This 1958 Porsche Packed Tech That Was Years Ahead of Its Time

Even under the best of circumstances, the restoration of a classic car is an intensive ordeal — it requires a significant amount of research, labor and funding.

As such, when there’s a lapse in ownership history or some sort of unconventional modification, it can require thorough sleuthing to make sense of what’s going on. It’s a bit like putting together a puzzle without a point of reference.

Porsche

Take this 1958 Porsche 356 A, for instance. Having initially purchased the car as a restoration project, the owner eventually discovered that he had stumbled upon a truly one-of-a-kind vehicle laden with features far ahead of its time.

Schmidt 356 special

Despite being a passionate Porsche enthusiast, Henk Spin was stumped by some of the differences his 356 A showed compared to a typical example fitted with a 1600 Super engine. For this reason, he went straight to the source, traveling to Stuttgart seeking Porsche’s help.

Handwritten notes on the original Reutter documents confirmed that Spin’s car was no ordinary 356 A. Rather, it was one of eight special coupes that Porsche had built in the 1950s and 1960s on behalf of a prominent industry figure named Reinhard Schmidt.

Porsche

Through his connections as an automotive supplier, Schmidt had worked closely with Volkswagen and Porsche to test and patent new parts of his design. As such, all ‘Schmidt cars’ built at the time were experimental one-offs fitted with unique features to test their market potential.

In the case of Spin’s Porsche 356 A, Schmidt spared no expense. Along with specifying the car in a unique Porcelain White on Acella Red colorway, he also had it equipped with a Lorenz car telephone system, a Blaupunkt Köln car radio, a rally-spec Junghans clock, an electric wiper fluid pump, door speakers and reverse lights, among many other unique items.

Porsche

Porsche labor of love

Considering that much of this technology was cutting-edge at the time of its installation, finding functional replacements proved to be a monumental task. Moreover, Spin had purchased the 356 A sight unseen, and it arrived from the United States in much worse condition than he had anticipated.

As such, even though Spin first journeyed to Stuttgart in 2008, the project wouldn’t be completed for a full decade. Working with Porsche Classic to source new body panels (some of which took four years to find) and overhaul the chassis, engine, electronics and upholstery, Spin invested more than 3,000 hours in the 356’s restoration.

Porsche

Now, however, the Porsche sports car looks just as clean as it did nearly 70 years ago, replete with its working car phone, speaker system and all. As a testament to Schmidt’s pioneering Porsche efforts, Spin even commissioned a replica of the original license plate reading “Versuchswagen 145” — Test Car 145.

Spin’s restoration may have taken an unexpected (and extended) detour, but it’s a labor of love that was well worth the detective work. It’s thanks to his efforts that a unique piece of Porsche history will be preserved for years to come.

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