Photos: Porsche Newsroom
The 356 was Porsche’s first model, which in 1948, breathed roaring life into what would become one of the world’s favorite names in the automotive world, known and loved for its luxury, performance, and race cars, both old and new, by legions of fans the world over. While the 911 that replaced it would go on to be one of, if not the world’s most recognizable sports cars, the namesake for Porsche’s ticker symbol on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and the crown jewel of Porsche’s lineup as the years have gone by, the 356 is undoubtedly crucial to creating the Porsche that we know and love today as automotive enthusiasts.
Retired Dutch aviation industry manager, and more importantly, Porsche Collector, Henk Spin purchased a 356 from the 1950s as a restoration project, and little did he know, he had something incredibly special, which took an incredible 3,000 hours to restore. More on that later. The car is a 1958 356 A Coupé example, to be exact, and when Spin received it, he realized quickly that many things about it didn’t reflect what an ordinary Porsche 356 would be like.
In 2008, Spin went straight to the source, consulting Porsche’s own archives in Stuttgart to find out exactly what was different about his car. There, a clue written in virtually illegible shorthand had to be deciphered by Spin’s sister-in-law, who had studied stenography, “Reinhard Schmidt, Hannover.” What this revealed was that Spin’s 356 was one of eight Schmidt cars, each a one-off built by Porsche between the ‘50s and '60s. This revelation would send Spin on a years-long journey to restore the car with its unique bespoke touches.
Reinhard Schmidt himself being an automotive industry veteran at the time, the Schmidt cars were the results of his close relationships with Volkswagen and Porsche through his career within the automotive supplier ATE. With a laundry list of special requests and completely individual features, the Schmidt cars were practically real-life Batmobiles, and the 356 owned by Henk Spin was no exception.
One of the most unique features at the time, something that wouldn’t be commonplace until decades later, was an in-car telephone system, which itself cost nearly half as much as a new 356 would have. Especially because of its strange list of special features, Porsche Classic experts were instrumental in helping Spin restore the car. Some of those touches included a special exterior color, Porcelain White, Acella Red door panels, dashboard, and backrest with antique grain, white Nappa leather seats, beige buttons, beige carpet, and more that made the car take five weeks longer than a standard car would have taken to manufacture.
Even to find all of this out, it took Spin and Porsche Classic an incredible research effort to find all of the documents where the specifics were originally recorded. A true Porsche enthusiast and collector, Spin’s life is not only full of the 356 and Porsche memorabilia, but also other Porsches, like a 2018 Macan, a 2006 Cayman S, a 991 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, and a 1972 911 T, which is Spin’s next project. Even 3,000 hours later, Henk Spin refuses to end his journey with Porsche at discovering and restoring one of the most incredible, rare, and storied examples of the 356 ever to be made.
