutch police cars. He spent a reasonable amount of his show documenting these cars.
1966 356 SC #10 was on his first Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and also the last one this season.
The pic came from his TV show.

[Chip Flor]

Here are a few more pics.
The last of the last. #10 is the car with the flowers.

[John Linden]

Chip:

1) In the first picture, the 356B police cabriolet has drum brake hubcaps. Thus I am assuming this car is a 356B cabriolet with drum brakes. The car is might be one of the 1962 356B cabriolets that the Dutch Police purchased from Porsche. The mirrors are out on the fenders.

2) In the more recent picture of the nine cabriolets side by side, the first two, where I can see the wheels, are disk brake cars and would be 356C cabriolets -- nine of the last ten I assume. Those cars don't yet have mirrors in place in this picture.

I own a heron grey / black top 1963 Cabriolet so my eyes were drawn to that first picture immediately. My point is, the picture of the police cab with the twin mirrors on the fenders appears to me to be a 356B -- likely from an earlier purchase of police cars in the 1962 / 1963 period. The twin fender mirrors are on a 356B car not on one of the last ten 356C police cars built in 1966.

Best to all.

John Linden
Alamo, CA

[Chip Flor]

John:
no
John,
I am guilty of a "gotcha" moment here. You "got" me. I stand corrected.
Your astute sighting is impressive. I agree the cars with the drum brakes are more than likely not one of the last built 1966 356 SC's Cabriolet Dutch Police cars.
I agree that there are only 9 cars in the line up... maybe they only made 9 cars not 10. I mean Jerry Seinfeld is being sued for misrepresenting a Speedster 4 cam.
Who's to say he is not accurate here. Not me. I don't want to be sued.

Maybe just maybe... I thought (since this is a post about mirrors) that the twin "Aero" mirrors mid fender on a Dutch police car would be interesting for folks to see.

Anyway, you are absolutely correct and I am wrong here.

So here are a few more pics from the show. See if you can spot the non (9 or 10) 1966 cars from the show.

[Mike Wilson]

A lot of you know my mantra: "Porsche...consistently inconsistent..."

Mike

[Chip Flor]

Here is some more.
His show represents this as 1966 where the factory is in full swing building the relatively new 911-12 bodies.

Tell me what is misrepresented here.

[Chip Flor]

Back to the show.
here are more pics of the supposedly "last of the last" 356

[Chip Flor]

Wait a minute... that car Jerry is driving has a "Durant mirror". I don't see a mirror on the car with the flowers or a blue flashing light for that matter.... Whats up with this?

And,.... those factory assembly photos from supposedly 1966 show a Targa... WT"X"??? the first production Targa's were introduced in 1967. That can not possibly be original to 1966 .
The horror of this...what a world!

[Richard Emerson]

I really don’t care if something is the last built I’d rather have it be the best most original one.

[Jules Dielen]

Back to the show.
here are more pics of the supposedly "last of the last" 356

I remember that 'last of the last' car it was rusting away in our backyard for many years in the 1970s. My dad and I took all the police stuff off to make it a 'real' 356.



The first Targas were built in early July 1966. Pic could be correctly dated

[Chip Flor]

Jules,

So that would explain why the first Targa was introduced as a 1967 model. (I.e. In July 1966 they went through the line.)
I stand corrected again.

ab 11/66 Änderung auf 901/06
911 Targa 901/05 130/6100 174/4200 500001-500718 911191-912050 718
ab 10/66
911 S Targa 901/02 160/6600 179/5200 500001-500718S 960001-961178
wie 911 targa
ab 12/66
Offical factory delivery of 911 Targa model was on January 23rd, 1967.

On a side note... Is there any more history on "the last of the last" 356. While it was rusting in your back yard, did you know it was "the last of the last?
Incredibly interesting story here. How many hands did this car go through before Jerry made it famous?
Inquiring minds?

[Jules Dielen]

I grew up in Holland, dad was a Porsche dealer and serviced many (if not all) of the dutch police Porsches. At the time these were phased out, they were written off and considered junk. There weren't too many people heavily involved in 356s at the time in Holland so they were either junked or sold and nobody cared it was the last of its kind - they were just old and outdated.

I believe my dad owned at least 3 or 4 of these police 356s, he had great contacts as he is the founder of the 356 club in the netherlands. I remember the blue light, the odd rear bumper and the fact that it did not have a glove box. I have the police siren/ relay setup out of that car currently installed in one of my cars, but don't tell anyone .

It passed through many hands in Holland. No clue how it ended up in the US.

There are a few highly questionable pictures of these particular cars. One being the same dutch license plate on a T5 and then on a T6. To this day, plates transfer with the car... everyone else would get their car impounded but with the police.... well.....