Everyone dreams of finding a world-class car tucked away in a barn or garage, and that’s exactly what barnfind specialist Tom Cotter discovered in Texas following a chance encounter with its owner’s son. The car was a 1957 Porsche Speedster.
It was bought by Sam Fleming in 1967 when he was just 26 years old, shortly before he met his future wife, Nely. He quickly changed the car’s colour from its original white to a shade of orange chosen from a ball point pen, which Nely still owns.
The pair used the car extensively, travelling to Oklahoma and Fort Worth at weekends before Fleming passed away and the car was laid up in the garage, where it remained for more than 40 years.
Recently uncovered, the car is a true time capsule: an unrestored example with matching numbers, a rare glassfibre hardtop and a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity. The floors and body panels are rust-free thanks to the dry Dallas climate, while the battery box is lightly corroded, as you’d expect of a 356 emerging from long-term storage.
The car is largely complete, and includes its convertible top and frame assembly plus a box of trim items and its original bumpers, which were hanging from the ceiling when it was first uncovered.
