The America Roadster Story
01-23-2007, 08:05 AM
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Burning Brakes
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The America Roadster Story
I found this article that I thought fellow 964 owners might enjoy...
This was the year Presidential Hopeful Bill Clinton vowed "We want our future back, and I intend to help give it to you". President Bush was insisting "the recession wasn't so bad" as we saw the last results of 'trickle-down Reaganomics', John "Teflon Don"Gotti ( New York mobster) was convicted of racketeering / murder, Hurriance Andrew bore down on Southern Florida resulting in $20.6 billion in damages, Johnny Carson retired from Late Night Telelvision, Amy Fisher pleaded 'guilty' to shooting MaryJo Buttafuco, and 20 yr. old Heavy Weight Champ Mike Tyson was convicted of bonking 18 yr.old Miss Black America, Desiree Washington in his hotel room. What was suppose to be a 40 year Celebration for Queen Elizabeth II's Accension to the Throne turned disastrous as the soap opera life of Princess Di and Prince Charles became tabloid fodder. "Fergie" was 'caught' topless on the Riviera, Princess Anne divorced and the Queen's own lavish spending and tax exempt status turned sour. Four white Los Angeles Policeman were acquitted after beating Rodney "PCP" King senseless. Gulf War allies established a 'no fly' zone over Southern Iraq to keep Saddam Hussein from crushing ****ite Muslims. Tv's across America blurted "I've fallen, and I can't get Up" and PeeWee Herman's line......" That's so funny, I forgot to laugh"...came true, after he was arrested for flogging his sausage in a Porno Flick in Tampa. Lawrence Welk , Marlene Deitreich, Bert Parks and Benny Hill (British Comedian) all died in 1992.
If you wake up one morning, and decide you gotta have a Porsche Convertible before you croak but, have narrowed your sights down to ONLY the factory "Turbo-look" Wide-Bodied Version...your choices are extremely limited. Either you pick from:
1. The Late Eighties "Turbo Look" / Slantnose Cabriolet's (Limited Edition)
2. The Late Eighties Turbo Cab's (Very Limited Edition)
3. The 1989 Carrera Speedster ( the 1994 Speedster had a traditional body )
4. 1994 C4 Cabriolet
5. Or, the Super Collectible Turbo Bodied Convertible: The American Roadster
Very few Porsche's were production built using the bodacious blown-out rear fenders and Turbo upgrades. Each model previously offered had its attributes and inherited drawbacks. The early edition cars ('83-'89) are really beautiful but, are now considered dated looking, resembling the old 930 Race Cars. Cars built pre-1989 only had 4-speed gearboxes, which were known to be fragile against the incredible torque / power put out by the Turbo. Conversely, the 1989 Speedster is a great collectible due to it's limited production (2,100 worldwide, 800 USA) but, it was underpowered and carried a cheap looking fiberglass clamshell with an absolutely miserable manual soft top, which could only be described as 'cantankerous' to deal with. One of the last, final production factory Wide-body Turbo Bodies... The 1992 American Roadster. These were produced in 1992 & 1993 with a total production number of 250 cars... There were 164 produced in 1992 and only 86 produced in 1993…
The American Roadster was first seen as "overpriced" when released in 1992, as it cost $15,000 more than a regular Porsche Cabriolet but, it was soon revealed it would be the only factory issue developed as a Commemorative Edition honoring the coveted 1952 Porsche "American Roadster" Race Car. For those 'not-in-the know', many people do not realize that the predecessor to the Porsche Speedster, was actually the Porsche American Roadster. It's humble beginnings started when Stuttgart commissioned Hans Klenk Karosserrie to build an all steel, open car in 1950. Called the Sauter Roadster, it weighed in at only 1,298 lbs. and was fitted with 'easy access' suicide doors. It was used as a Rally Car on the Leige-Rome-Leige Race and carried a 1500cc motor. It was then purchased by Porsche in 1952, and used as a development mule, refitted with the 'new' Typ528 Super 1500cc motor. By 1953, this actual car mentioned had found it's way to California and was extensively raced there.
However, by late 1950, Karl Rabe and Erwin Komenda completed designs for another low-window-sill Cabriolet (design Typ540- seen above) for the growing market in the United States. This market was encouraged in part by Max Hoffman, an American Car Dealer from California (so, even in the Fifties, the incredible power of the American Buying Public was being exercised!). Hoffman flipped for the Sauter car during his visits to Stuttgart but, requested that the car be redesigned with rear opening (front hinged) doors and an all-aluminum body. It was quickly dubbed "The American Roadster" and rushed into production. Porsche hired body-builder Heinreich Glaser Karosserrie to build the car. Unfortunately, he died soon after undertaking the project and design control was assumed by his Son-In-Law, Emil Heuer. While this collaboration made money off it's auto repairs and other interests, Coach Building had to be it's "loss leader". Obviously, a 'labor of love', they lost about 1,600 German DM on every car built (they had bid 500 hours per car, and it took 640 hrs. to build each one). They ended up building 2 different series of cars ( single engine grille and twin grille) for a total of about 16 vehicles. Today, it's easy to spot the influence of the Jaguar XK120 and the Ferrari Barchetta Spyder in their design. "Creature Features" included a Clock on the instrument panel and Leather Seating, were the only luxury options setting it apart from it's pure race car heritage. The price, however, was luxurious at $4,600 U.S.D....a lot of money in 1952!
Losing money on every car he built, Heuer eventually went bankrupt; the car then saw another body-builder take over (Drauz) who then adapted the American Roadster strictly for racing. Today, it is clearly viewed as the prototype car for what became the Porsche Speedster in 1957. An actual factory lightweight roadster, once again, fitted with a low windshield, big engine and increased braking power.
Forty Years later, Porsche honors the history of The American Roadster by building a limited run of 250...it's own modern version. It released a wide-bodied America Roadster complete with Turbo Suspension, and Turbo Brakes but, unlike it's Little Brother, The '89 Carrera Speedster, it carried more horsepower (247 vs. 214) and was powered by the 3.6L H6 motor which pushes out 228 lb's of torque (vs. 195 on the Speedster). but, also unlike the Speedster, instead of being totally stripped, it came standard with 4 Season Air Conditioning, Power Windows, Power Door Locks, Cassette, Airbags and ABS Brakes. It also cost a helluvalot more money. The Speedsters sold for $65,480 new, the American Roadster (3 years later) sold for $87,900- $95,000+. Unfortunately, the marketing folks at Porsche shot themselves in the foot, by not capitalizing on the heritage or Racing History of the American Roadster. Few American's were informed or understood what the American Roadster actually was when it was released. Porsche's failure to market and advertise the car properly (to its biggest customer: the U.S.A.) failed to cause the same 'barn storm' action as when it released the '89 Speedster (over 800 made). In retrospect, this inaction makes the car a bargain today....and extremely collectible for the future (we repeat... one of 250). We've had the pleasure of owning nearly every breed of important automobile built and if you've never owned a Porsche, you're in for a real surprise. They still offer the most 'bang-for-the-buck" in a sports car today. At least, now we feel we've done our part... you now know about the little American Roadster!! We feel, watching new late-model cars (including the coveted Mercedes) 'drop like a rock' in value, that these factory customs will make a great future collectible... (now, try to find a low-mileage one?)
Hope you enjoyed...
THE PORSCHE AMERICA ROADSTER STORY
This was the year Presidential Hopeful Bill Clinton vowed "We want our future back, and I intend to help give it to you". President Bush was insisting "the recession wasn't so bad" as we saw the last results of 'trickle-down Reaganomics', John "Teflon Don"Gotti ( New York mobster) was convicted of racketeering / murder, Hurriance Andrew bore down on Southern Florida resulting in $20.6 billion in damages, Johnny Carson retired from Late Night Telelvision, Amy Fisher pleaded 'guilty' to shooting MaryJo Buttafuco, and 20 yr. old Heavy Weight Champ Mike Tyson was convicted of bonking 18 yr.old Miss Black America, Desiree Washington in his hotel room. What was suppose to be a 40 year Celebration for Queen Elizabeth II's Accension to the Throne turned disastrous as the soap opera life of Princess Di and Prince Charles became tabloid fodder. "Fergie" was 'caught' topless on the Riviera, Princess Anne divorced and the Queen's own lavish spending and tax exempt status turned sour. Four white Los Angeles Policeman were acquitted after beating Rodney "PCP" King senseless. Gulf War allies established a 'no fly' zone over Southern Iraq to keep Saddam Hussein from crushing ****ite Muslims. Tv's across America blurted "I've fallen, and I can't get Up" and PeeWee Herman's line......" That's so funny, I forgot to laugh"...came true, after he was arrested for flogging his sausage in a Porno Flick in Tampa. Lawrence Welk , Marlene Deitreich, Bert Parks and Benny Hill (British Comedian) all died in 1992.
If you wake up one morning, and decide you gotta have a Porsche Convertible before you croak but, have narrowed your sights down to ONLY the factory "Turbo-look" Wide-Bodied Version...your choices are extremely limited. Either you pick from:
1. The Late Eighties "Turbo Look" / Slantnose Cabriolet's (Limited Edition)
2. The Late Eighties Turbo Cab's (Very Limited Edition)
3. The 1989 Carrera Speedster ( the 1994 Speedster had a traditional body )
4. 1994 C4 Cabriolet
5. Or, the Super Collectible Turbo Bodied Convertible: The American Roadster
Very few Porsche's were production built using the bodacious blown-out rear fenders and Turbo upgrades. Each model previously offered had its attributes and inherited drawbacks. The early edition cars ('83-'89) are really beautiful but, are now considered dated looking, resembling the old 930 Race Cars. Cars built pre-1989 only had 4-speed gearboxes, which were known to be fragile against the incredible torque / power put out by the Turbo. Conversely, the 1989 Speedster is a great collectible due to it's limited production (2,100 worldwide, 800 USA) but, it was underpowered and carried a cheap looking fiberglass clamshell with an absolutely miserable manual soft top, which could only be described as 'cantankerous' to deal with. One of the last, final production factory Wide-body Turbo Bodies... The 1992 American Roadster. These were produced in 1992 & 1993 with a total production number of 250 cars... There were 164 produced in 1992 and only 86 produced in 1993…
The American Roadster was first seen as "overpriced" when released in 1992, as it cost $15,000 more than a regular Porsche Cabriolet but, it was soon revealed it would be the only factory issue developed as a Commemorative Edition honoring the coveted 1952 Porsche "American Roadster" Race Car. For those 'not-in-the know', many people do not realize that the predecessor to the Porsche Speedster, was actually the Porsche American Roadster. It's humble beginnings started when Stuttgart commissioned Hans Klenk Karosserrie to build an all steel, open car in 1950. Called the Sauter Roadster, it weighed in at only 1,298 lbs. and was fitted with 'easy access' suicide doors. It was used as a Rally Car on the Leige-Rome-Leige Race and carried a 1500cc motor. It was then purchased by Porsche in 1952, and used as a development mule, refitted with the 'new' Typ528 Super 1500cc motor. By 1953, this actual car mentioned had found it's way to California and was extensively raced there.
However, by late 1950, Karl Rabe and Erwin Komenda completed designs for another low-window-sill Cabriolet (design Typ540- seen above) for the growing market in the United States. This market was encouraged in part by Max Hoffman, an American Car Dealer from California (so, even in the Fifties, the incredible power of the American Buying Public was being exercised!). Hoffman flipped for the Sauter car during his visits to Stuttgart but, requested that the car be redesigned with rear opening (front hinged) doors and an all-aluminum body. It was quickly dubbed "The American Roadster" and rushed into production. Porsche hired body-builder Heinreich Glaser Karosserrie to build the car. Unfortunately, he died soon after undertaking the project and design control was assumed by his Son-In-Law, Emil Heuer. While this collaboration made money off it's auto repairs and other interests, Coach Building had to be it's "loss leader". Obviously, a 'labor of love', they lost about 1,600 German DM on every car built (they had bid 500 hours per car, and it took 640 hrs. to build each one). They ended up building 2 different series of cars ( single engine grille and twin grille) for a total of about 16 vehicles. Today, it's easy to spot the influence of the Jaguar XK120 and the Ferrari Barchetta Spyder in their design. "Creature Features" included a Clock on the instrument panel and Leather Seating, were the only luxury options setting it apart from it's pure race car heritage. The price, however, was luxurious at $4,600 U.S.D....a lot of money in 1952!
Losing money on every car he built, Heuer eventually went bankrupt; the car then saw another body-builder take over (Drauz) who then adapted the American Roadster strictly for racing. Today, it is clearly viewed as the prototype car for what became the Porsche Speedster in 1957. An actual factory lightweight roadster, once again, fitted with a low windshield, big engine and increased braking power.
Forty Years later, Porsche honors the history of The American Roadster by building a limited run of 250...it's own modern version. It released a wide-bodied America Roadster complete with Turbo Suspension, and Turbo Brakes but, unlike it's Little Brother, The '89 Carrera Speedster, it carried more horsepower (247 vs. 214) and was powered by the 3.6L H6 motor which pushes out 228 lb's of torque (vs. 195 on the Speedster). but, also unlike the Speedster, instead of being totally stripped, it came standard with 4 Season Air Conditioning, Power Windows, Power Door Locks, Cassette, Airbags and ABS Brakes. It also cost a helluvalot more money. The Speedsters sold for $65,480 new, the American Roadster (3 years later) sold for $87,900- $95,000+. Unfortunately, the marketing folks at Porsche shot themselves in the foot, by not capitalizing on the heritage or Racing History of the American Roadster. Few American's were informed or understood what the American Roadster actually was when it was released. Porsche's failure to market and advertise the car properly (to its biggest customer: the U.S.A.) failed to cause the same 'barn storm' action as when it released the '89 Speedster (over 800 made). In retrospect, this inaction makes the car a bargain today....and extremely collectible for the future (we repeat... one of 250). We've had the pleasure of owning nearly every breed of important automobile built and if you've never owned a Porsche, you're in for a real surprise. They still offer the most 'bang-for-the-buck" in a sports car today. At least, now we feel we've done our part... you now know about the little American Roadster!! We feel, watching new late-model cars (including the coveted Mercedes) 'drop like a rock' in value, that these factory customs will make a great future collectible... (now, try to find a low-mileage one?)
Hope you enjoyed...
Last edited by bull30; 01-23-2007 at 11:26 AM.
01-23-2007, 02:26 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
Interesting read
Thanks
So the AR used the 964 91-92 turbo brakes and suspension? I recall seeing several of these sitting on show room floors in 1994 and still not selling. Funny how the cars that are somewhat hard to sell initially end up being more desirable than those that did sell easily.
I remember asking the sales person what the America Roadster stood for and he didn't have a clue. I finally saw my first original 53 America Roadster a few years back. Great car, it recently sold for $1million, I have seen others listed for $1.5.
I doubt yours will ever be worth that much but it hopefully will appreciate over time.
Good Luck with it.
Thanks
So the AR used the 964 91-92 turbo brakes and suspension? I recall seeing several of these sitting on show room floors in 1994 and still not selling. Funny how the cars that are somewhat hard to sell initially end up being more desirable than those that did sell easily.
I remember asking the sales person what the America Roadster stood for and he didn't have a clue. I finally saw my first original 53 America Roadster a few years back. Great car, it recently sold for $1million, I have seen others listed for $1.5.
I doubt yours will ever be worth that much but it hopefully will appreciate over time.
Good Luck with it.
01-23-2007, 06:29 PM
#5
Burning Brakes
Originally Posted by garrett376
Good article, but there are were no C4 WideBody Cabriolets ever made in 1994 - they're all coupes....
I also own an extremely low mileage AR in my collection, but this article was just a tad too much....
01-23-2007, 07:44 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
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Originally Posted by parsecnc4
I also own an extremely low mileage AR in my collection, but this article was just a tad too much....
Personally, I think that any Porsche that had production numbers as low as the AR would be SUPER collectable... If they only made 250 then how many are still on the road? There were many more Speedsters made than AR's... If it were an American Muscle car with those production numbers the value would be incredible... How do I know?? I bought my 1970 Shelby GT350 Convertable (1 of only 216 made) in 1974 for $5900 and sold it recently for $178,000... Do I feel the AR will ever be worth that much... I doubt it very much but one never knows... I'll keep mine until I croak and will it to my grandson...
Let's see a picture of that extremely low mileage AR in your collection...
01-23-2007, 07:51 PM
#7
Burning Brakes
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Originally Posted by cobalt
Interesting read
Thanks
So the AR used the 964 91-92 turbo brakes and suspension? I recall seeing several of these sitting on show room floors in 1994 and still not selling.
Thanks
So the AR used the 964 91-92 turbo brakes and suspension? I recall seeing several of these sitting on show room floors in 1994 and still not selling.
I've been looking for one of these for a long time... Finally found what I'm looking for...
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01-23-2007, 07:51 PM
#8
Burning Brakes
I am not shooting you, but merely offerring my opinion... and I would love it if AR prices sky-rocket. 
That would be a nice graduation gift for one of my kids. I'll give it a shot on posting a picture my AR, for I am not as tech savy as some and it is stored in the corner of my messy garage.
That would be a nice graduation gift for one of my kids. I'll give it a shot on posting a picture my AR, for I am not as tech savy as some and it is stored in the corner of my messy garage.
01-23-2007, 08:40 PM
#10
Burning Brakes
Originally Posted by bull30
Let's see a picture of that extremely low mileage AR in your collection...
It was not prepped and a tad dirtier than I would like. The car is now hibernating in my garage and not attended to much for the past year or so after passing smog... 
Maybe it is time to fire it up, give it a nice wash + wax and take it out for a spin this weekend. 
Last edited by parsecnc4; 04-20-2012 at 12:49 PM.
01-23-2007, 10:50 PM
#12
Burning Brakes
Originally Posted by ttAmerica RoadsterAWD
Well, I don't know.....I still think the original AR was underpowered 
Jaime
Jaime
01-24-2007, 11:29 PM
#14
Burning Brakes
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Originally Posted by Robert Linton
Underpowered or perhaps overweight or perhaps a bit of both (i.e., what if you added 100+ HP and deducted 1000+ LBS?).
