1964 Porsche 356 SC

Well now, isn’t this a fabulous looking little 356?

“This Porsche 356C 1600 SC Coupe was sold new in the USA,” explains vendor Luc de Clerck. “In 1975 it belonged to a Mr Ray Jay Wall of California (see certificate of title on file). He kept the Porsche for some 20-years plus, prior to its export to Belgium in 1997 where it was owned by a Mr Nicolas Leune from 2002 until 2004.”

The previous owner’s late father bought it from Nicolas Leune. He had it completely restored by Porsche specialist Boxer Motors in Harelbeke, and mildly race prepared at the time. “During the restoration it was repainted in the original ‘Rubinred’ colour and fitted with a professionally made roll cage. I bought the car five years ago and have driven it in a number of events including the Summer Marathon in Italy, The Highland Tour in Scotland and on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, etc”.

“It’s in very good condition and completely rust free,” says Luke. “It’s been very well maintained over the past few years and is absolutely ready to go. The time has come for me to move into something else, maybe a 911 or so.”

Three words are necessary here: Racy. Little. Beastie.

We’re big fans of this racer’s funky aesthetics. The Rubinred exterior is broken up by white flashes on its haunches, while at the front the white colour extends along the front wings and under the bonnet and lends the car a very distinct look. Factor in huge Cibie spotlights, smaller yellow driving lamps mounted just below and the removal of bumpers and it’s a car that will look equally at home on track, hill or the (fast!) road.

The bonnet has leather fastening straps fitted to prevent lifting during competition, while at the rear you’ll find discreet fog lights installed where the original two exhaust pipes would have been. That pert derriere instead has a Carrera-type competition tailpipe poking out, and it looks magnificent.

The paint presents well but does sport one or two small flaws including a selection of small stone-chips on its nose and the odd scrape here and there, such as on the leading front edge of the driver’s door. Window and door seals are good, but some of the webbing that sits atop has come loose on the offside rear window.

The 10-slot alloy wheels are also generally clean, but again show a scrape here and there; they could be refurbed, but all race-prepped cars benefit from a touch of patina. They’re shod in Vredestein rubber, each of which looks to have a decent amount of tread remaining.

Pop the driver’s door and lower yourself down into one hell of a focussed cabin. Forget niceties, it’s pure race car in here. At build, various weight saving measures were adopted including stripping the car of carpets, deleting the rear seats, removing the bumpers and replacing the side windows with Plexiglas.

Bucket-type sports seats were added, together with 4-point Safety Devices harnesses, and additional instruments (including Tripmaster and chronometer) added to the dashboard.

The roll cage is colour coded to the exterior, as is the rest of the interior metalwork. An electrical cut-off switch is fitted to the bottom of the dashboard, as are a couple of additional gauges.

Checker-plate sheet is fitted to the footwells, as are foot mats. There’s clear evidence that the shell has been seam-welded and the general condition is very good, with one or two little bits of patina including a paint chip on the roof.

A pair of fire extinguishers are fitted – one in each footwell.

“The SC version is, Carrera apart, the most powerful version of the 356 with a standard 95bhp. I’ve never had this car tested for actual bhp… but the engine was fitted with an additional oil cooler and tubular exhausts for improved performance so it must be close to 105bhp, I believe.

“It’s a typical lightweight racer and is very agile to drive. It storms up Alpine mountains at a fantastic pace; you feel every sensation of every curve in this car. On the other hand, it still remains very comfortable on a Sunday afternoon drive.”

Pop the boot lid and the engine bay presents very smartly; the engine is clean, with minimal road grime present and the twin carburettors breath through a pair of extra-large K&N air filters.

We’ll keep this brief: Belgian logbook and FiA Historic Regularity Run Car Pass. And that’s it, people – nothing else to see here.

Short, sweet and undoubtedly to the point.

The key factor with this Porsche is that it has been rebuilt to a top standard and presents in excellent condition. It’s well proven on the road regularity front and offers an intriguing track, hill climb or road toy.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been built and then maintained to the very highest of standards.

This is a thoroughly exquisite little race car. It’s presented in an eye-catching colour scheme and has been constructed to a very high standard; vendor Luc states that it’s a thoroughly impressive machine to pilot. His decision to move on to a new steed means that this SC is now ready for its next owner.

Given the above, we think it’ll sell for somewhere between €55,000 and €65,000. At the lower end that’s approaching bargain territory, while even at the top it remains one hell of a buy.

The next owner has two jobs: firstly, to enjoy custodianship of the diminutive Porsche; and secondly, to flick through the world’s best driving events and decide which ones they’re going enter – win-win.

Inspection is always encouraged and this particular car is located in Mechelen, Belgium; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.