Pick of the Day: 1954 Porsche 356 coupe in solid, ‘barn-find’ condition

The barn-find fever that swept the collector car hobby a few years back seems to have cooled of late.  For a while there, it seemed that every rundown garage contained a long-dormant Jaguar E-Type, Mercedes 300SL, Mustang Mach 1 or Porsche 911, which would be presented soon after at auction still covered in storage crud.

The Pick of the Day appears to be a classic barn find, a 1954 Porsche 356 Pre-A coupe, which is an early model for the then-fledgling sports car company, and characterized as a “bent window” because of the vertical crease down the middle of its windshield. 

These seminal Porsches have become increasingly valuable, and while every 356 or older 911 is now deemed worth saving no matter what, the 356s from the first few years of production are premium collector items.

While this Porsche looks pretty scruffy and hasn’t been driven since the early 1970s, the car is a non-rusted example with a matching-numbers engine and transmission, solid floors and battery box, and essentially all of its original parts, according to the Pleasanton, California, dealer advertising the coupe on ClassicCars.com.

“Most all 356 Pre-A models are missing parts. which are notoriously difficult-to-impossible to replace; this one appears to be missing almost nothing,” the seller says.

The originality and completeness of the Porsche are touted by the dealer in the ad, which lists its attributes as “one owner since 1958; 80,178 original miles; 100% factory-original metal; original numbers-matching engine and transmission; original interior; all five original 16″ wheels with original beauty rings and hubcaps; original carburetors and intake; original external engine components; original gas tank; original bumpers and overriders (never removed); original glass; original radio, dash knobs and door handles; superb factory color combination Pearl Grey 5407 and Kunstl Blue interior (one repaint to blue); Kardex included.

“The original body gaps are excellent and the numbers-marching doors, hood and deck lid shut nicely, as they should on any 356 that has never been wrecked nor rusted. The engine has not been run since the early 1970s, but it turns freely and shows no signs of damage.”

The seller notes that the long-term owner is a “retired San Francisco fire official,” who has kept the car completely intact and ready for the next owner to initiate a total restoration on this solid Porsche.

And in true barn-find tradition, “We have not cleaned this car in order to retain the authenticity of this particular find.”

The asking price for this diamond-in-the-rough Porsche is $165,995, which seems high, but try to find another.

To view this vehicle on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.