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Sat Mar 08, 2025 2:20 am

Hi folks, I’m currently talking to Mike in PRS but thought a post here might be useful.

I’m hunting for my dad’s old 356 which he sold in 1974. The car when he had it was in Scotland so would’ve been registered there. He bought it in Aberdeen around 70/71.

It would be great to even have a photo to show him and I’m a fan of all things air cooled so interested to know if it still runs.

I have a few certainties from him.

It had disc brakes and an electric sunroof which helps narrow it down.
It was a deep blue which he says had similarities to midnight blue. So possibly Bali blue.
Grey leather interior he believes.
Exhaust came through the chrome bumper baffles.
It had a lock at the gearstick to disable the car.
When he sold it , it had a broken windscreen.

A few other things which maybe point to it being a C or SC. It wasn’t a carrera engined car.

Does anyone have a car which could possibly fit the bill? PM if prefer.

Thank you!
Andrew

Sat Mar 08, 2025 3:03 am

Cluskera wrote: Hi folks, I’m currently talking to Mike in PRS but thought a post here might be useful.

I’m hunting for my dad’s old 356 which he sold in 1974. The car when he had it was in Scotland so would’ve been registered there. He bought it in Aberdeen around 70/71.

It would be great to even have a photo to show him and I’m a fan of all things air cooled so interested to know if it still runs.

I have a few certainties from him.

It had disc brakes and an electric sunroof which helps narrow it down.
It was a deep blue which he says had similarities to midnight blue. So possibly Bali blue.
Grey leather interior he believes.
Exhaust came through the chrome bumper baffles.
It had a lock at the gearstick to disable the car.
When he sold it , it had a broken windscreen.

A few other things which maybe point to it being a C or SC. It wasn’t a carrera engined car.

Does anyone have a car which could possibly fit the bill? PM if prefer.

Thank you!
Andrew

Hello Andrew,
sorry, I probably know nothing about your dad´s car.
To near it down, suggest to give us info if it was a open car, convertible or coupe, with or without sunroof.
Thinking about VIN, maybe you have old documents about tax or insurance or pics with plates.

Sat Mar 08, 2025 3:49 am

Hi, so I mentioned above already that it has a sunroof. Hence yes - sunroof coupe. I mentioned some other details also in the first description which might help.

I don’t have a vin or reg I’m trying to work back the other way through knowledge.

So for example, an obvious thing might be a 356 sunroof coupe registered in Scotland for a number of years.

Back in 1970 I wouldn’t think there were many Bali blue 356 sunroof coupes roaming around Scotland.

I’m hoping that if an owner has traced the history of their car there could be a link made. Records exist with DVLA and so an owner may know their car was indeed in Scotland in the seventies and also that it is blue with a sunroof.

A small pool.

Working with Mike at PRS we have one possible chassis which is 130579 but I have posted that elsewhere with no success.

Sat Mar 08, 2025 4:34 am

Cluskera wrote: Hi, so I mentioned above already that it has a sunroof. Hence yes - sunroof coupe. I mentioned some other details also in the first description which might help.

I don’t have a vin or reg I’m trying to work back the other way through knowledge.

So for example, an obvious thing might be a 356 sunroof coupe registered in Scotland for a number of years.

Back in 1970 I wouldn’t think there were many Bali blue 356 sunroof coupes roaming around Scotland.

I’m hoping that if an owner has traced the history of their car there could be a link made. Records exist with DVLA and so an owner may know their car was indeed in Scotland in the seventies and also that it is blue with a sunroof.

A small pool.

Working with Mike at PRS we have one possible chassis which is 130579 but I have posted that elsewhere with no success.

Sorry, I missed the sunroof.
But, was the car LHD or RHD? Have I overseen a hint?

Sat Mar 08, 2025 6:43 am

yes, rhd would narrow things down. I'm assuming you're using prs to access the afn ltd records.
have you contacted the 356 register of the porsche club gb? maybe they could put your request in their newsletter etc in the hope that an older member remembers the car.
https://www.porscheclubgb.com/regions-registers/registers/classic/356

Sat Mar 08, 2025 6:43 am

Factory installed electric sunroofs could be had on the removable hardtops fitted to cabriolets.

Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:19 am

It was a sunroof coupe so that’s definitely certain. It wasn’t a cabriolet erroneously labelled as a 356 with a sunroof. I’m sure of that.

Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:21 am

finster wrote: yes, rhd would narrow things down. I'm assuming you're using prs to access the afn ltd records.
have you contacted the 356 register of the porsche club gb? maybe they could put your request in their newsletter etc in the hope that an older member remembers the car.
https://www.porscheclubgb.com/regions-registers/registers/classic/356

Good shout thank you- yes I have done that. I’m a member and put a thread on there. I also have someone on the “inside” so to speak trying to check with the OPCs in Scotland if they have any current record.

Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:24 am

wagen19 wrote: Cluskera wrote: Hi, so I mentioned above already that it has a sunroof. Hence yes - sunroof coupe. I mentioned some other details also in the first description which might help.

I don’t have a vin or reg I’m trying to work back the other way through knowledge.

So for example, an obvious thing might be a 356 sunroof coupe registered in Scotland for a number of years.

Back in 1970 I wouldn’t think there were many Bali blue 356 sunroof coupes roaming around Scotland.

I’m hoping that if an owner has traced the history of their car there could be a link made. Records exist with DVLA and so an owner may know their car was indeed in Scotland in the seventies and also that it is blue with a sunroof.

A small pool.

Working with Mike at PRS we have one possible chassis which is 130579 but I have posted that elsewhere with no success.

Sorry, I missed the sunroof.
But, was the car LHD or RHD? Have I overseen a hint?

Thanks - I’m not certain on that point so haven’t mentioned. My dad remembers pressing the sunroof button but can’t be certain on side. His gut is RHD but I’m leaving it open to either - I can’t be sure.

Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:26 am

finster wrote: yes, rhd would narrow things down. I'm assuming you're using prs to access the afn ltd records.
have you contacted the 356 register of the porsche club gb? maybe they could put your request in their newsletter etc in the hope that an older member remembers the car.
https://www.porscheclubgb.com/regions-registers/registers/classic/356

What are the afn Ltd records? I’m not sure what prs is using - I’ll mention this - thank you for the tip.

Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:54 am

AFN ltd were the main uk importers for porsche - now named porsche uk. they kept records of all cars they sold. prs either have the records or access to them.

https://www.facebook.com/prs356/photos/afn-records...9676/?_rdr

Sat Mar 08, 2025 8:34 am

Ah yes sorry - Mike mentioned this. Chassis 130579 which is a “suspect” was bought by paying Porsche direct - not AFN.

He is using those records and it is offering some hope but we have no registration for 130579….perhaps no longer exists.

There is a chap on here (Roy) who bought two 356 in seventies for a very small sum - I will also message him as it couid be one of those.

My father sold his to someone who walked into the school yard where the car was in 1974.

Thanks again

Sat Mar 08, 2025 10:00 am

Cluskera wrote: Ah yes sorry - Mike mentioned this. Chassis 130579 which is a “suspect” was bought by paying Porsche direct - not AFN.

He is using those records and it is offering some hope but we have no registration for 130579….perhaps no longer exists.

There is a chap on here (Roy) who bought two 356 in seventies for a very small sum - I will also message him as it couid be one of those.

My father sold his to someone who walked into the school yard where the car was in 1974.

Thanks again

Thinking about good questions maybe helping to identify the car.

What about a import of a RHD 356 from Sweden via Norway?

1970, 71 Aberdeen: bought from whom? Private, dealer, imported car, gauges, manual and fusebox in which language? Speedo miles or km? 6 V or 12 V? Headlights already OK for GB? Paint under the hoods the same blue color?

Dash: which hand used, position of ignition lock, speedo, glovebox?

Who used, or was as passenger also in the car? Women, children, friends? Communication to the left or right side? Police stop and control?

Which elbow out of the door window? More LHD owned that times? On which side were the pretty girls on the sidewalk in their mini skirt?

Who serviced the car? Holiday trips and pics?

At the pumps: fuel flap on drivers side?

Can neighbours, friends, enemies have knowledge or pics?

Entering the car in the city from the sidewalk?

Parked in garage, which side?

Sat Mar 08, 2025 10:44 am

When you Dad owned it where did he have it serviced? if they are still in business the might have some service records that could shed some light on the car.

Sat Mar 08, 2025 3:24 pm

Starbucket wrote: When you Dad owned it where did he have it serviced? if they are still in business the might have some service records that could shed some light on the car.

Thank you - good thinking. I believe back then he did it himself and that led to certainty on the disc brakes and also when he sold it it was after the windscreen broke. That led to my mum clearly remembering it was a curved screen not a “v” and definitely not split screen.

He also remembers dropping the engine and that he had to deal with exhausts coming through the chrome baffles.

He dropped the engine to replace the pistons and cylinders and from that remembers he decided not to because he was quite taken with the chrome dimpled cylinders it had. I’ve learned that was chromal cylinders porsche used. It would point to an earlier car but the brake discs suggest a C perhaps (?) but maybe it ended up with those chrome alloy dimpled cylinders which had been in slightly earlier cars. From reading that “parts bin” scenario sometimes happened when models were being released.

Sat Mar 08, 2025 3:37 pm

wagen19 wrote: Cluskera wrote: Ah yes sorry - Mike mentioned this. Chassis 130579 which is a “suspect” was bought by paying Porsche direct - not AFN.

He is using those records and it is offering some hope but we have no registration for 130579….perhaps no longer exists.

There is a chap on here (Roy) who bought two 356 in seventies for a very small sum - I will also message him as it couid be one of those.

My father sold his to someone who walked into the school yard where the car was in 1974.

Thanks again

Thinking about good questions maybe helping to identify the car.

What about a import of a RHD 356 from Sweden via Norway?

1970, 71 Aberdeen: bought from whom? Private, dealer, imported car, gauges, manual and fusebox in which language? Speedo miles or km? 6 V or 12 V? Headlights already OK for GB? Paint under the hoods the same blue color?

Dash: which hand used, position of ignition lock, speedo, glovebox?

Who used, or was as passenger also in the car? Women, children, friends? Communication to the left or right side? Police stop and control?

Which elbow out of the door window? More LHD owned that times? On which side were the pretty girls on the sidewalk in their mini skirt?

Who serviced the car? Holiday trips and pics?

At the pumps: fuel flap on drivers side?

Can neighbours, friends, enemies have knowledge or pics?

Entering the car in the city from the sidewalk?

Parked in garage, which side?

Thanks so much for putting this thought in. Some great ideas here to frame questions. I’ve done sone of them - the fuel one. He thinks it was in the wing as opposed to bonnet. But he isn’t 100%. Very confident though.

He drove the car to Spain in early seventies and remembers it stopped and there was a smell of fuel. He opened rear lid and the fuel hose had come off. The clip had broken so he put it back on and later got a clip. He thinks the hose was at the rear of the car on the left. That seems to fit a 1600 C motor but possibly others too.

From that he is 100% sure it had two grills on engine lid not one so again that’s pointing to C / SC as far as I can tell.

Let me pick through these other ideas. I’ll go through it with him again.

He remembers there was a brass screw on the carburetors but from reading it could be zenith or solex.

He doesn’t remember the garage. In the early seventies Aberdeen had a lot of dealers by proportion in Scotland. He saw the advert in a paper.

My mum met him at that time. I’ll see if the communication thing triggers a thought.

Thanks again and good thinking. Very kind and much appreciated. I’ll replay these other thoughts to see if it triggers anything.

Sat Mar 29, 2025 1:12 am

Cluskera wrote: wagen19 wrote: Cluskera wrote: Ah yes sorry - Mike mentioned this. Chassis 130579 which is a “suspect” was bought by paying Porsche direct - not AFN.

He is using those records and it is offering some hope but we have no registration for 130579….perhaps no longer exists.

There is a chap on here (Roy) who bought two 356 in seventies for a very small sum - I will also message him as it couid be one of those.

My father sold his to someone who walked into the school yard where the car was in 1974.

Thanks again

Thinking about good questions maybe helping to identify the car.

What about a import of a RHD 356 from Sweden via Norway?

1970, 71 Aberdeen: bought from whom? Private, dealer, imported car, gauges, manual and fusebox in which language? Speedo miles or km? 6 V or 12 V? Headlights already OK for GB? Paint under the hoods the same blue color?

Dash: which hand used, position of ignition lock, speedo, glovebox?

Who used, or was as passenger also in the car? Women, children, friends? Communication to the left or right side? Police stop and control?

Which elbow out of the door window? More LHD owned that times? On which side were the pretty girls on the sidewalk in their mini skirt?

Who serviced the car? Holiday trips and pics?

At the pumps: fuel flap on drivers side?

Can neighbours, friends, enemies have knowledge or pics?

Entering the car in the city from the sidewalk?

Parked in garage, which side?

Thanks so much for putting this thought in. Some great ideas here to frame questions. I’ve done sone of them - the fuel one. He thinks it was in the wing as opposed to bonnet. But he isn’t 100%. Very confident though.

He drove the car to Spain in early seventies and remembers it stopped and there was a smell of fuel. He opened rear lid and the fuel hose had come off. The clip had broken so he put it back on and later got a clip. He thinks the hose was at the rear of the car on the left. That seems to fit a 1600 C motor but possibly others too.

From that he is 100% sure it had two grills on engine lid not one so again that’s pointing to C / SC as far as I can tell.

Let me pick through these other ideas. I’ll go through it with him again.

He remembers there was a brass screw on the carburetors but from reading it could be zenith or solex.

He doesn’t remember the garage. In the early seventies Aberdeen had a lot of dealers by proportion in Scotland. He saw the advert in a paper.

My mum met him at that time. I’ll see if the communication thing triggers a thought.

Thanks again and good thinking. Very kind and much appreciated. I’ll replay these other thoughts to see if it triggers anything.

You had luck meanwhile?