In 1955, less than a year after the 356 Speedster model was introduced, Porsche built the first example equipped with the competition-derived, four-cam Carrera engine. The result was a brilliant dual-purpose sports car which, in later stages of development, became a true giant-killer.

Beginning in 1957, Porsche offered a GT option for the 1500 GS Carrera model. Initially, the option referred only to the engine’s state of tune; however, in time, the GS/GT Carreras were equipped with other competition features, such as an extended range 80-liter fuel tank and 60 mm racing front brakes with vented backing plates. For 1958, Porsche began to offer GS/GT Carreras with lightweight alloy panels, alloy-rimmed wheels, louvred deck lid, vinyl trim, and Plexiglas windows, creating a virtually unbeatable package. In GS/GT form, the Carrera Speedster proved so popular in racing that Porsche continued to build them into 1959, even after the standard Speedster model had been replaced by the more luxurious Convertible D.

Between 1955 and 1959, Porsche built just 151 Carrera Speedsters – a figure that accounts for a mere 3% of total Speedster production. Of these, just 90 were specified in GS/GT trim and even fewer – approximately 56 in all – left the factory with lightweight aluminum panels. For decades, knowledgeable Porsche collectors have regarded these limited-production, alloy-paneled GS/ GT Carrera Speedsters as the ultimate expression of the sporting 356; the few examples that survive today are prized by their owners.

The GS/GT Speedster presented here, chassis 84904, is one of the finest of these thoroughbred Carreras – a car with a rich racing history, well-documented provenance, and expert restoration.

According to factory records, chassis 84904 was completed in May 1958, specified in full competition-ready trim, equipped with alloy panels, 80-liter fuel tank, roll bar, deck louvres, and a 1,500 cc Type 692/0 engine. Finished in Silver Metallic with black upholstery, the Speedster was delivered new to Glockler Porsche in Frankfurt, Germany.

That June, the GS/GT Speedster was sold to Jean Speidel of Miami, a wealthy young woman whose family manufactured watchbands. She began racing sports cars in 1956, first with an MGA and Porsche 356 before graduating to a 550 Spyder in 1957.

In October 1958, Speidel drove her new Speedster at the SCCA races in Venice, Florida, placing 1st in Class and 7th Overall in the main Six Hour event. Later that month, she entered the Porsche in the SCCA Regionals at Dothan, Alabama, finishing 7th Overall in the main event and 1st Overall in the Ladies Race. Jean Speidel continued to campaign the Speedster through early 1959, when it was sold to Johnny Cuevas, a Cuban living in Miami.

Under Cuevas’ ownership, the Carrera Speedster was usually entered under Quiver Enterprises, Cuevas’ own racing team, or as part of Lucky Casner’s famous Camoradi stable, which had a roster of star drivers including Stirling Moss, Carroll Shelby, and Dan Gurney. Cuevas even had his own mechanic, the four-cam guru Heinz Werner Bade, who later worked with Bruce Jennings, the famous Porsche driver known as “King Carrera.”

Cuevas raced the Speedster at Daytona in November 1959, and during the Bahamas Speed Week at Nassau in December. Highlights included a win at the Nassau Tourist Trophy races and a 6th Place finish in the Porsche race.

In February 1960, Cuevas entered the car in the Cuban Grand Prix, a high-profile international race first run in 1957. As documented in the May 1960 issue of Christophorus magazine, Stirling Moss used this Speedster during the first day of practice, as the Camoradi Team’s Maserati Birdcage had not yet arrived. Cuevas then drove the Porsche in the GT Race and the Gran Premio Libertad, placing 4th in Class and 17th Overall in the main event.

In its next outing, the 12 Hours of Sebring, Porsche entered the Speedster as one of its factory team cars, together with a group of 718 RSKs and a Carrera GS/GT Coupe. Wearing no. 41, Cuevas and Swedish driver Ulf Norinder raced 84904 until the crankshaft broke after 33 laps. After the race, the Speedster’s original engine, no. 91010, was replaced with a similar GT-specification Type 547/1 engine, no. 90957, which remains in the car today.

Cuevas drove the Carrera once more in 1960, at the SCCA Regional at Daytona in June, and then sold it the following year to fellow Floridian, Lyle Whitmer. Whitmer raced the car in 1961 at Kissimmee and Daytona, Florida, where he was awarded the Brumos Trophy for Fastest Carrera. The Porsche was eventually retired from racing and passed through two subsequent Florida-based owners before being acquired in 1972 by Burt Norris of Palm Beach Gardens.

A Pratt & Whitney engineer and avid Porsche enthusiast, Mr. Norris retained his GS/GT Speedster for decades, always maintaining the car in running order and carrying out his own service work. In the mid-2010s, he decided to restore his prized Speedster to its original glory as it would have appeared when it left the Porsche factory in 1958. Although he was personally involved throughout the restoration, Mr. Norris commissioned Michaelian Restoration to oversee the bodywork and paint with upholstery by Autobahn Interiors. As the cosmetic restoration took place, noted Porsche specialist Willison Werkstatt rebuilt and dyno tested the engine, which features a proper roller-bearing crankshaft restored by Bill Doyle. Soon after completing the restoration, Mr. Norris sold the Carrera Speedster to Phil Bagley of Klub Sport Racing in West Palm Beach, Florida.

More recently, in the consignor’s care, the Porsche has been maintained by Rare Drive Inc. of East Kingston, New Hampshire, and remains in concours-quality condition, presented in its original color scheme and appropriately detailed with Marchal driving lights, a Nardi steering wheel, date-coded wheels, and period event decals. It has only been shown once since restoration, at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in March 2020.

Significantly, the car’s doors, hood, and deck lid are stamped with the last three digits of the chassis number (904), and the Type 547/1 engine is understood to have been with 84904 since it replaced the original unit after 12 Hours of Sebring in 1960. Consistent with its outstanding presentation, this Carrera Speedster is offered with an impressive history file containing a copy of the factory Kardex, photographs, articles, and a detailed summary of its race record and provenance.

Offered at public auction for the first time, this exceptionally rare GS/GT Carrera Speedster is surely among the very best examples of a highly sought-after four-cam Porsche. Not only does this car possess a rich competition pedigree, having raced at premier venues such as Sebring, Daytona, Nassau, and the Cuban Grand Prix, it is also eligible for numerous international events and beautifully presented following an exacting restoration by marque experts. By any measure, this is a Speedster worthy of the finest collections.