The Last Speedster

[Peter Silten]

When did the last Speedster leave the Porsche factory?

[Tom Keating]

1959 there was a few

[Peter Silten]

Thanks Tom.

[Tom Keating]

If I remember correctly, there were 4 pushrod gt/gs and the rest were Carrera's but only about 10 or 12 total cars.

[Sebastian Gaeta]

If I remember correctly, there were 4 pushrod gt/gs and the rest were Carrera's but only about 10 or 12 total cars.

I believe that may be the other way around in that most of the very few '59 Speedsters built were pushrod GTs.

[Peter Silten]

Did the pushrod GTs have the same BBAB transmission gearing as the normal and Super Speedsters?

[Vic Skirmants]

If I remember correctly, there were 4 pushrod gt/gs and the rest were Carrera's but only about 10 or 12 total cars.

I believe that may be the other way around in that most of the very few '59 Speedsters built were pushrod GTs.

Nope; sorry. Olaf Lang and Bill Brown 1959 GT speedster lists show 31 cars, only 7 pushrod. There are a couple of discrepancies between the two lists.
Bill Brown, Registry April/May 1991.
Olaf Lang, Registry Vol. 15 #6 1991.
The information is out there, don't ignore it and spread false info.
Last speedster 84954.

[Peter Silten]

Did any of those cars come with the same transmissions found in the normal and Super Speedsters?

[Vic Skirmants]

I suppose any gear combo could be ordered.

[Sebastian Gaeta]

If I remember correctly, there were 4 pushrod gt/gs and the rest were Carrera's but only about 10 or 12 total cars.

I believe that may be the other way around in that most of the very few '59 Speedsters built were pushrod GTs.

Nope; sorry. Olaf Lang and Bill Brown 1959 GT speedster lists show 31 cars, only 7 pushrod. There are a couple of discrepancies between the two lists.
Bill Brown, Registry April/May 1991.
Olaf Lang, Registry Vol. 15 #6 1991.
The information is out there, don't ignore it and spread false info.
Last speedster 84954.

Thanks Vic, I had that completely wrong and I agree about "false" info. The further away we get from the end of production the more the information can get jumbled up. That's why it's so important for people to point out errors on this forum, otherwise it becomes hard to determine fact from fiction as my old friend Roy Lock used to say.

[Al Zim]

THE LAST SPEEDSTER (84954) LEFT REUITTERS ON THE 16th of January 1959. Porsche paid for the car on the 20th of January 1959 Most of these cars were produced in January of 1959. There were 5 pushrod engines car produced. I would guess that ALL the cars were produced were in a Carrera chassis. I have the production specifications for these cars but I do not know how to translate the build codes.
These were cars that the Porsche Factory ordered since (my guess is they used the 716 transmission since the 644 went into the Convertible D until transmission inventory of this style transmission was exhausted) On the build inventory are codes regarding what each car possesses UNFORTUNATELY I am unable to translate their numbering system. As one story goes, no one was able to order a car (transmission) as they wanted it. al zim

[Jeff Adams]

There are two cars that could be considered "The Last Speedster". 84954 is the highest chassis number, but 84952 is the last one by production finish date. According to the Sprenger Heinrichs Carrera book, 84954 was finished on July 10, 1959 while 84952 was finished on July 23, 1959. Both cars were originally Ruby Red with 692/3 specification engines making them pretty much identical.

Most pushrod engine Speedsters had what is generally known as "Speedster" gearing, BBAB. These very late production Carrera GT Speedsters had 716 transmissions with lower gearing, usually BBAA or even lower depending on customer preference. The little spec book lists all the types of transmissions and what cars they came in and gear stack. For example, the 716/1 transmission would be for a Carrera and have a BBAA stack.

[Al Zim]

ALL! I have is the billing summary WITH the coded specifications of these cars. I received this through a friend with a contact in Porsche. This was probably 20++ years ago. 84952 was delivered from Reutter to Porsche on January 15, 1959. Paid for on January 20, 1959. 84954 Was delivered to Porsche on January 16, 1959 and paid for on January 20, 1959. Only one car was received after that 84953 (why ?) on January 25 1959. Paid for on 29 January, 1959.
I am sorry I am not allowed to post this information except to answer specific questions. Al Zim

[Jeff Adams]

The Sprenger / Heinrichs Carrera book shows two dates for each car, the body date Al refers to and the production finish date. The production finish date would be the day it is a complete, running, driving car ready to leave the factory and be delivered to a dealer or customer. I would consider this date to be the one most important in determining where a car is in the sequence of production, not the day Porsche receives the unfinished car from Reutter.

[Steve Proctor]

At one point, I had the old Car & Driver or Road & Track ad for one of these cars that was for sale $4,995. Firm. Says every option, but not many options on a Speedster. I think it wound up in the Ingram collection. I think the other one might have been owned by Cal Turner in Tennessee at one point and might have been in Jim Ansite's (?) shop a few doors down from Bob Kann's during one of the Lit Meet weekends. Which ever one was in the shop, Jeff Gamble and I kept looking at the open engine compartment and wondering why the engine tin did not line up with the surrounding apron tray. Could have been sagging engine mounts, but it looked like the car might had been clipped at some point.