1961 356B Karmann Coupe

The Porsche 356 Notchback Coupes are an interesting bunch as the first generation cars from 1961, 356B T5s, were essentially Cabriolet bodies with hard tops welded in place. As you can see above, the mating of the Cabriolet roof to the body created a very different rear slope to the 356. For the following T6 model, the Notchback Coupe didn’t start life as a Cabriolet, but was its own design, essentially carrying over the Cabriolet-like rear end onto a coupe body.

This 1961 356B Karmann Coupe is one of the earlier Notchbacks with the hard top welded to a Cabriolet body. It is finished in Ruby Red over a Light Brown leather interior and shows 57,000 miles on the odometer.

Originally finished in Ivory, this example was repainted in Ruby Red sometime in its history. The paint appears to be in good condition showing only minimal signs of wear. The interior has been refinished in a Light Brown leather as opposed to the Red leatherette with Bordeaux corduroy inserts it initially wore. And like the outside, is still in pretty decent condition.

The car sports a replacement 1.6-liter engine that underwent a mechanical refurbishment earlier this year. Work at this time included overhauling the fueling system, resealing the four-speed manual transaxle, and replacing the clutch. Overall, a nice little driver.

Notchback Coupes, although built in limited numbers, haven’t enjoyed the same surge in pricing as standard 356 models over the years and always seem like quite the bargain compared to their slick-back cousins. Comps are few and far between with this example previously selling for $62,000 back in June of last year. This time around it brought a final bid of $56,600, which considering the recent work completed on the car, makes this one well bought.

Two things that go hand-in-hand? Porsche and watches. Every Porschephile I know is also a watch nerd. And like Porsches, watches can be enjoyed at all price points. 

On a recent visit to Pittsburgh, SML subscriber Allan S. tossed me his new Sheffield Allsport watch. Sheffield Watches is a reboot of an old dive watch brand founded in New York in the ‘50s that was synonymous with producing low-price point, quality watches. The weight of the stainless steel case felt robust, as did the feel of the screw-down crown and unidirectional bezel—definitely quality. As for price point, the Sheffield diver punches way above its weight at $108. You can’t buy more watch for the money, period. 

And that’s what Sheffield Watches’ founder Jay Turkbas set out to accomplish, reviving the brand's ethos and creating a watch synonymous with quality, technology, and affordability. Taking inspiration from his original Sheffield watch from the ’70s and his 30-plus years of experience in product development and innovation, he knocked it out of the park with a durable watch capable of exploring the depths of the ocean one day and cars & coffee the next. And all at a price point equivalent to the $13 the watch originally cost back then. Take a moment to give Sheffield Watches a look. I know you’ll be just as impressed as I am.

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