My Roadster, VIN 88205, has an interesting history.
It was discovered in the Upper Midwest by a car flipper from Seattle. Here is what he wrote me in an email when I inquired about the car:
A little bit on the history. The car was in a private collection of an older gentleman who had numerous collector cars, and the car was kept in its original condition essentially needing restoration. It was not driven for many years, rather it was stored in his large warehouse, gathering dust.
The previous owner knew this gentleman from a business relationship he had. He was invited to see the collection of cars and other collectable items in the warehouse, and fell in love with the roadster, and told the owner he planned to buy it. Well, it was not for sale, and it took years to talk the owner into selling it. They had become friends at this point. He brought the car home where it was stored, still painted the white color it had since the 1970's.
The owners wife, who is a most charming and interesting lady, had a contact with an auto restorer in the area, and under pretense of fixing the brakes or something, brought the car over to be restored over period of I believe 4 months. She somehow hoodwinked her husband into some story of why the car was not returned for so long. On the owners birthday, she drove the car at night the 20 miles or so to her house, and garaged the car, and tied a big red bow around it, and presented the restored car to her husband on his birthday! He loved the car.
Well, there's a fair amount of puffery in that. When I got the car there was a lot of rust. And the paint, which might have been an attempt at Ruby Red, was a kind of candy apple red. The cockpit was full of gas from a badly leaking fuel cock. And it absolutely would not run. Initially, the car was a huge disappointment. I think the car flipper who sold it to me thought he had really pulled one off by selling it to me.
But, after digging a bit deeper, things were better than they appeared. As it turned out, the fuel system was full of water. I completely rebuilt the entire fuel system and subsequently discovered that the car started right up and ran strong. There was other good news as well. The car had an early, original Nardi steering wheel in nice condition -- a friend told me it was worth around $2500. And, while the various components were in pretty shabby condition, they were all there. The car was substantially original and complete.
It drove so well that I decided to restore it. I started with the mechanical and rebuilt the fuel system and the brakes. I dropped the engine and torn it down to the case. The rods looked tight and there had been no signs of problems with the bottom end, so I more or less just cleaned and painted everything and put it all back together with new seals and gaskets. A friend (the Bend Solex Medicine Man) sold me a pair of after-market split-shaft Solex's that he had rebuilt, we did all the tune-up procedures -- and the car ran like a champ. I mean a champ. It's the quickest 356 I have ever driven.
It still looked weird though, with its candy apple red paint. I sent it to a body shop in Long Beach, California for body and paint work, a process that took about a year. The shop is run by a Mexican and staffed by Mexicans -- kind of a Tijuana body shop (I doubt anyone working there is in the country legally). They specialize in 356's and -- lowriders. Seriously, 356's and lowriders. But they are consummate craftsman. The body work, which was extensive, is beautifully done. And the paint, now silver metallic, is a work of art.
Next I sent the car to a one man shop in San Diego. A former Autos International employee, the craftsman there does Pebble Beach level concours work. He installed a dark navy blue interior and top and the result is gorgeous. He also did most of the final assembly.
Those on the 356 Talk list know that this car is called Mouse. The reason is that when I torn down the engine I found a perfectly preserved mummified mouse on top of the 3/4 cylinders. I particularly like the whiskers. I kept the mouse and display it in a plastic case.
I currently own a number of vintage Porsches, including two 911S's. The Mouse is my favorite. It's incredibly fun to drive (as much fun as the 911), it's beautiful to look it, and it has 100% original parts -- no reproduction parts. It's a keeper.
John Audette
1960 Super 90 Roadster #88205
Bend, Oregon
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