1963 PORSCHE 356B CARRERA 2 SUNROOF COUPE
2.0L, 4-Speed STAR

Engine
2.0L
Trans
4-Speed
Color
Blue
Interior
Brown
VIN/Serial
121298
ESTIMATE
$650,000 - $750,000
HIGHLIGHTS
Limited number of Carrera 2 sunroofs produced
Replacement correct 587/1 2.0L engine
Rebuilt by Bill Doyle of Renn Wagon motors
4-speed transmission
Entire car stripped and repainted
Oslo Blue paint
Brown Corduroy seats
Sunroof
Interior redone by Paterek Brothers
Porsche Certificate of Authenticity
Binder with history information available
Porsche in the 1960s tried hard to give customers what they wanted. As a small company, they stayed focused on a very limited number of models, but within the range you could get almost any flavor you wanted, from light and economical 60 HP runabouts; to streetable but high-strung 155 HP near race cars; to all-out 300 HP competition cars; and everything in between.

For those who wanted a potent car they could race on the weekends, but that remained civilized enough to drive to the track, Porsche built a series of Carreras. Externally very similar to the 356s on which they were based, Carreras offered sporting but still comfortable accommodations; often more performance-oriented gear ratios; and most importantly, special engines.

The two-liter, four-cam 2000 GS engine in the Carrera 2 was very special, indeed. In street tune, it made 130 HP DIN – 152 BHP SAE at 6,200 RPM and 131lbs-ft. of torque at 4,600. In Road & Track testing in 1962, that moved a 2,220-pound two-liter Carrera to 60 MPH in 9.2 seconds, and they hit a fantastic (and factory advertised) 126 MPH: “When one finds that it is time for 2nd gear, down comes the stick in a flick, more acceleration, and other cars pass by as if in reverse,” they wrote. “High up in the speed range, this is it – the effortless superiority of the true high-performance machine.” Even better, improvements in the design of the four-cam engine had improved tractability, reliability and maintenance. The appeal of this tidy and nimble package was well demonstrated by the thousands of amateur racers who brought their assorted 356s across the finish line in first place throughout the '50s and '60s.

If you’re going to prepare a car as special as a Carrera 2, then there’s little sense in using anyone but the best. Thus, this T-6-body 356B from the Robert Rathe Porsche Collection enjoys a period-correct type-587/1 engine rebuilt by none other than Bill Doyle’s Rennwagen Motor Company, the unquestioned master of the four-cam. Delightful original color Brown corduroy upholstery comes from Porsche restoration specialists on the other side of the country, the renowned Paterek Brothers.

Carrera 2s are rare and desirable enough as it is, but even among those there are some that stand out. Alongside the standard coupes, Porsche constructed small batches of rare sunroof coupes. These, along with comparably rare cabriolets, are truly in a class by themselves and tend to remain in collectors’ hands for years at a time.

Finished in the car’s original 6203HC Oslo Blue with work performed by the country’s foremost 356 experts, this is a Carrera 2 that will appeal to any lover of great sports cars. Whether entered in the next Porsche Parade or Copperstate 1000, it will surely delight owners and onlookers alike.

1963 Porsche 356C Carrera 2 2000GS Coupé
Coachwork by Reutter
Chassis no. 121298
Engine no. 836918
The evocative ‘Carrera’ name first graced the flanks of a Porsche in 1955. Applied to a 356A powered by a slightly less ferocious version of the racing 550 Spyder’s 1.5-liter, twin-overhead-camshaft, roller-bearing engine, it had been adopted to capitalise on Porsche’s victories in the Carrera PanAmericana in 1952 and ’54. Dry-sumped like the racer’s, the four-cam Carrera engine produced 100bhp, some ten horsepower less than in race trim. Nevertheless, this was good enough to propel the 356 Carrera to over 120mph, making it the fastest 1.5-liter production car of its day and a formidable racetrack competitor. Significant developments included a capacity increase to 1.6 liters in 1958 and the adoption of a plain-bearing crankshaft at the same time.

Introduced in the autumn of 1961 at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the 2-liter Carrera II became the first Porsche production car to have disc brakes. An increased window area and numerous additional cooling vents were among the recently introduced improvements, but most attention was focussed on the new 1,966cc four-cam engine. This produced 130bhp (DIN) at 6,200rpm, and while the Carrera’s top speed increased only slightly to around 125mph, there was a marked improvement in acceleration despite the newcomer’s greater weight, the 0-100mph time being cut from 33.5 seconds to 27.2. The Carrera II had been introduced part way through 356B production, and continued virtually unchanged after the 356C’s arrival in 1963.

“The car’s acceleration is truly exhilarating,” enthused Road & Track magazine. “The clutch takes quite a bit of throttle without protest, and when one finds that it is time for 2nd gear, down comes the stick in a flick, more acceleration, and other cars pass as in reverse. High up in the speed range this is it - the effortless superiority of the true high-performance machine.”

This rare and desirable Porsche 356 Carrera II was delivered new to Muller in Hanover, Germany. The car came to USA in 1966 and was sold via a VW agent in Indianapolis to second owner Arthur Foyt, an active Porsche Club of America member in the Midwest. In 1971 it was purchased by Eugene Deutsch, who brought it to Boston in 1995. The vendor is the 4th owner. This car’s factory-fitted options include a sunroof, AM/FM/SW radio, power antenna, twin speakers, lowered driver’s seat and chrome-plated wheels. Chassis number ‘121298’ is one of a mere 221 Carrera IIs manufactured, of which fewer than 100 survive and only 30 of those have factory sunroofs. The car was restored over a seven-year period between May 1998 and July 2005. Work carried out included chassis detailing, fitting new carpets and headlining, and replacing all gaskets. A sensible upgrade, the rebuilt engine currently in chassis number ‘121298’ is a 1600cc pushrod motor (not the original) with a ‘big bore kit’ displacing a combined 1750cc and producing an estimated 110bhp. The braking system overhauled (new rotors, calipers, cylinders, etc) and new tires fitted. Refinished in its original factory color of Oslo Blue, the car was first shown at the Lime Rock Historics meeting in 2005 where it took a 2nd place in the Concours. Sales documents, kardex, Porsche Certificate of Authenticity and repair receipts going back to 1966 come with this car together with an owner’s manual, Carrera supplement, radio instruction book and original battery warranty.

We commend this rare and early ‘60s Carrera that bears up under the closest of inspections.