How many Karmann Notchbacks/Couperiolets still survive?

[Martin Benade]

You want no lead? Will you fill the vertical door gap areas with as much steel (about 1/4” each) as the factory did with lead? And the top rear corners of the doors are sculpted in lead. All steel is not very practical or original.
I am not speaking as a purist, you’d never know by looking but my car is certainly wearing some plastic filler. It lasts many years if done right.

[Harlan Halsey]

I am of the opinion that Epoxy such as Marine Tex is superior to lead. Much easier to apply, and about as easy to shape. I have been using it where thick sections are necessary, where the factory used lead, for decades. I've never had any problem with it. And of course, no one can tell, even after all these years where it is.

[Adam Wright]

You want no lead? Will you fill the vertical door gap areas with as much steel (about 1/4” each) as the factory did with lead? And the top rear corners of the doors are sculpted in lead. All steel is not very practical or original.
I am not speaking as a purist, you’d never know by looking but my car is certainly wearing some plastic filler. It lasts many years if done right.

Bondo applied right can be incredibly stable, when they did my car a few years ago it had pounds of the stuff, more than I suspected and it was all fine. It was put on in the 80s. I think bondo is like a buffing wheel, anyone can do it, but it takes skill to do it right, but we've all seen some novice do it wrong, so it gets a bad name.

[Kevin Wills]

Another option for lead substitute. Close without lead is an important goal, but there will need to be some in the factory locations, however little - particularly the front of the door where it meets the fender and rear of the door on the lock post. Whatever is used, it is not a substitute for proper door shimming and gap fitting in while still in metal...

[Richard Emerson]

I see that the member who started this thread back in 2013 has posted his Notchback on Bring a Trailer. Now at $17k:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1961-porsche-356b-11/

https://cdn.bringatrailer.com/wp-conten ... 40x541.jpg

KTF

I wonder why? He seemed so excited to get it back after 40 years. Sad.

[Adam Wright]

I see that the member who started this thread back in 2013 has posted his Notchback on Bring a Trailer. Now at $17k:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1961-porsche-356b-11/

https://cdn.bringatrailer.com/wp-conten ... 40x541.jpg

KTF

I wonder why? He seemed so excited to get it back after 40 years. Sad.

In one of his auctions, there were quite a few BAT, Ebay, and PCar Market, he mentioned he needed money to help his sister get adult care, apparently she was in a bad situation.

[Ed Martinez]

Thank you Martin for that reference pic. Hope I can inconvenience you in the future for more reference photos.

I had to transplant the skin since the original door frame was too far gone and the upper hinge support metal was cracked and the frame had been butchered.

[Ed Martinez]

You want no lead? Will you fill the vertical door gap areas with as much steel (about 1/4” each) as the factory did with lead? And the top rear corners of the doors are sculpted in lead. All steel is not very practical or original.
I am not speaking as a purist, you’d never know by looking but my car is certainly wearing some plastic filler. It lasts many years if done right.

I should rephrase my "no lead" comment with " as close to I can get it with metal". I like to keep Bondo not thicker than 1/8 in. I was planning on fiberglass strand reinforced bondo but "metal to metal product" and Marine Tex sound like very viable options too.
Thank you all for your valuable input. I'm breezing through quarantine with this project.

[Bernard Hornbrook]

1961 Karman notchback vin 200965 matching numbers is alive and well and living in Mesa Arizona..

[Tom Wavrin]

Steve Restelli has sold his Karmann Hardtop, is no longer a Registry member and so is not monitoring or updating the Hardtop list. An FYI for those interested.

[Adam Wright]

Steve Restelli has sold his Karmann Hardtop, is no longer a Registry member and so is not monitoring or updating the Hardtop list. An FYI for those interested.

Another reason all the seperate lists are counter productive to the hobby. Someone complies all this info then dies, quits the club, or fries their computer and it's all lost. We have a place to compile VINs and info, we on it, the Porsche 356 Registry!!! Anyone remember the Roadster list, or the Carrera list, or the split window list, I could go on and on.

[David Aronson]

Steve Restelli, in the original post for this topic, stated that the right side Karmann badging did not start until the T6 series. My 200831 did have a right fender badge. I recently completed the restoration and did not use the original badge as it was almost completely bleached out. Now, the car had been repainted during the period 1964 and 1969. The wife of the first owner told me that she hated the yellow Porsche and had her husband, Jim Ontjes, paint it white. As they were married in 1964 and it probably took her husband a while to warm to the idea, it may have been painted as late as 1965-66. I doubt that a Karmann badge had been secured and added at that time. Always a possibility though. I am really happy we all are
keeping tabs on these cars. I would like to see an updated portfolio of the survivors.

[Bill Homan]

Car looks great, David! Amazing restoration.

My late T-5 Notch (200982 - Sept 61 build) had the Karmann badge, at least based in pictures of the car in the 1970s. If I remember correctly, Brett Johnson's book says the aluminum badge like yours appeared on late T-5s, and that they enamel version appeared on the T-6.

Bill

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[David Aronson]

Bill,
That's a nice notch....I really like the display of the current license tags, leaving the original yellow plate as it was, originally. Did you have a plate made? Looks very clean.

[Bill Homan]

David,
I found the pair of DMV-clear yellow plates on EBay many years ago. They were pretty dinged up, rusted, etc., so I had them restored by Mojo Artworks They did a really nice job.
Bill