Porsche 356 B by Beutler

The Swiss

Without Swiss involvement, Porsche would probably never have existed. But we have already written about that here. In this story, the brothers Ernst and Fritz Beutler also play a very important role, as the first six cabriolets based on the Porsche 356 were built in their workshops in Thun in 1948/49. Professor Porsche even travelled to Switzerland with two of his most important employees, Kaes and Komenda, to discuss the possibilities of larger-scale production with Beutler, but the brothers declined. A shame, really.

But many years later, Beutler tried again with and for Porsche. At the 1957 Geneva Motor Show, a four-seater version of the Porsche 356 was presented. This first attempt was still quite independent, looking more like Beutler than Porsche. In 1958 Beutler improved, now the four-seater was clearly recognisable as a Porsche 356, the vehicle we are showing here, chassis number 13030, is one of probably four examples built in this form. The car was delivered by the later legendary Porsche specialist Brumos in Jacksonville, Florida. This Porsche spent the last 25 years in the collection of Jim Watson, where it also received a new engine. Gooding & Co. will auction the Beutler coupé at Amelia Island 2025, where 300,000 to 400,000 dollars are expected.

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