1st 356 "Pushrod" GT Speedster?

[Andrew Larson]

I just posted this under 1600 Super. This is my first post, but not sure if I posted correctly, so here goes....

I just found out that Leo Levine was the first owner of my parent's 1958 356A 1600 Super GT Speedster, chassis 84912. I believe this may be the very first "pushrod" GT Speedster, as Leo requested the factory to remove the 4 cam Carrera engine, and install a Super engine for his hillclimbs in Germany in 1958 and 1959 (and the remaining pushrod GT speedsters were sold in 1959). Super 1600 engine #82309 was installed in the car upon delivery on August 8, 1958. Does anyone else know of any other 1958 or earlier 356 "pushrod" GT Speedsters? In Heinrich's book, it only mentions some 1959 "pushrod" GT Speedsters.

Leo sold the car after numerous races in the winter of 1959-1960. The new owner, Wilfried Ruschenbaum, immediately removed the Super engine, and installed a 4-cam Carrera engine in the car. I would like to find a 1958 Super 1600 engine or engine case that is as close to 82309 as possible. Would anyone have one, or recommend where I should look?

I have all the racing history on Leo Levine, as well as pictures from his scrapbook, Kardex, race notes, race correspondence, race expenses, that were at the Revs Institute. However, I would like to also find any additional racing history and pictures on Wilfried Ruschenbaum (1960-1963) and also on the next owner, Karl Heinz Zepfel (1963-?), who both raced the car in Europe and Germany. thanks!

[Dick Weiss]

Andrew,

According to Bill Brown's and the late Olaf Lang's and listing of Carrera Speedsters, 84912 isn't listed. If the factory changed to a Super engine, it wouldn't be listed in the '58/'59 GT series. Does the car have aluminum doors and decklids, big front brakes and steel/alloy wheels?
If not, my guess would be it's a regular Speedster even if the later owner would've installed a 4-cam engine--what was its serial #? Got a COA/Kardex?

Dick

[Andrew Larson]

Hi Dick,

it is chassis 84912 (listed in first post). It was not in Olaf Lang's listing, as those were of GT speedsters, that left the factory with a Carrera engine (I understand). My father had a letter from Olaf Lang from 1989, that Olaf verified as a GT Speedster. My understanding is that it was on Bill Brown's list, that was in the 356Registry magazine back in 1991. I'll see if I can find and post this. Yes, it does have aluminum doors and decklids, big front brakes and the steel/alloy wheels. I also have a copy of Kardex, where GT, is written on it from Factory. I also have a copy of the original bill of sale, and multiple pictures from it's racing days in 1958 and 1959. I was able to get all of these from Leo Levine, it's first owner. Leo wrote me a letter about the car being a GT. In Germany, he wanted to race hillclimbs, so he requested a GT Speedster from the factory with a super engine. according to the letter from Olaf Lang, engine 91015 was removed from 84912 and super 1600 engine 82309 was installed in the car. I also have 1959 notes from Leo Levine that discuss this being a GT speedster.

[Andrew Larson]

According to first owner, Leo Levine, he ordered a GT speedster from the factory with a super engine, and it had aluminum doors, aluminum lids, large front brakes, special transmission, factory roll bar, rear seat delete, heater delete, etc. This is confirmed with Leo's 1959 notes, that list 84912 as a GT "super" Speedster, which are located The Revs Institute.

Attached, please see these pictures from the 356 Registry magazine. Note that 84912 is listed as a GT Pushrod Speedster on Bill Brown's list. Although not listed on Olaf Lang's list as a Carrera GT Speedster, according to Olaf Lang's 1989 letter to Karl Larson, it does list that 4-cam engine 91015 was installed in 84912, but after Leo Levine's request for a super engine, then 91015 was removed from 84912 and installed on 84908. At that time, super engine 82309 was installed in 84912, and it left the factory with this super engine. As a result, having both a 4-cam engine and a super engine installed in 84912 in the factory, it could be argued that 84912 is not just a GT speedster, but also a Carrera GT Speedster.

Even in Marco Marinello's list of pushrod speedsters, he does list 84912 as a "pushrod GT". According to Olaf Lang's letter, 4-cam engine 91015 was installed in 84912 in the factory. When 84912 left factory, it had super engine 82309. According to Leo Levine, when he sold the car in the winter of 1959/1960, the next owner, Wilfried Rushcenbaum, immediately re-installed a 4 cam engine back into 84912, and took the car racing in Germany.

[Tim Herman]

I owned Speedster 84912 in the past.

It is a GT car but not a purpose built push-rod GT as were the later Carl Block cars

This was a 4-Cam Carrera GT with a motor swap done before factory delivery.

[Andrew Larson]

Below find some pictures of Leo Levine when he raced his Carrera GT "Super" Speedster 84912 in 1959. As you can see from Leo's race history, he wanted the pushrod engine installed to focus mostly on hillclimbs. According to Leo, he had Paul Ernst Strahle, fine tune his Super engine from 75hp up to 82hp. Most of the photos are courtesy of The Revs Institute. I had to sign a photo release, so I could only use those pictures that came from them with their Revs logo on top.

I am trying to track down any other pictures or history from any previous owners of the car, especially any early racing history and pics with Wilfried Ruschenbaum and it's 1963 owner, Karlheinz Zepfel (who lived in Frankfurt. As he was married to Miss Deutschland 1976, it was quite easy to find pictures of her!). (Tim - I would greatly appreciate any history or early pics you might have as well, as well as time when you owned the car. can you PM me?)

Here is the Racing History I have from Leo Levine for 1958 and 1959:
• September 6-7, 1958 – III Course de Cote Turckheim-Trois Epis – 1st in Class, Leo Levine
• September 12-14, 1958 - 6th Rallye Bad Neuenahr (20 events) – 1st in Class, Leo Levine
• February 13, 1959 - Wolsfeld Hillclimb, Leo Levine
• March 7-8, 1959 - IV Pferdsfeld Races, 1st in class and 2nd in Class, Leo Levine
• March 28-30, 1959 - Born Hillclimb – 1st in Class, Leo Levine
• April 23, 1959 - Entered Liege-Brescia Rally (Rally cancelled)
• May 5, 1959 - Course de Cote – Aix en Provence Hillclimb – 1st in class, Leo Levine
• May 7, 1959 - Gineste – Aix en Provence Hillclimb – 1st in Class, Leo Levine
• May 10, 1959 - Val de Cuech – Salon de Provence Hillclimb – 1st in Class, Leo Levine
• May 31, 1959 - 1st International Pferdsfeld Race, Super class – 1st in Class, Levine
• June 14, 1959 - Rossfeld Hillclimb, Levine
• July 5, 1959 – NAV International GT – Zandvoort, 4th Place, Leo Levine
• July 12, 1959 - XXII Internationales ADAC Eifelrennen, III Eifel Race, South Circuit at Nurburgring - 1st in Class, Leo Levine
• July 19, 1959 – International ADAC Solitude Rennen – 7th Place in GT Class, Leo Levine
• July 26, 1959 - Internationale Bergmeisterschaft (Schauinsland Hill Climb) – 2nd in Class, Leo Levine
• 1959 Course de Cote International – Ecurie Luxembourg – 4th in Class, Leo Levine
• August 23-26, 1959 - Int. Sportfahrer - Lehrgang der Scuderia Hanseat, Leo Levine
• July 31, 1960 – Rheinland Nurburgring, 6th place, No. 75, Wilfried Ruschenbaum
• July 2, 1961 – ADAC Noris-Ring-Rennen 1961, GT Class, 2nd Place, Wilfried Ruschenbaum

[Andrew Larson]

Leo saved his racing notes and expenses. I was able to secure over 100 pages of these racing expenses and notes from The Revs Institute. Pretty amazing for Leo to have saved all of this information, and to be able to secure it for the provenance and history of the car.

[Andrew Larson]

Below are pictures of what Carrera GT Speedster 84912 looks like today. My father, Karl Larson, participated in 4 different Colorado Grands with 84912. These are pictures are from one of those times between 1993 and 1998.

[Andrew Larson]

On Bill Brown's Carrera GT Speedster list (see post above), it lists 84912 as the first "pushrod" GT Speedster on his list. 84912 was sold on August 8, 1958. I am still trying to determine IF 84912 is the very 1st pushrod GT speedster that left the factory. As I mentioned previously, both Heinrich's Carrera GT book and Cole's Carrera GT book both list all the remaining "pushrod" GT speedsters being produced in 1959.

I agree with Tim's previous comment that 84912 was "built as a 4-Cam Carrera GT, but had a motor swap before it's factory delivery." None the less, it did leave the factory as a Carrera GT Speedster, but with a Super 1600 "pushrod" engine. If it was the very first "pushrod" GT Speedster that left the factory (purpose built or not), that would be pretty cool. Can anyone help here?

Also, besides Bill Brown's Carrera GT List and Olaf Lang's Carrera GT list, I understand there is a Reutter Carrera GT list. Does anyone have this, that they can post here to review?

[Andrew Larson]

After discussing with a few of you offline, here are the facts I learned:

- Chassis 84912 was built to Carrera GT specifications with a series of other GT Speedsters with Carrera 4-Cam engines in June 1958.
- The Reutter body factory finished on June 4, 1958.
- The Porsche factory installed 4-Cam Carrera Engine #91015 type 692/0 with roller bearing Hirth(?) crankshaft in 84912 on June 9, 1958
- Porsche Factory installed transmission #20119. Leo ordered a special order transmission, so it is not known if this 20119 was the originally installed transmission or the special order transmission. Based on Leo's notes, he also changed the transmission after a race in 1959.
- In order to focus on Hillclimbs, Leo Levine made a request to the factory to have a 616/2 “Super” 1600 engine installed in a new GT Speedster. As a result, the factory removed engine #91015 and "super" engine #82309 was installed on July 22, 1958.
- On June 11, 1958, 2 days later, engine #91015 was installed on 84908.
- 84912 was delivered on August 8, 1958 to Leo Levine with GT trim in Silver Metallic with a black GT seats, black carpet, factory roll bar, cockpit cover and VDM wood steering wheel.
- Chassis 84912 existed at the factory with both a pushrod motor and with a Carrera 4-Cam motor.

As a result, 84912 was built as a Carrera GT Speedster. Although it did leave the factory with a "super" pushrod engine in 1958, it was not a purpose-built “pushrod” GT like the later 1959 Carl Block cars. As Tim stated so eloquently earlier, "It was a Factory built 4-Cam Carrera GT Speedster, with a motor swap done before Factory delivery."

[Bruce Baker]

After discussing with a few of you offline, here are the facts I learned: <snip> -

Andrew, congratulations on assumption of caretaker duties of a significant Speedster plus your required enthusiasm and tenacious fact-finding!

Whew, that was difficult for jaded me to write after 14 or 15 Speedsters owned (none 4-cam, thank you...I apprenticed with Jack Heron in the '60s in a shop which serviced Carreras and learned that upkeep was beyond me and gee, they cost at least a thousand more at that time!) and only the serial number of my last was recorded or memorized; 84255. However, those cars I owned and drove until selling (at a modest profit each time, I admit) were just old sports cars.
My first and last Speedsters were originally silver, as were a few in between.

We knew back in the '60s that Speedsters were the worst of the best Porsche had made by that point, but icons even then and worth the leaks and miserable visibility past the top and sidecutains...to be 'cool.' Actually, FUN was the most important ingredient in any car when we were young.

Now, to keep up with any 356, the details from decades ago become as important to most than those same details were to a select few, decades ago, as you show by example.

Lurking and reading as your thread grew, I got my "Speedster TYP 540" book off the shelf and looked up 84912. Hummmm, a Speedster with a Super motor in the primary records....but a GT with a 4 cam when it left the Factory? Back in those days, Porsche would do ANYTHING in the name of customer satisfaction, even put new owners in hotels overnight for a last minute change in accessory options at Tourist Delivery...and the charges were minimal. It was a way to get the best advertising and true customer service was alive and well in the '50s. However, the changes in your car prior to delivery were NOT done overnight!

Steve Heinrichs' excellent opening comments in his book refer to "analog" cars, and Speedsters were certainly the epitome of visceral automobiles...with great gas mileage. Average drivers could look through the windscreen...taller drivers looked over it. Like a bodied 4-wheel motorcycle in many ways.

Your quote above leads me to believe you may have had a direct contact with the author/publisher of the referenced Speedster book, Steve Heinrichs. It would be great if he could share his research and information on this site...but he cannot. He can and does participate in such discussions on Justin Rio's site: http://www.abcgt.com... -a viable alternative that many Registry members read and on which they may also learn. (I find I can learn much on both sites.)

Regards, and good luck with 84912...and most importantly, have FUN!
-Bruce
#154

[Andrew Larson]

Bruce, thanks for your thoughtful reply! Among others, I have conversed with Mr. Heinrichs, and he will have all the historical information on 84912 along with the motor changes in his new book that is coming out this late summer. I am already in line to purchase one.

Unfortunately, 84912 is not mine. It was my late father, Karl Larson's, pride and joy, which he took on the Colorado Grand 4-5 times. He passed away 2 years ago. He met my mother at a race at lime rock when he had his first 1957 356A coupe, that we still have today (chassis 101052). She still has both of these cars, plus 55 speedster (chassis 80878), which he raced in RMVR. One thing he certainly did was pass his love of Porsche's down to his kids. I now have 4 of them, a 57 speedster (chassis 82985), 61 Roadster (chassis 89346), 97 993 cab and a 75 Jagermeister Kremer RSR (chassis 005 0005). I am now trying to learn the history on these cars!

[Andrew Larson]

A little update on this old post. At the 2014 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and the 2014 Carmel Concours on the Avenue, we were able to reunite Leo Levine with his 1958 GT Carrera Speedster, after 55 years! It was quite a special moment! Here is a picture of Leo with his Speedster at the Carmel Concours on the Avenue.

Also, look for an article (written by Peter Linsky) in Porsche Excellence Magazine in the next month or two. Find out how Leo got a GT Carrera Speedster to be delivered with a pushrod engine direct from the Factory!

[Robert Petitt]

We had a pushrod 59 speedster with all carerra parts. I blew it up at Brainerd in 81 the first time we ran it, sitting in a Barn since the late sixtys. Found a picture of it a few years ago, "restored" and ugly. It was a pretty race car. Now, I Gotta search for that chassis number and pictures

[Andrew Larson]

Leo Levine's "pushrod" GT Carrera Speedster was not a "purpose built" pushrod GT Speedster. It was a Factory 1958 GT Carrera Speedster that had a 4 cam installed, and then removed by the factory. At the request of Leo Levine, it then had a pushrod engine installed at the Factory and left that way.