1962 356B 1600S Twin Grill Roadster

Aside from the Carrera cars, Porsche’s 356B Twin Grill Roadster is considered one of the most special and rarest of all 356s produced, as it was built in very low numbers by D’Ieteren Freres in 1962. Billed as the third generation of the Porsche Speedster, the T6 was the most advanced of the lineage as it benefited from many upgrades over the T5.

This 1962 356 1600S Roadster is one such Twin Grill Roadster and has been refinished in Black over Tan leather. However, according to the provided Certificate of Authenticity, it originally left the factory in Oslo Blue over Grey Leather. The quality of refurbishment is second to none and still looks lovely after over a decade.

Also on that Certificate is the engine number, which matches the stampings in the photos, although the number appears to be a re-stamp. This question about the engine's originality came up in the comments section. It wasn’t helped by some mistaken comments by the seller regarding Super 90 engines, which this was not. But given that engines were routinely replaced by units sitting on Porsche Dealership shelves instead of repaired in-period and that this car had a known chain of history between prominent 356 collectors, I would err to the side that this engine, restamped or not, had been with the car for a very long time.

The market for T6 1600S Roadsters has been relatively steady over the last five years, with only one example selling for over $300,000 in 2019. Since then, we’ve seen this car several times, first in March 2020 when it sold for $280,000 at RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island sale, followed by a no sale of $235,000 on Bring a Trailer shortly after and a sale of $291,500 at Barrett-Jackson in January of last year.

This time, our Spotlight car sold at a final bid of $295,000, its highest bid of all, thanks to some very interested bidders battling it out over the last hour of the auction. If you include the buyer’s premiums, the total price here was a bit less than the Barrett-Jackson number, but still, it was hovering around that $300k mark. If only the winner had stolen the car and had money to return it to its original Oslo Blue. But alas, it's a fair deal for all involved in this gorgeous 356.

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