February 5, 2010
Porsche Speedster
by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide
Porsche’s big event of 1954 arrived in September: the charming, sporty Speedster. It was still another bit of marketing magic from Max Hoffman, who, despite his experience w/the ‘52 America, didn’t think U.S. demand for roadsters was quite so limited -- & that an inexpensive model should be a permanent part of the Porsche line.
 The Porsche Speedster was another rakish Porsche inspired by Max Hoffman.
The cockpit was as Spartan as a Triumph TR2’s. Seats were simple buckets w/fixed backrests. Instrumentation was limited to speedo, tach, & temperature gauge; technically, the tach & heater were extras, but it was hard to find a car w/out them, so they were effectively “mandatory options” that pushed the typical delivered price over $3,000. But Hoffman realized his target base price of $2,995 POE (Port of Entry) NY.
Exterior appearance was std Porsche from the waist down save the aesthetically pleasing, nearly full-length bodyside chrome strips that ran neatly thru the door handles. Still, the Speedster was invariably likened to an inverted bathtub, & it looked a bit bizarre buttoned up.
 The Porsche Speedster featured the strongest engine Porsche had, the 1500.
Visually, the 1954 & ’55 Speedsters were quite similar, the differences confined mainly to gauges, bonnet handle, & emblems. Like all 356s since the 1st, they rolled on 16” diameter wheels & tires.
The Speedster seemed born to race & was certainly quick enough for it. The base model weighed nearly 200 lbs less than a 1500N coupe & was thus about a second faster in the 0-60 sprint, tho superior aerodynamics let the coupe pull away after about 80 mph. The 1500S version was commensurately faster but could not catch its coupe counterpart at the top end. Comparing Super & Normal Speedsters, respective 0-60 times were 10 & 14 seconds; figures for the standing 1/4-mile were 17.5 seconds at 100 mph vs. 19 seconds at 95 mph.
Of course, being Porsches, the Speedsters did race, & w/distinction. John von Neumann, Porsche’s West-Coast counterpart to Max Hoffman, started running them in SCCA events in November 1954, when his 1500S finished 8th OA in a 6-hour enduro at Torrey Pines, near San Diego, & won its class the following day. In 1955, Bengt Sonderstrom drove one to win the national SCCA F/Production championship.
Walt Woron waxed enthusiastic after testing a Speedster for the July 1955 issue of Motor Trend … “Its size, power, easy shift & steering make it fun to drive...The brakes are extremely good...they get you out of situations where you may have delayed too long...For a sports car, & especially such a small one, the Porsche Speedster has a very smooth ride...There’s absolutely no wallowing when it comes out of a dip...”
Like most drivers, Woron felt slightly claustrophobic in the Speedster. “With the top up...you have to jackknife in; the top is extremely low [OA height was a mere 48”] & if you’re over 6’, your head is going to touch. It doesn’t leave much room between the top & doors for seeing out; & w/the side curtains on, you may as well be content w/just looking forward.”
Tho rudimentary next to the cabrio roof, the Speedster top was high-tech next to the Erector-set affairs of British contemporaries. “Putting up the soft top is absurdly easy,” said Woron. “You reach behind you, grab the top’s forward bow, pull forward so that it reaches the windshield & snap the 2 locks in place.” He also noted that Reutter had managed to sneak a little padding between the top’s inner & outer layers, an advance unknown in darkest Coventry.
Summing up the Speedster’s appeal, Woron rhetorically asked, “Where else are you going to get a sports car that has the performance, the ride & the workmanship of this one? Sure, it lacks certain features like roll-up windows, but if...you drive for the fun of driving, you’ll love this one.”
 This 356A Speedster shows the evolution of this classic Porsche body type.
 The Porsche Speedster CollectionQuail Lodge Motor CarsBonhams & Butterfields (8/19/2005)
The Ultimate Speedster Collection
Introduced at Watkins Glen in September 1954, where it won the Concours award, Porsche’s Speedster was launched 2 years after the ill-fated & extremely rare Sport Roadster (best known as the ‘America Roadster’). The Speedster is widely acknowledged to be the Porsche that spearheaded the company’s successes in the U.S. &, ultimately, the world.
This new open Porsche was the ultimate car for the enthusiast who wanted to drive during the week & go racing on the weekend. It rec’d immediate acclaim. In both pushrod & 4-cam versions it was a mainstay on North American & European racing circuits. Among others, successful Speedster racers included Erich Buecklers, Hans Stanek, Jan Brundage, Paul-Ernst Straehle & Bruce Jennings. Legendary movie star James Dean also owned a 1500S Speedster which was his 1st racer. It was also the car he traded in on the 550 Spyder in which he was tragically killed in an accident on the way to his 1st race in his new car.
For every new model Porsche builds, there are prototypes & pre-series cars. However, these cars are destroyed & never reach customers. In the early days Porsche rarely designated a car as a prototype or pre-series vehicle. In fact, the only production car of the 356 series designated as a prototype is one of the Speedsters included in this collection. For those who seek even more unusual examples, the collection also includes the only 2 Pre-A Carrera (4-cam) RS Speedsters w/547 Spyder motors. In addition, the 1st Speedster ever raced is part of the collection, as is the 1st 4-cam Carrera Speedster to see competition.
It took more than 20 years to assemble & restore this collection of 6 stunning Speedsters. Each car was restored by world-renowned expert Tim Goodrich to impeccable standards, & each has won numerous awards. Many would argue that the Speedster was Porsche’s most important car. Few would argue that the 6 stunning & rare open 356 Porsches on offer constitute the finest collection of Speedsters extant anywhere in the world.
The Prototype Porsche Speedster
1954 Porsche Speedster
Chassis # 12223
Max Hoffman was determined to convince Ferry Porsche that there was a growing market in the U.S. for a simpler, cheaper Porsche sports car. The aluminum sports roadster was a racing success but it was too costly to manufacture & its retail price was too high.
Ferry Porsche was a tough sell; he did not want to compromise quality for price.
In May 1952 Hoffman arranged for Ferry Porsche to meet w/executives of Studebaker. The meeting resulted in a distribution contract for Porsche that, in effect, allowed Porsche to expand its production facilities. During the same trip, Hoffman arranged a meeting for Ferry Porsche w/the president of a racing club in the NY area. They discussed a maximum price of $3,000 for an acceptable sports car. Additionally, Hoffman said that once such a car could be agreed upon, he would issue a blank order for 200 cars.
For many reasons, Hoffman’s vision was not realized until the fall of 1954. Porsche was busy w/the Studebaker contract, a new production building & the 550 Spyder & 4-cam motor development. However, when the Speedster was finally announced, Hoffman lived up to his promise & took the 1st 200 units. He also rec’d most of the series after that.
Back in the spring of 1954, the work order was issued to build a prototype roadster body. Replacement or spare bodies were then generally used for experimental work or for the repair of damaged cars. The body/chassis unit from a 1952 Cabriolet (#12223) served as the donor car. Modifications to the cabriolet body included removing the windshield frame & lowering the top edges of the rear of the body. The doors were very simple & had neither windows nor exterior door handles. Many other modifications to simplify the design & construction were made, including the inclusion of an integral instrument panel.
On 6/30/1954, that 1st new lightweight roadster was completed. The tank of the open silver sports car was filled w/12L of gasoline. On 8/3/1954, the car was registered to the company where it remained for many months as a test vehicle.
This very special car & very few Porsches were ever prototypes in this sense & did not receive any side script for a very basic reason. Porsche was not sure what to call it. Internal production & other records, as well as the advertisement for its official introduction at Watkins Glen in September 1954, all call it a Roadster. Factory engineering drawings suggest ‘Silver-arrow’ as well as ‘Speedster’. By the time the car appeared at Watkins Glen, it was a ‘Speedster’.
The Speedster Collection Speedsters #80002, #80003 & #80004. This extraordinary group of hand-built Speedsters was completed on 8/18/1954 & each was immediately filled w/12L of gasoline. Both 80002 & 80003 were red w/black interiors & 80004 was finished in white w/a red interior. Even when beginning production of a new model, Porsche rarely built cars, as they put it, “not on the line”. As Porsche introduced a new series (A, B, C) or model (Convertible D, Roadster), the 1st of these cars simply went thru normal production. This was true even for the special 4-cam Carrera Speedsters included in this Collection. However, these 3 pre-series cars were hand-built. Just 7 weeks later, the 1st Speedster production car was completed in October 1954; some 7 weeks after these hands built pre-series cars had been completed. The 1st Speedster Raced 1954 Porsche 356 Speedster Chassis #80002 Porsche Speedster, chassis 80002 was used as the brochure car & appears on all of the very early advertising material to support the introduction of the new model. All of these rare paper memorabilia items prominently feature 80002, which was finished by the factory in red w/a black interior. Upon completion, the car was quickly shipped to Hoffman in NY. Hoffman then introduced it at Watkins Glen, where it won the Concours Award. This car was the 1st Speedster documented to have been raced. Owned by West Coast distributor John von Neumann, it was raced by Erich Buecklers at Torrey Pines (CA). However, it was already no stranger to a race track, as Clark Gable had used it in his role as Course Marshall at an event in Palm Springs. Restored to the highest standards by 356 specialist Tim Goodrich, chassis 80002 was 1st shown at the Speedster 50th Anniversary event in Pebble Beach in August 1998. 1954 Porsche Speedster Chassis #80003 Also Finished in red w/black, Speedster 80003 was nearly identical to 80002. Chassis 80003 had painted rather than chrome wheels & did not have the unique hood handle of 80002. This Speedster is thought to have been sold new to an American serviceman stationed in Germany. Like 80002, car 80003 was built w/an earlier version of the exterior trim that at 1st glance appears to read: “Spoodster”. All but one subsequent Speedster used a redesigned side script. Also restored by early Porsche restoration specialist Tim Goodrich, 80003 made its debut at the Pebble Beach Concours in 1998, where it won its class against formidable competition including an award winning aluminum sport roadster. Chassis 80003 was originally thought to be the oldest Speedster until 12223 & 80002 were discovered. 1954 Porsche Speedster Chassis #80004 The 4th speedster built, 80004 was finished in white & trimmed in red. Like 80002, its wheels were finished in body color & it sported the “Spoodster” pre-production side script emblems. Originally dispatched to the U.S, it is thought to be the brochure car for west coast advertisements of John von Neumann & his associated dealers. Relatively unknown in recent years, it spent some time in Italy before being acquired for this collection. Restored to impeccable standards by Tim Goodrich, 80004 made its debut at the Speedster 50th Anniversary event in 1998. The 1st 4-Cam Speedster 1954 Porsche Carrera Speedster Chassis #80665. On 9/3/1954, Karl Rabe, chief engineer of Porsche wrote a memo noting that Ferry Porsche wanted to examine the installation requirements for the Typ 547 4-cam motor to be installed in the new Roadster (the decision to call the new car a “Speedster” had not been made). The memo was issued at the time when the 2nd, 3rd & 4th cars (80002, 80003 & 80004) were being shipped to the U.S. As a result, the only vehicle available for trials was the very 1st car built to Speedster specifications, chassis 12223. As a result, this silver car, which had been registered to the company & issued a German title on 8/3/1954, was fitted w/a 4-cam motor. The long-term test was still going on in March 1955. Using the Typ 547 motor in the Speedster was more than a matter of simply bolting it into what would ordinarily have been a pushrod-engined car. A memo from Erwin Komenda noted the following requirements: 1) A revised gasoline heater was required. 2) The rain shield on the rear engine cover had to be deleted on 4-cam cars to clear the engine. 3) Luggage racks couldn’t be used because they restricted cooling. 4) The rear engine bay panel needed to be removable on all 356 models to allow access to the 4-cam motor. While 12223 was the 1st Speedster to run w/a Typ 547 motor, the 1st 4-cam Carrera Speedster, chassis 80665, was installed on the production line on 8/31/1955. The car was completed w/a 550 Spyder specification Typ 547 motor. Production records note that it was built to a special order & assigned to Mr. Raether, who was responsible for export sales. Chassis 80665 remained w/the company thru at least October 1955. Late that month, an internal memo notes that the car, which had been subjected to some testing, was being returned to the sales department. The memo noted, among other things, that the brakes pulled to the right. As returned to the sales department, the odometer showed 5,156 km. Before it left the factory, it rec’d the “Carrera” badging that was then being placed on the 4-cam Speedsters & coupes. Altho clearly the 1st production 4-cam Speedster, others were in service before 80665 left Stuttgart. However, w/the exception of a single other car, also part of the collection, all other Carrera Speedsters were fitted w/the detuned Typ 547/1 motor. Chassis 80665 was discovered in the U.S. several years ago. It has been immaculately restored & was the featured car at the Hillsborough Concours in 2003. This 1st 4-cam is very special, indeed. 1955 Porsche Carrera RS Speedster Chassis # 80820 Porsche Carrera RS Speedster, chassis 80820, was the very 1st 4-cam Speedster to arrive in the U.S. when it was unloaded from a ship in Miami (FL) in December 1955. It was also the very 1st 4-cam Speedster to be shipped out. It had hardly reached the docks when new owner Jan Brundage had it loaded on a ship bound for Nassau. Like chassis 80665, this white Carrera RS Speedster was fitted w/a Type 547 motor & designated ‘RS’ for Rennsport, or racing. The Speedster was finished 9/14/1955 to the special order of Brundage Motors (now Brumos) in Florida. Brundage Motors had sent a telegram to Mr. Raether at Porsche on 8/25/1955 ordering both a Speedster & also a Spyder w/the 4-cam motor. With 21-year-old Brundage behind the wheel at Nassau, 80820 became the 1st 4-cam Speedster to be raced. During the race at Nassau in December 1955, the Brundage Porsche & Phil Hill’s Ferrari had a run in when another competitor spun in front of Hill. Altho the right side of the new Carrera RS Speedster was battered, Brundage completed his race. Brundage didn’t race the Carrera RS again, but he drove it extensively & regularly. He also used it to drive to the 12-hours of Sebring in 1956. In fact, he later told author Dave Colman that the little 4-cam Speedster carried him from 160 miles from Sebring back to Miami in “2 hours flat”. The car was unknown for about 20 years until it appeared in Chicago w/Joe Hannigan. In the late ‘80s, Brent Fagen eventually found this remarkable Speedster on a Colorado used car lot. The subsequent owner was Gary Kempton, who reunited the engineless car w/its original 4-cam power plant. The car was under restoration when the current owner acquired it & sent it to Tim Goodrich to have the work completed. Chassis 80820 is the only Speedster known where the data plate reflects the ‘RS’ designation. It lacks the ‘Carrera’ side script fitted to most of the 4-cam Speedsters. Other details that distinguish this car are the larger 60mm Spyder drums w/radial fins. The drums of this very special Carrera RS Speedster sit inside steel & aluminum 16x3.5 wheels, instead of the narrower 3.25” wheels used on ‘standard’ factory Carrera Speedsters. Stunning in its original white livery w/correct red interior, 80820 was the winner in 1996 of the OA Restoration Award at the 1996 Porsche Parade in Oklahoma. Chassis 80820 has been extensively researched & was the subject of a major article & pictured on the cover of Excellence magazine. One of the finest & rarest of all Porsches, this Carrera RS Speedster is clearly, as Excellence stated, one of a kind.
Max Hoffman Made Imports Less Foreign to Americans
 Max Hoffman, who brought many European brands to America, raced Porsches in the ’50s.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
By DONALD OSBORNE
March 18, 2007
THE cars of Honda & Toyota, which Americans 1st came to know as underpowered imports from across the Pacific, are today so Americanized it is easy to forget that their names are derived from their companies’ founders. Skip to next paragraph
 The Hoffman Motor Company opened in 1947.
Called by colleagues “the Duveen of the motor business,” Hoffman was compared to the legendary art dealer of the early 20th century for his ability to captivate clients w/his salesmanship, superb taste & forceful personality. Equally known for his directness & penchant for perfection, his market acumen was not limited to cars: He appreciated great architecture, commissioning a landmark auto showroom on Park Avenue — & soon after, a home in Rye (NY) by Frank Lloyd Wright. He was also a collector of Impressionist art.
Born in Austria in 1904 to a Catholic mother & Jewish father, Max Hoffman grew up working in his father’s bicycle manufacturing business. He developed sufficient racing skills to earn a position as a factory driver for an Austrian company that produced the French Amilcar under license. More important, he became a dealer for the brand. He retired from full-time racing in 1934 & expanded his activities in sales.
With German influence spreading uncomfortably across Europe, Hoffman moved to Paris in the late ‘30s to run his enterprises, & soon after the start of WW II left for NY. Without the connections or the money to start another auto business, he began a career as a maker of costume jewelry; it was successful enough to finance a return to the auto industry at the end of the war.
Re-establishing his contacts w/Europe, where the pressure to export manufactured goods was great, he opened the Hoffman Motor Company in 1947. He became the supplier of Jaguar cars for the eastern U.S. in 1948 & was one of the few to recognize the potential of the VW when it was 1st shown here in 1949. The going was tough, however, as Americans had not yet realized the charms of the Beetle. After 4 years of struggling, VW decided to take the distributorship back & Hoffman gladly sold out; he later acknowledged that it was one of his few mistakes.
Hoffman’s abilities extended to persuading manufacturers to offer products better suited to the American market. As the 1st importer of Mercedes-Benz cars in 1952, he was instrumental in the creation of the 300SL sports car, a model based on a race car. Hoffman pushed the automaker into building a road version by ordering 1,000 before it had even approved the project. His relationship w/Mercedes caused him to lose his lucrative Jaguar contract, but ever the astute businessman, he negotiated a buyout that earned him royalties for every Jaguar sold in his territory for several years. It was a pattern he would profitably repeat w/other manufacturers.
Because of the size of the American market, Hoffman became influential in selecting designs for production, including that of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider. His insistence on roll-up windows, a proper soft top & a functioning heater gave the Alfa an advantage over its British competition. Similarly, as the importer for Porsche, Hoffman saw the need for a cheaper, sportier model. The result was the Speedster, a minimalist version that could be driven to the race track, raced & driven back home.
In the mid-’50s he also brought over some of the products of BMW, which at the time had a confused offering. Hoffman quickly realized that a well-priced, attractive sports car w/an engine from the company’s sedans could be a winner; the result was the BMW 507 roadster, styled in America by Albrecht Goertz at Hoffman’s direction.
By the mid-‘60s, Hoffman had decided to put all his eggs in the BMW basket, selling his other distributorships. BMW had already begun its revival w/the 1500 series sedans in 1962 & was further on its way w/the introduction of the 1600 in 1968. Hoffman thought that success would be assured by installing a 2.0L engine into the 1600; after persuading a reluctant BMW management to do it, the 2002 was born. It was arguably the car that created the company’s image as the builder of sports sedans.
Not surprisingly, BMW’s growing success in the U.S. market created an urge to reclaim control of its own distribution, a situation that Hoffman had seen play out again & again. After protracted negotiations, Hoffman sold his company to BMW & retired from the auto business in 1975.
Never one for the limelight, he became an even more private man who spent his time traveling between homes in Florida, California & Germany, visiting friends & building his art collection.
“He thought when he retired & gave up his businesses he would be miserable, but he kept working as hard as he could” said Ned Rutherfurd, a retired dealer who had worked extensively w/Hoffman.
Hoffman was extremely pleased w/what he had accomplished, especially his years w/Porsche & Mercedes. His relationship w/BMW was difficult after the sale of the business because some felt the terms of the sale were too favorable to Hoffman. He boasted of paying more taxes than anyone else in the country in the late ‘70s.
According to Mr. Rutherfurd, that situation did not make Hoffman bristle. “He was proud, saying that this country had done so much for him & he was happy to pay it back.”
Hoffman died in 1981; reluctant to think about death, he left a simple 3-page will that took years to resolve among his heirs. His fortune was used to establish charitable foundations that carry the names of him & his wife.
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