Porsche 356 Has No Radio and Sounds Just Right

Owner: Gerard Yap

Year, Make, and Model: 1963 Porsche 356B T-6 Coupe (RHD)

Location: Singapore

Photographer: Gilbert Yap

Like many other boys I started becoming interested in cars in my early teens. Porsche was the first sports car marque that I knew by name. And the first time that I learned of the 356 was in the movie Top Gun. When I first saw the car in the movie I was totally awed. Although mine is a coupe and the one in the movie is a speedster, it’s the closest I can get in Singapore where cars are three times more expensive than America and also we drive on the RIGHT side of the road. Also, the movie was very inspirational as it made we want to become a pilot, which I now am.

One day my brother, who lives in Singapore, emailed me a photo of this 356B, which was for sale, and it immediately caught my attention. I communicated with the owner for about a month before flying to Singapore to check out the car in person.

My Porsche 356B has a Jet Black exterior and red leatherette interior. It is fitted with a Super 90 engine. It doesn’t have air-conditioning or a radio, but that’s fine because I just love the sound of the engine. It’s music to my ears! Moreover, this car was produced and registered in 1963, the year that I was born.

As, mentioned Porsche was the first sports car marque that I knew and I love its heritage. The 356 was the first mass produced car by Porsche, and today more than half of the 76,000 produced are still running around. I just love the sound of the air-cooled engine and German engineering.

My favorite time to drive the 356 is either early in the morning or later in the evening as the car has no air-conditioning and Singapore is located just next to the equator. I love driving the car and typically do so along old roads that are less used by modern traffic, as I can take a relaxed pace. It helps rewind the clock to the good old days when life was much simpler!