Vintage Porsche Collection Values Preservation Over Restoration
Cool collection focuses on keeping classic Porsches in their original state, rust and all.
Porsche collector Matt Hummel sees only the beauty and character in rust, patina, and a well-worn car. He’s not looking for new and shiny; he wants a Porsche that has earned its stripes, with a little rust, some dents, lots of patina, and just the right amount of dirty. Hummel was recently profiled in Porsche’s Christophorus magazine, and his is a stunning collection that is definitely not the same old, same old.
“This 356 is in precisely the same condition that I found it in,” says Hummel of his 1956 Porsche 356 A 1600. “I love its authentic quality. The car has lived through so much, and it’s still here. I want to keep it like a time machine — not to restore it back to what we think was its original state.”
Hummel works hard to make his enviable collection reflect his preference for a Porsche that has been around the block. To that end, he has acquired a 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2, a 1966 912, a 1958 356 A Super, and two 1952 356 Cabriolets. And these are no garage queens. Says Hummel, “The Porsche was built to drive, not to sit around in the garage.”
Hummel’s open 356s are the most valuable in his collection. And they have an especially cool production history. “These two cars have consecutive chassis numbers,” he says. “They were produced one right after the other.” One number ending in 4, and the other in 5.
‘The Porsche was built to drive, not to sit around in the garage.’
Keeping his Porsches period correct is no easy feat. Hummel has a treasure trove of rare and hard-to-find parts that it’s taken his over ten years to find. “The Holy Grail!” he rightly calls it.
For more on Hummel’s vintage rides, check out Christophorus.
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