Porsche 356 C Cabriolet Goes to Auction

Carolina Coach Crafters’ Orange 1965 Porsche 356 C Cabriolet Goes to Auction

Carolina Coach Crafters has built itself a fine reputation for bringing classic automobiles back to life and adding a sprinkle of magic to the final result. As they so eloquently say; like ourselves, classic cars do not always age gracefully and need some help.

One fine example of the work of Carolina Coach Crafters is this 2016 restoration of a classic 1965 Porsche 356 C Cabriolet. Painted in what looks to me like standard VW Brilliant Orange, it is, they claimed at the time, the only orange paint-to-sample Porsche 356 C Cabriolet in existence. If this was an accurate assessment at the time, then I wouldn’t be surprised if this beautiful classic Porsche might have since inspired a few other home restoration colour ideas.

Mooreseville-based CCC took the whole job of restoring the 356 C soft-top from the ground up as a bare metal restoration over a period of 18 months. When the coachbuilder finally revealed the result, it led to multiple show wins including a Best Porsche win at Atlanta Concours s’Elegance in 2017 and a pair of 356 Open Class wins at the Amelia Island PCA Werks Reunion in 2017 and 2018.

The 1965 Porsche 356 Cabriolet itself is quite a rare beast regardless of condition, as only 587 were built that year as Porsche began to look further afield to the new Porsche 911. When it was in its heyday, the 1965 356 Cabriolet was a luxury soft-top to envy.

This particular model was completed in the summer of 1964 and with a green-tinted windshield fitted, found its way to its new and first owner in Texas, Mr JL Hutchinson, and a plaque can be seen on the dashboard to this effect. When the Porsche arrived at the bodyshop of Carolina Coach Crafters, the company decided that the soft-top deserved unscrupulous attention to detail, even to the tune of deciding to restore rather than replace all five original wheels, which were date-coded and deemed crucial to keeping as much of the original car alive as possible. Sadly, the original engine was replaced at some point in the car’s past with another period-correct 75hp C engine.

While the car caused a stir when unveiled back in 2016, it has recently come to light again as an auction piece in early summer 2021 where it went under the hammer on Amelia Island, Florida in late May. Still in excellent condition, this one-off 1965 Porsche 356 C Cabriolet, chassis number 160904, sold for $280,000 complete with a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity and original tools, jack and restored spare wheel and leather interior. With its black canvas top contrasting beautifully with the rich orange paint, the car is a rare sixties cabriolet that looks almost as good with its hood up as it does with it down.

So often we’re used to seeing period Porsche 356 models in black, grey or muted colours, but this bright orange restoration shows just what a timeless, and thoroughly modern-looking classic car the Porsche 356 still is – and if you’re left in any doubt, settle back and take a good look at these images. For more information, please click here.

Images: carolinacoachcrafters.com, rmsothebys.com

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