Speedster Top

[Joris Schweitzer]

Who can help me with an authenticity question?

Based on factory and period pictures I think I can carefully conclude that High Bow Speedster tops did not have seams at 1/3 off the side of the car in the driving direction like cabrios, conv D's and roadsters have.

Speedster 1 has them and I believe, I have also seen original Pre A's and maybe T1's with them.

An upholsterer in Europe insists these seams need to be on a T2 top as well. I can't find any evidence of this. Can anybody help me?

The seams: (see white Speedster)

http://www.cabrio.de/khm/index.php?page ... =9&lang=de

Thanks!

[Greg Scallon]

Edwin,
For what it's worth, here is the one period photo I have of a '58 speedster. It's low-res and therefore a bit hard to see, but it looks like the seams you mention are not present.

Best regards,
-Greg

[Tom Scott]

All original Speedsters I have seen had the two seams at the rear.
Here are photos of a Speedster top which was made using an original top. It is for a T1 and the rear window is smaller than T2.

Tom Scott

[Tom Scott]

I have been advised, by a very relaible source, that this is the original top for this 1957 T2 Speedster.

Tom

[Joris Schweitzer]

Tom, are you referring to the two seams that follow the rear bow and cowl?
I see none of these tops have the two seams in the driving direction of the car.
Does anybody have a period picture with these seams... I.e. Can it at least be proven that there was more than one version?
Tx

[Tom Scott]

Edwin, If you look closely at the blue Speedster you will see two seams. These follow the line created by the top frame, unlike what one of the more well kmown upholostery shops in California does. I have an original top and it has two seams and I am certain that there were never two versions of the top. Look in the parts manual for 356A and you will find a drawing of the stitching on the top.

Tom

[Greg Scallon]

Tom,
Edwin may also be interested in the two vertical seams you're focused on but if you go back to his original post and click the link provided you'll see that his original question was about a very obvious seam on the top of the top, oriented in the driving direction of the car. That's the one that I think we can all agree shouldn't be there on a T-2 speedster.

Best,
-Greg

[Mike Vollmer]

Looking at Steve Heinichs book Speedster typ 540 the 1st speedster 80002 had them and later in the book the 1st to enter the US in 1954 had the seam, showed a 1956 with no seam.

[Joris Schweitzer]

Mike as I mentioned in the post that started this this thread, I think you are correct, number 1 had indeed the two seams. I have seen a period picture with a pre a that had them too.

The question is indeed; did T2's ever have them? It would take only one period / factory picture with a top with seams on it and one would not be able to say they never had them. As mentioned, I have not been able to find one.
The upholsterer is a big one in Europe. In a discussion on this with the owner, he mentioned that his patterns were made of an original top.
Whatever happened with his patterns, I think this cannot be correct. His shop delivers good craftmenship but, as with many European professionals, authenticity is not a priority. Little research is done. An often used argument when diverting from the original is "Porsche used whatever parts were available". This is only true to some extend.

Back to the top. It would be really good if we could define the chronology of the patterns. As with all parts, imho, only period pictures or physical samples on a car with a known history are valid.

Based on the above it would indeed seem T2's did not have the seams. More data points would be nice.... Anybody?

Anybody out there with period pics or other evidence of the seams on earlier cars?

Thanks for all your help.

[Jordan Bochanis]

This is the original top to my 1958 Speedster...

[Joris Schweitzer]

Hi Jordan,
Thanks for another data point confirming the absence of the seams.

[Tom Scott]

Jordan, would you please take a couple of close up, side view, photos of the rear seams and display these on this thread?
Of particular interest in the one photo above is the larger size of the rear window for T2 Speedsters, compare this to the T1 photos of the blue Speedster above. Also note the curved shape of the sides of the window, it is not symetrical but rather has a smaller arc at the bottom.
Tom

[Jordan Bochanis]

Tom, these were taken a few years back when the car was undergoing restoration. Here's the only other photos I have of the top that might show those seams...