This Porsche 356 Has a Weird Restoration Story (photos)

1. It Was Once New

The story of this simple-looking classic started in 1956 when an American pilot bought it in Germany where he was stationed. After he was reassigned to Alaska, he took the Porsche 356 with him overseas. This was the '56's first trip overseas, but certainly not its last.

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2. The Alaskan Toll

Thanks to the Alaskan roads and weather, the 356 saw a ton of pretty rough days. The 49th state took a toll on the car, and after just a few years, the Porsche was stored and it slowly became a barn vehicle. The rust grabbed a hold of the 356, and the beautiful shine that was given by the legendary company slowly turned into history.

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3. Mike Tempels

A Belgian Porsche fantastic named Mike Tempels came across the 1956 Porsche 356 and knew he had found a diamond in the rough. Mike decided to put his efforts into making this beauty dance again; however, there were legal issues regarding exporting the 356 back to Europe. The only way he could get the car overseas again was to take it apart and ship it in pieces. The process was going to take approximately a year, but Tempels insisted that this Porsche needed to see the light again.

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4. Time for Restoration

After numerous hours of work, the '56 Porsche made its second trip overseas and the restoration process began. It was evident to anyone who looked at the 356 that it had seen far better days. The heart was beyond stopped, the interior was long gone, and the word rust was now more than familiar to Mike. Tempels wanted to wake this Porsche from the dead, but he didn't want to change its soul, so he decided to approach the restoration process a bit differently.

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5. A Porsche Never Dies

The first step into bringing this 356 back to life was to do a complete overhaul to the engine, and that he did. Thanks to the help of Mike's wife, daughter, son-in-law, and nephew-in-law, the restoration process took just four months. The seats were constructed from the seats' frames from an old '50s truck with leather strapped onto them which matched the old, rusty Porsche. The exterior was touched-up just enough so that it maintains its current state, but not too much that it would lose its soul. Mike blew the engine while taking it out for a drive in 2015, but he then quickly fitted the car with a new unit to keep things rolling along. It really is quite fitting that the message across the rear of the car simply reads, "A Porsche Never Dies."

Check out more pictures of this uniquely restored Porsche HERE.

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