Although Ferdinand Porsche had established his automotive design consultancy in the early 1930s, his name would not appear on a car until 1949. When it did, it graced one of the all-time great sports cars: the Porsche 356. Having commenced manufacture with a short run of aluminium-bodied cars built at Gmünd, Porsche began volume production of the steel-bodied 356 coupé at its old base in Stuttgart, at first in premises shared with coachbuilders Reutter and then (from 1955) in its original factory at Zuffenhausen.

The work of Ferry Porsche, the 356 was based on the Volkswagen designed by his father, and like the immortal 'Beetle' employed a platform-type chassis with rear-mounted air-cooled engine and all-independent torsion bar suspension. Regularly revised and updated, Porsche's landmark sports car would remain in production well into the 911 era, the final examples being built in 1965.

Outwardly very similar to the final 356Bs, the ultimate 356C model arrived in 1963 sporting four-wheel disc brakes - first seen on the 2.0-litre Carrera 2 - among numerous detail improvements. Engines available - both of 1.6 litres - were the 75bhp 'C' and 95bhp 'SC', the latter replacing the Super 90. Testing a 356C in 1964, Road & Track enthused over its comfort, quality and excellent performance, concluding, 'one would look a long time before finding a sports or GT car that offers more pure driving enjoyment.'

This 356C coupé was originally delivered to Italy and has remained there ever since. It has the more desirable 95 horsepower 'SC' engine and according to the Porsche Kardex retains matching numbers and its original colour scheme of silver metallic with red leather interior. Restored between 2000 and 2002, the car is described as in generally very good to excellent condition and offered with Italian registration papers.

Ce coupé 356 C fut livrée neuf en Italie où il est resté depuis. Il est équipé du séduisant moteur SC de 95 ch et selon le Kardex Porsche affiche des numéros concordants ainsi que sa livrée d'origine, gris métal avec intérieur en cuir rouge. Restaurée entre 2000 et 2002, la voiture est décrite comme étant en très bon, voire excellent, état général et est vendue avec ses papier d'immatriculation italienne.