1958 Porsche 356 Speedster 2146363365 Tweet

Created and built on the vision by one of Americas most prolific importers Max Hoffman, the Porsche 356 Speedster filled a void that the clever automotive industrialist thought was lacking: a lightweight, few frills, open top sports car. His intuition, like many other times, proved to be correct, and the Speedster was a total success. Finding iconic owners such as Steve McQueen saw the Speedsters popularity shoot into the stratosphere, and today these low-slung 356s are some of the most sought-after variants built by Porsche. Cars arent often an item that stay with someone forever, with many trading up every few years to own the latest model. Whether thats for going to work, racing on the weekends, or building a project, cars often find themselves trading hands often. This fact makes the occasion of finding a car that has remained with the same family since new an extremely rare and exciting event. This Porsche 356 Speedster is that perfect example, having being a part of the same family for 62 years. Roy Pina, a humble carpenter from Carmel Valley, CA purchased the Speedster new from the Porsche dealer in Monterey, Kunstle Motor Company (which later became Wester Motors, Inc.) on March 5th, 1958. According to the original sales documents, Pina purchased the Porsche for a cool $3,450 and traded in his 1953 MG and 1955 Austin-Healey for $2,650, making payments for the balance. Roy was a carpenter who used his 356 Speedster as his daily driver, often loading up the front trunk with his tools and various materials as he drove to different jobs. His youngest son Ken, one of Roys seven children, recalls that when he was 9 years old in 1959, he asked his father if he could drive the 356. An ever-loving father, he said that his son could take it around their property road. He grabbed a few pillows to prop himself up in the GT seats, barely able to look over the steering wheel, and learned to drive around the property. The Speedster wasnt just used for local driving duty, but also made a number of long trips across the U.S. Roy kept a log of some of their longer trips, noting a family trip to Florida to drop off one of his daughters to college. Luggage was strapped on the top of the engine lid, and he and his daughter and Ken took off across the U.S. Ken recalls that when he was younger he would borrow the car and take it down to the ocean with his surfboard, placing the board in the passenger side footwell and drive down with it sticking out into the open air. As Roy aged, Ken would take him for long drives to enjoy the coastal roads and sounds of the Speedster, going full throttle through the local tunnels and grinning like he did when he first purchased the car. Roy passed away in 2002 at the stout age of 97 years old, and Ken and his six other children inherited the Speedster. One of the longest-lasting memories of his father, Ken drove the car regularly, and kept it mechanically serviced and in good running order. Throughout the Speedsters time with the family it was maintained in top mechanical shape, always ensuring its appearance to be in equally good condition. Most recently the engine was completely rebuilt, and is now ready for another lifetime of miles. This 356 Speedster includes the original steering wheel, a collection of past registrations that remain wrapped around the steering column, original sales paperwork, original photographs, the o