| 1960 Coupe
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Jim
Miller
#111598
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My wife Mary John (who knows nothing about cars and cares even less) bought this 356 for me on June 21, 1990, as a surprise 40th birthday present. I still have MJM’s handwritten notes of her telephone conversation with a helpful person at Stoddard trying to determine whether 86355 was the original engine in 111598.
The Certificate of Authenticity shows MJM and Stoddard were right in their conclusion that this engine has always belonged to this 356. The transmission number is 37039, which is also original per the Certificate. The original color was Ruby Red (paint code 6002), and this 356 is painted a fair approximation of the original Ruby Red. The options included fog lights, electric clock, and a camber compensating spring, which are still with the car. Though not listed in the Certificate, this 356 is also fitted with a Leitz luggage rack.
In 1996, Klasse 356 replaced the battery floor and installed Webers and dual brake cylinders. The Webers have worked much better than the Zeniths (which I have retained). In 2001, I replaced the tulip steering wheel with a Nardi wheel, which looks better and, with its smaller diameter, is a bit more fun on the road. In 2003, Jay Winsor, of J&J Motors in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, installed an electric fuel pump and fixed many other minor problems (and did a great job).
The odometer showed 19,602 miles at the time the speedometer stopped working in 2000. (I drove the 356 roughly 1,500 miles between 1990 and 2000.) I believe the speedometer/odometer was original, and my guess is that the odometer reading equated to 219,602 miles. (Jay Winsor has now replaced the speedometer.)
I have an interesting Porsche document about this 356 – a “Werkauftrag,” dated May 5, 1960
– which I found tucked away in the Driver’s Manual. (The Certificate of Authenticity gives April 29, 1960, as this 356’s delivery date.)
Brett Johnson, in his Restoration column in 356 Registry for March/April 2002 (vol. 25, no. 6), included my photograph of the location of the fog light switch in this 356.
James Dabney Miller
James74036@earthlink.net
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