One-off 1954 Glöcker 356 Carrera 1500 Coupe Heads to Auction
It may not be beautiful, but this historic racer is an important slice of Porsche history.
Six of Six
Walter Glöckler - a Frankfurt, Germany-based motorcycle racer and car dealer - is an important name in the history of Porsche. He became a fan of the automaker from the day it began producing the 356 and transformed a total of six of them into race cars in that model's very first year of production. This 1954 Glöckler-Porsche 356 Carrera 1500 Coupe that's going up for sale at RM Sotheby's upcoming Monterey auction just so happens to be the last of those six.
Photos: RM Sotheby's
Function over Form
These Glöcker-Porsche models were not by any means beautiful, but that was the least of their creator's worries. The point was to make the 356 as lightweight and fast as possible, a process that began by fitting them with hand-hammered aluminum bodies that enabled them to weigh less than 1,000 pounds. Unsurprisingly, that led to tremendous success on the track.
Photos: RM Sotheby's
Factory Support
As one might imagine, Porsche didn't have the time or resources to mess with a factory racing effort in its early days, so the Glöcker-Porsche venture was a big deal for the young automaker. Porsche did offer its support to the team, however, and this particular car started life as a 1954 356 Pre-A provided by the automaker.
Photos: RM Sotheby's
One of One
Powered by an early Ernst Fuhrmann-designed four-cam “vertical shaft” flat-four, the racer was built specifically to compete in the 1954 Mille Miglia and was the only coupe conceived by Glöcker in an era that favored open-air racing. The car wasn't finished in time for that race, however, and wound up making its debut later in the year at the Liège–Rome–Liège road rally.
Photos: RM Sotheby's
Notable Effort
With Walter Glöckler’s cousin, Helm Glöckler, and Max Nathan behind the wheel, the Porsche made it to the finish line but suffered from oil supply problems along the way. Following that race, the 356 wound up back at the Porsche factory before it was sold and exported to the U.S.
Photos: RM Sotheby's
Full Restoration
The car remained in America until 1993 when it was sold once again and returned to its homeland of Germany. It took another transaction before the Glöcker-Porsche coupe would receive the full restoration it deserved, however, a process that began in 2005.
Photos: RM Sotheby's
Big Money?
At some point along the way, the original engine was replaced with a 1.5-liter four-cam mill, but this special piece of Porsche history otherwise remains in very correct condition to this day. And for those reasons, we don't doubt that it will reach its $750,000-$1 million dollar auction estimate when it crosses the block on August 13.
Photos: RM Sotheby's
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