Continental Registry

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Jim Wayman
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Continental Registry

#1 Post by Jim Wayman »

I am in the process of updating the Continental Registry with new information gleaned from Kardexes. My first assumption is that non-Hoffman cars were generally not Continentals. They may have had Continental badges attached sometime later, but are not true Continentals, as that was a Hoffmann invention. With that said, there are at least 7 examples of cars that were delivered outside the US and have the Continental notation on their Kardex. Not all Continentals have the Continental notation on the Kardex. It seems that the factory did not start making the notation on the Kardex until mid-1955, well after the first Continental. There were over 500 Hoffman coupes and cabriolets imported in the 1955 model year. It is not known whether all of them were Continentals, but definitely at least half were. Interestingly, there were 2 547 engined cars with the Continental notation on the Kardex, chassis 54175 & 54178 with engines 90067 & 90068. Anybody know the whereabouts of those cars?
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James Davies
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Re: Continental Registry

#2 Post by James Davies »

The going assumption should be that all the 1955 Hoffman coupes and cabs were Continentals. "Continental" was Hoffman's baby. He wouldn't have accepted cars not badged as such. This should be the default assumption unless any evidence surfaces to the contrary. And we know that Kardexes are notoriously incomplete from this period.

54175 still exists and has been restored. It currently does not have any Continental badging, but has "Carrera" badges on the flanks instead. Don't know if it originally did. Currently in Germany I believe.

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Re: Continental Registry

#3 Post by Hugo Sheers »

Couple of shots of 54175 taken when marshalling at the 2015 Pre-A International, New Forest, England. 54175 was visiting from Germany

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Jim Wayman
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Re: Continental Registry

#4 Post by Jim Wayman »

I have just finished uploading data on Hoffman ordered 1955 model year cars, which most consider to be Continentals. Currently, there are 544 chassis covered in the 356continental Registry. No guarantee on my typing skills, so if you see something that looks funny, please let me know. There is a small handful of cars listed that I have not confirmed were Hoffman ordered, otherwise I have removed cars that I know were not Hoffman ordered, even though they are currently badged as Continentals. There is one car that I have some questions about. it is chassis 52866, the multiple award winning Road Scholars car. It has a chassis number that falls within what most consider to be the end of the 1954 model year and it has a 1954 dash, but it has a 3 piece case motor. There are a number of late 1954 serial number cars that I have identified with similar characteristics. Is it possible that Porsche started the Continental line at the tail end of the 1954 model year?
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Spencer Harris
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Re: Continental Registry

#5 Post by Spencer Harris »

jim wayman wrote: Sun Aug 08, 2021 9:13 pmThere is one car that I have some questions about. it is chassis 52866, the multiple award winning Road Scholars car. It has a chassis number that falls within what most consider to be the end of the 1954 model year and it has a 1954 dash, but it has a 3 piece case motor. There are a number of late 1954 serial number cars that I have identified with similar characteristics. Is it possible that Porsche started the Continental line at the tail end of the 1954 model year?
According to my chassis no. information, coupes no. 52845-53008 and cabriolets no. 60694-60722 were 55 MY cars manufactured in 1954. This is consistent with Johnson's authenticity guide and Eric Cherneff's reference site http://356A.com. The Road Scholars coupe falls within that range, and most likely all Hoffman spec cars in this lot of 193 chassis were badged as a Continentals either at the Porsche factory or in the Hoffman shop. On the RS website they indicate that 52866 was completed 14 Dec '54 and that it was the 21st car (Continental) built (52845 + 21 = 52866).https://roadscholars.com/restoration_pr ... ntinental/
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Re: Continental Registry

#6 Post by Jim Wayman »

Spencer

I was reading Johnson's data wrong. I see that he has 3 piece case engines starting in November 1954 as a separate part of 1954 production. The reason I was questioning 52866 was because I was sure that Road Scholars knew what they were doing, which raised questions about a number of other cars with similar characteristics. Thanks for the clarification. I will need to go and look at all cars from that period with 3 piece cases.

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Spencer Harris
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Re: Continental Registry

#7 Post by Spencer Harris »

jim wayman wrote: Mon Aug 09, 2021 12:54 pm I will need to go and look at all cars from that period with 3 piece cases.
Per the Spec's book, there were 219-type 546/2 and 48-type 528/2 engines made from Nov '54 that would've met Hoffman's specifications for the Continental and were likely installed in MY55 chassis.
(Additionally - same period - the Spec's book list includes 21-type 506/2 1300 3PB and Johnson's data lists 27-type 589/2 1300S 3RB that would not have met the Hoffman spec.)

It's impossible to know whether any coupes and cabs with 528/2, 3RB engines were badged Continental versus Carrera, and some of these 267 1500cc engines would presumably have been installed in Speedsters. However, it's reasonable to assume that most of the engines for the 193-MY55/Mfg54 coupes & cabs were among this lot of 315 3-pcs engines. Hopefully your Kardex search will confirm this.
Specs book 1950-1956.JPG
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Re: Continental Registry

#8 Post by Jim Wayman »

Spencer

You are right about the number of early cars that fit the MY 1955 model, but most of them were delivered thru dealers outside the US and therefore would not have been Continentals, since it was a Hoffman invention. I have determined all of the Hoffman delivered cars in that early period and am in the process of inputting them into the Continental database. There are 44 of them. There are Hoffman cars whose Kardex confirms they are Continentals and were installed with Super motors, so the myth of only Normal engined cars being Continentals is proved wrong.
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Re: Continental Registry

#9 Post by Jim Wayman »

Just finished adding the early 1955 model year cars that were delivered thru Hoffman. These are the ones with coupe chassis numbers starting with 52845 and cabriolets starting with 60694 as shown in Johnson's book. All of these cars have 3 piece case engines, but some of them have the 1954 dash which has an extra hole on the right side of the radio area. There is some debate on whether the Continental range started with the 3 piece case engines or with the newer dash that has only one hole to the right of the radio opening or with December 1854 production. Since the factory did not start noting Continental on the Kardex until well into the Continental production, we will probably never be 100% sure. Anyway, there are 578 cars listed in the database.
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Spencer Harris
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Re: Continental Registry

#10 Post by Spencer Harris »

Jim,
Check that your columns are in sync and all shift down when you insert rows.
53070 should be adria blue (unless you have a Kardex that shows silver), I've hand stripped the remaining panels I have and I've seen nothing but blue.
53449 should be black instead of jade green. I've owned this car for almost fifty years and it's definitely 5401-B. Kardex & COA on your email.
The engine for 53449 should read 34817, but that's simply a typo I'm sure.
Thanks,
Spencer
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Re: Continental Registry

#11 Post by Jim Wayman »

Spencer

Thanks, I will go back and check them.
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Re: Continental Registry

#12 Post by Jim Wayman »

I double checked and 53070 shows as Silver metallic with red vinyl with gray cord inserts. 53449 you are correct is black with wine red vinyl. After a certain amount of typing in the data my eyes go buggy and mistakes result. Thanks for checking.
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Re: Continental Registry

#13 Post by Spencer Harris »

Hmmm. Silver over red with grey cord. I should've restored it...
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Re: Continental Registry

#14 Post by Jim Wayman »

Spencer

Is the car gone (demolished) now/ If so, will update database for it.

Jim
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Re: Continental Registry

#15 Post by Spencer Harris »

It's long gone. You already show it "parted out 2012".
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