As part of its 60th anniversary celebration, Porsche Cars North
America embarked on a quest to find the oldest Porsche sold in America. The
Porsche Classic Search, conducted online at www.Porsche60Years.com, encouraged
individuals from coast to coast to submit documentation that his or her Porsche
was one of the earliest in its category to be retailed on American soil. With
awards and bragging rights at stake, the call for entries yielded an impressive
collection of finalists, including the oldest U.S. - retailed model found, a
lovingly restored 1952 Strawberry Red 356 Cabriolet.
Launched in August,
the My Porsche Classic Search received hundreds of submissions from Porsche
owners across the country. Among them was a rare 1952 356 Cabriolet owned by Dr.
Robert Wilson of Oklahoma City, Okla. Wilson's car was imported in November of
1952 by Austrian businessman, Max Hoffman, in New York, who brought the first
Porsche cars to the U.S. beginning in 1950. The 1.5 liter, 60 horsepower gem was
discovered in a salvage yard by Wilson years after arriving on U.S. soil and
meticulously restored.
The My Porsche Classic Search also yielded the
discovery of another distinguished and even rarer Porsche - a blue 1950 356
Cabriolet owned by Richard Brumme of Annapolis, Md. This car is one of the very
first series production 356s built in Stuttgart, after the company relocated
from Gmund, Austria. Impeccably restored with original parts sourced from around
the globe, the 1950 356 Cabriolet was also recently honored with the 2010 Best
in Show and Best in Class Awards at the 356 Registry's annual gathering in
Cleveland, Ohio. While Brumme's car is actually the oldest Porsche in America,
it was not the oldest Porsche retailed in America.
Porsche also encouraged owners of cars
spanning 12 model ranges to enter their cars for a shot at earning the 'oldest'
designation for their respective car model. Apart from the 356 lineup, entries
were submitted for the Porsche 911, 912, 914, 924, 928, 944, 968, Boxster,
Cayenne, Carrera GT and Cayman. The oldest Porsche models in America and their
owners are:
- 1965 911: Barry August of Clarksville, Md.
- 1965 912:
Steve Torkelsen of Wilton, Conn.
- 1970 914: Ralph Stoesser of Marco Island,
Fla.
- 1977 924: Jay Hoover of New Haven, Ind.
- 1977 928: Jim Doerr of
Richmond, Va.
- 1983 944: John Denning of Covington, Wash.
- 1992 968:
Jeffrey Coe of Trumball, Conn.
- 1997 Boxster: David Adrian of Worcester,
Mass.
- 2004 Cayenne: Adam Reichard of Magnolia, Texas
- 2005 Carrera GT:
Robert Ingram of Durham, N.C.
- 2006 Cayman: Eugenie Thomas of Martinez,
Calif.
Porsche plans to honor the
owners of these cars with an exclusive badge issued by the Porsche Museum in
Stuttgart, and by featuring images of the cars at the new "Sixty Years of
Porsche in America" exhibit, which opened in the museum on Oct. 12.
Additionally, the 1950 356 will be displayed at the Los Angeles Auto Show in
November, where it will join the company's newest models.