U.K. Sports Legend Frank Sykes’ Rare 356A Hits the Auction Block
Matching-numbers, right-hand drive 356A landed in the U.S. upon rugby star’s emigration.
The Porsche legend began with the 356. Seven decades ago, Porsche’s first production car took the basic idea behind its cousin, the Volkswagen Type 1 (a.k.a. Beetle), and amped it all up into a high-performance machine beloved by many in its day, and many more through today.
One of the 356’s fans was English rugby legend Frank Sykes, who bought a 1959 356A while playing for the British Lions, the England national team, and the Yorkshire rugby union. Sykes would later emigrate to the United States, bringing the car with him. And now, English restoration house Thornley Kelham brought it back home to sell, with a unique choice for the new owner to make.
“Often in the world of rare and significant classic cars, the stories that they tell are just as meaningful as their condition,” said Thornley Kelham co-founder Simon Thornley. “We have deliberated long and hard over whether or not to maintain this 356’s marks of age, or to return it to as-new condition, but ultimately we felt it was a decision best made by the buyer.”
The formerly Silbermetall 356A was recovered from a 30-year sleep in storage, where it gained its current look, a mix of bare metal, the original silver paint, patches of red paint, and rust. Whoever buys the car can have it mechanically restored, with the rusted body panels swapped out, a new interior installed, and the remaining patina clear-coated to protect its story.
On the flip side, the new owner can also have the entire matching-numbers 356A fully restored, rolling out with a new coat of metallic silver paint, complete retrimming of the interior, a rebuilt drivetrain, and so on.
“Our team has completed a number of 356 nut-and-bolt restorations,” said Thornley, “and we’ve carefully analysed the structure, body, mechanicals and interior of this example to know that no matter which route the buyer chooses, we can produce a rare Porsche 356A that looks good, drives well and works every time.â€
While no price is available at this time, we’re sure this 356A is worth every penny, fully restored, or retaining its patina.
Photos: Thornley Kelham
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