Kit Car

A 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Porsche Speedster

Imagine the prefect road. Not the one you take to work each morning where all the traffic lights are green, but rather a twisty, curvy ribbon of asphalt that goes on for miles through a tree-lined valley. This same road would have numerous switchbacks, hairpins, banked left turns, sweeping rights, and occasionally drops down to one lane for both oncoming and ongoing. Dangerous? You bet, especially at a speed where your tires brake loose as you come into the turn a little hot. It would have been a road James Dean would have loved to put his Porsche through its paces.

Monterey County Road 16, also known as East Carmel Valley Road, is that type of thoroughfare, and it was only appropriate that this less-traveled southern route would lead to the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley (near Monterey, CA) for a unique celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Porsche Speedster, a car that proved itself five decades ago on roads just like G16.

Organized by a few hard-core Porschefiles, the event was only open to Speedsters--even their 356 coupe brethren were regulated to spots on the other side of the fence. Elitist? With the fee just to walk through the gate set at $140 per person, you could say so, but the price would be the same if you drove your vintage speedster in, too.

But the real celebration actually started the day before at the host hotel where a literature and parts show was held in the afternoon. If you were looking for '50s-era Porsche racing posters, they were there, along with autographed photos, fitted luggage manufacturers, fabricators of aluminum speedster seats, and even one company that makes reproduction lift-off tops for the speedster in aluminum.

History was for sale, and a crowded hotel banquet room proved there were many buyers of early Porsche paraphernalia. Porsche started car production in 1948 with a coupe (actually, only four vehicles were made that year), but it was 1951 before the first cabriolet was built. Road racing in American was going strong and one competitor, Johnny Von Neumann, cut the roof off his coupe to lighten the car for racing. In 1954, the first Speedster debuted, its design based on what was needed on the track. With no roll-up windows or padded dash, the car would be a tough sell in today's market. But equipped with the 1500S "Super" engine, it could hit 120 mph and get to 60 mph in about 10 seconds--not bad by 1954 standards.

During the literature sale, enthusiasm gained momentum when a handful of Porsche America roadsters took up residence near the fountain entry of the hotel. Only about 16 of these all-aluminum roadsters were manufactured (by Glaser for Porsche) before the Speedster made its debut. And though certainly not a Speedster, it was the forbearer of the make, and therefore enjoyed celebrity status at this event.

On Saturday morning, Porsches of all makes were invited to the local road course at Laguna Seca to make some hot laps on the track. Afterward, many filed down the canyon roads back to the Quail Lodge for an afternoon devoted just to the Speedster. And, being a Speedster-only event, even late-model 356 coupes and convertibles were sent across the street to a special parking area where they could be viewed en masse.

Inside the event, almost 300 Speedsters were lined up according to chassis number (the Germans would be so proud!), so there was a good chance that the car you were looking at could be parked next to another that was only three cars away on the assembly line in that day's production back in 1956! Acres of freshly mowed lawn were filled with every conceivable version of the Speedster, many fitted with the optional aluminum top. A live jazz band played (by coincidence the Monterey Jazz Festival was being held nearby the same weekend) and gourmet lunches were served gratis to those who had a car on display.

In terms of rarity, besides having the first Speedster ever made (#356-001) on display and on loan from Porsche in Germany, six of the America roadsters attended, as well as six of the first 10 Speedsters made! Even 40 of the Convertible D vehicles (which replaced the Speedster in 1958) were there. For any Porsche fanatic, this spot was sacred for at least one afternoon, as it would be unlikely that this collection of ultra-rare vehicles could ever be convened again. And for those dreamers who only wish they could own one of these beauties, being around so many of them was like heaven on earth, if only for a few hours.