Help me please.

[Warawut Wutthakul]

I'm going to buy a right hand drive speedster which I couldn't identify the model year. The Vin No. is 85091. The engine No.is P33509. Anyone could advise me this is the real speedster or not. Please see the attachments below.
Best Regards,
Tee

[C J Murray]

No. Convert D or Roadster?

[Sandy Sandberg]

Looks like it was a lhd and been converted.

[Barry Brisco]

Hello Warawut,

Welcome to 356Talk. Your photo appears to show the number 85091. That is not a valid Porsche 356 chassis number. And the number is stamped in a different location than the factory used.

1958 356A Speedster numbers ended at 84954.

1959 356A Convertible D (the successor to the Speedster model) numbers started at 85501.

The number you show falls in between, in a range that Porsche did not use, as far as I know.

Why don't you post photos of the entire car? Then we might be able to help you further.

My suspicion is that your car was not made by Porsche. But I need to see more photos to be sure. If someone is portraying that car as being a "real" Speedster, you need to be very careful.

Go to http://356a.com and enter the engine number. That number is for a 1954 production year 1500 type 546 engine. It could have been originally installed in a 1954 356 Speedster, or a coupe or a cabriolet.

Best regards,

[Steve Harrison]

I've seen the ID number in slightly different places on some cars,...some a bit lower than others so placement wouldn't bother me as much as that the "bump" is sort of not the right shape. Too rectanglar to me, and wider than it should be.

[Vic Skirmants]

Steve,
Don't you mean the "bump" is too square, and deeper?
Also, what's with the "border" around the number?

[Steve Harrison]

Yea Vic, that's what I mean....
By rectangle I mean the sides are a bit too squared off, like a rectangle proper.
Used to seeing the almost ovalesque (is that a word?) corners.
And yes, the border I noticed also.

Where's the pictures of the rest of the car?
Is it just an ID stamping test?

[roy mawbey]

RHD speedsters would be very rare indeed I think. In the UK as far as I remember they only sold around 5 or so cars during the production. It would be interesting to know how many went to Australia and your part of the world.

Roy
RHD356A super75 106954

[Warawut Wutthakul]

Thank you for all replies. Here are more pictures.

[Barry Brisco]

Interesting. That appears to be a 1955 356 Speedster with a large square hole cut into the dash, and right hand drive. I will let others much more expert than I in the early cars comment on the details.

So you are located in Bangkok? Is that where the car is? What have you been told about the history of the car? Was it converted to RHD?

[C J Murray]

There are some strange dimensions and strange body contours visible in the pictures. Look at the body between the wheel arch and engine lid. Also look at the space for the spare tire and the shape of the dash.

[roy mawbey]

Dash panel looks fabricated for RHD. 2 dials only that look wrong type. Hood inner shape looks wrong, no insulation it seems anywhere. Rear back up light shine down looks wrong to me? There is a'swaging' in the rear bodywork that meets the rear wing or fender area you can see the line is that correct?? The generator looks wrong The transmission seems to enter the rear footwell area. The rear lid has something odd about it near the hinges.

Pictures could be clearer to see. It needs inspecting I reckon.
Roy
RHD356A super75 106954

[C J Murray]

kit car

[Barry Brisco]

Cliff and Roy,

You may well be correct. The photos are small and not in focus. I couldn't see a handbrake lever on the center tunnel, but maybe it isn't visible. I didn't think the fakes had correct gas tanks like this car appears to have, though obviously they can have 356 tanks, and 356 engines, installed. And I thought the door panel structure looked authentic, but again I am not an expert.

Warawut, check for the presence/absence of fender braces front and rear. Hard to describe what the real ones look like, maybe someone could post a photo.

Is there a handbrake lever mounted on the center tunnel? The 356 handbrake/emergency brake is a pull handle below the dash near the door.

The obvious test is, get a magnet and see if the body is all metal or fiberglass.

Finally, if the asking price seems too cheap, than it isn't real. There are no "bargain" 356 Speedsters.

[Mike Vollmer]

Maybe Hans the stamper was dyslexiac and transposed 80591 to 85091. the dash,shine down and bee hive tail lights are all pre A. Check the hood, doors and engine lid for numbers
maybe a clue if they all match. One odd thing the rod for the rear view mirror goes from right
to left instead of straight up and down.