Chassis No. 118806022

The histories of both Volkswagen and Porsche are as well-known as they are intertwined. Beginning with the Beetle designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, the two companies have often worked together in friendly collaboration not easily found elsewhere between two automakers. In fact, Porsche's earliest cars built in Gmünd, Austria, including the mid-engine Typ 356/1, often known as "Porsche Number 1," and the subsequent 356/2 "Gmünd coupes" featured their fair share of Volkswagen parts. VW engines, transmissions, brakes, and suspension components all successfully launched Porsche to become one of the world's most successful automotive brands.

Perhaps it should be no surprise that this Typ 356/1 Gmünd Roadster recreation is based on a Volkswagen-just like the earliest Porsches. An impressively accurate fiberglass 356/1-style body sits atop a custom tube frame utilizing a 1968 Beetle pan with a frameless split glass windshield, body-mounted bumpers, and forward and rear lighting all faithfully rendering the look of the first Porsche. Powering the Porsche-inspired roadster is an air-cooled flat-four engine mounted amidships and mated to a four-speed manual transmission. The silver metallic two-seater is upholstered in red leather and oatmeal colored square weave carpeting. A body-color dashboard is set with VDO-branded instrumentation, an ivory banjo steering wheel, switchgear, and warning lights that all successfully mimic the one-off original. Reportedly one of two examples constructed in California, the Gmünd Roadster recreation was originally ordered by a customer in the UAE, where it lived for several years before returning to the U.S. around 2015.

Since 2015, this unique creation has been under the care of the consignor as the bookend of a comprehensive Porsche collection. As an impressive rendition of the car that sits at the root of the Porsche tree, this Typ 356/1 Gmünd Roadster recreation is sure to attract a steady stream of turned heads, insightful questions, and general interest at any gathering of Porsche enthusiasts.