A Patina Porsche 356 ...

An incredibly rare Porsche 356A is up for sale from Thornley Kelham in Gloucestershire.  

With its original factory 1600cc engine, chassis 107479, and eye-catching patina, this Porsche is truly a one-of-a-kind. An end of production, right-hand-drive, this vehicle was originally completed in May 1959 and sold by AFN to England and British Lions ruby player, Frank Sykes. The patina is a unique blend of bare metal, red, and its original silver metallic paint, emphasised by a previous paint removal attempt.

In storage for the last 30 years, this 1959 Porsche 356A is now being sold with one of two options for restoration. The first option would aim to restore the car, whilst taking care to retain as much of the patina as possible, by carefully replacing sections of rusted bodywork and undertaking a full mechanical and interior restoration. The bodywork will then be clear-coated to preserve the unique patina for the rest of the car's lifespan.

The second restoration option would comprise of a full ground-up restoration, returning the car to its original paint and trim combination. This would include a complete re-trim of the interior, chassis strengthening and drivetrain rebuild.

The history of the Porsche 356A is covered in our latest limited edition book. The Ultimate Book of the Porsche 356 is a new, individually numbered, luxury leather-bound and slip-cased limited edition, comprising just 356 copies.

The definitive and fascinating account of the Porsche 356, and all the racing and rallying cars that sprang from it, told in breathtaking detail by marque expert Brian Long.

Stunning colour and historic photographs, colour and trim options, range details, engine specifications, chassis numbers, and production figures from the Gmünd cars to very last production models, make this exclusive edition a historical reference to treasure.

Truly a Catalogue Raisonné for the world's most discerning Porsche 356 enthusiasts, this book is only available from our dedicated website: https://ultimate356.veloce.co.uk Be sure to reserve your special number today!

New Release: Powered By Porsche

Just delivered to Veloce HQ is award winning author Roy Smith's latest book, Powered By Porsche. 

Limited to just 1500 copies, Powered By Porsche– The Alternative Race Cars is the first book of its kind, detailing the non-Porsche racing cars that utilised Porsche engines throughout history, illustrated with some never-before-published pictures that will give you a whole new insight into the world of Porsche.

Reviews for this tome have just starting reaching us, and we thought we'd share a few with you ...


"Porsche must be the most over-catered-for marque in motoring literature. However, this makes Roy Smith's stunning 466-page, meticulously researched tome on, in effect, Porsches that aren't Porsches, thoroughly welcome. 
"It takes an unusual decade-by-decade A-Z format, which causes the timelines to ping about a bit, but finds itself dividing naturally into two halves – the Porsche-engined specials from the earliest days of Ferdinand's engineering consultancy and nascent marque, and the further developments of its super successful sports-racers of the Seventies and Eighties.
"In many ways its the American Porsche-based cars that make for the most interesting and colourful reading, and which help to reinforce the understanding that often what were seen as factory efforts by the public owed much to the ingenuity of the likes of Brumos, Kremer and Holbert. There's also plenty of madness in here, with twin-engined racing cars, Porsche-eninged aircraft and road going Group C cars. Limited to just 1500 copies, [it is] beautifully presented and and incredible feat of research."
– Classic Cars



"At 468 pages and boasting 799 pictures, the Powered By Porsche – The Alternative Race Cars book is a hardback your coffee table will feel as it lands with a mighty thud. The first book to cover those non-works cars that raced with Porsche engines, the book has been put together by Roy Smith, a man with a passion for historic motorsport tales. Spanning the birth of the hybrid car in the 1890s, to the Daytona Prototypes, it is full of encyclopaedic details. It includes lots of unpublished images, anecdotes and insight you won't have come across before, it might even answer a few burning questions you may have."
– GT Porsche



"In his 15 years as an author Roy Smith has differentiated his works by studying areas that other historians have tended to neglect. Now in Powered By Porsche, Smith looks at other racing cars which have used Porsche engines and often chassis and running gear as well.
"Powered By Porsche is an encyclopaedic work unearthing any number of Porsche racing projects and contributes a great deal of background to half a century of Porsche auto racing competition. It will be of particular interest to North American readers, for as the author shows, most of the teams using Porsche motive power were here and he has clearly researched them in considerable detail. Roy Smith's latest offering is a veritable treasure trove for marque historians and an immersive pleasure for general fans."
– Kieron Fennelly



Today, we had the pleasure of welcoming Roy to the office once again, to sign some copies of the book for those who helped him compile this impressive work. Complete with interviews with team owners, drivers, and the people from Porsche, as well as answering questions that Porsche fans have always wanted to know, this book is not to be missed, and would make the perfect Christmas gift of any automotive fan!

You can order your copy direct from us, but make sure to be quick, as this limited edition book is sure to be a popular one!

The Racing 914s – A Review

Just in this month is this review from Doug Lloyd of Porsche Panorama, Roy Smith's limited edition book, Porsche – The Racing 914s. Here's the review in full.

"Dense, detailed, and comprehensively illustrated with 452 colour and black-and-white images, Roy Smith's Porsche – The Racing 914s is a rich history of the Porsche 914, in particular the 914/6 GT that raced in Europe and the US in the 1970s.

"With an introductory chapter that discusses the advantages of mid-engine racing cars as being more balanced and better handling that their front-engine brethren, the book continues to a history of the gestation of the 914. Originally a VW-Porsche joint project, the 914 was conceived as a 'people's Porsche' that should not diminish 911 sales but would also be suitable for racing. Succeeding chapters delve into 914/6 GT development and racing, including the 1970 and '71 seasons in Europe and privateer team efforts through the early '70s.

"As racing in Europe at the time was so much more than simple road course competition, there are also sections on hill climbs and rallying. A particularly interesting chapter is devoted to Herbert Linge's efforts to promote safety in auto racing, and blessing from Porsche for his team to develop a 914 into essentially the very first race-speed safety car, including emergency equipment, fire extinguishers, and other safety gear. Prior to that time, tracks had little interest in safety and its attendant costs, with some at best having an on-site retired fire truck. 

"Later chapters discuss 914 competition in the United States, and later private and vintage efforts leading up to modern times. 

"It is clear that Smith is very well-versed in his subject, as the detailed information in the book is meticulously researched, including numerous interviews with the racers, mechanics, and team owners. The last chapter is simply race records from the period. He also covers marketing and promotional challenges, and shares his thoughts about what could have been if perhaps the 914 had been better developed and made more powerful. 

"Porsche – The Racing 914s, is beautifully illustrated, but it is not really a coffee table book: Rather, it is a comprehensive historical look at the 914 and its place in Porsche's racing history."

Sound like a good book to you? You can purchase your copy here; hurry, they are limited editions!

For more on Roy Smith and his Racing 914s book, check out our full interview we did with him ack in December of last year, over on our YouTube page.