1958 Porsche 356

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys The Monterey Auction event, 13 - 15 August 2026.
$1,000,000 - $1,400,000 USD

• Little Miss Zero, outright or class winner of a remarkable 19 of 23 known events entered 1958 1961
• One of only 151 Carrera-powered 356 Speedsters produced in total, of which just 87 were GT-specification
• Purchased directly from Porsche Werks by racer Charles Chuck Rickert
• Restored and fitted with a correct-type 547/1 four-cam Carrera engine, number 90943
• A very significant and well-documented Carrera Speedster; accompanied by a fascinating history file and highly eligible for rally and racing events worldwide

In Porsches early decades, the word Carrera was synonymous with the marques efforts in motorsport and with victory. The term honored the Carrera Panamericana, the thrilling, dangerous Mexican road race in which the Porsche 550 Spyder had achieved notable success. Applied to the Ernst Fuhrmann-designed four-cam flat-fours that propelled the 550 across finish lines around the world, often ahead of larger and more powerful competitors, it was soon also used as a designation for the road cars that were equipped with these exotic engines.

Beginning in 1955, Porsche buyers could select a four-cam Carrera motor in a 356 coupe, cabriolet, or Speedster, further specifying GS ( Grand Sport ) or GT ( Grand Touring ) trims. In the more performance-oriented GT form, the models Type 547/1 engines squeezed 110 horsepower from just 1,498 cubic centimeters of displacement; however, this came at the cost of added complexity and carried a substantial price premium. GT cars also did without sound deadening or even a standard heater, but gained uprated front brakes, a racing exhaust, a larger fuel tank, aluminum doors, an alloy front hood, an aluminum engine cover with side louvers, and a roll bar.

In short, a Carrera-powered Porsche, and especially a GT, was not a car that a buyer ended up in accidentally. Those who ordered one did so with specific intent, and more often than not, that intent was to go racing.

Charles Chuck Rickert of Indianapolis, Indiana, had just such a plan in mind when, in early 1957, he wrote Porsches racing department with the intent to purchase a 356 Carrera Speedster for SCCA competition. Though one might have expected him to have placed his order through Max Hoffmans New York dealership, Rickert instead insisted on dealing directly with Porsche. Fascinating correspondence on file traces Rickerts back-and-forth with the company, which at first was unwilling to work outside the dealership system but eventually allowed him to order the car directly using the vacation delivery program as a loophole. Also outlined in Rickerts correspondence with Porsche and somewhat amusing from the modern perspective is that, until just a few months before Rickert took delivery of his Speedster, there was some question as to whether Porsche would even be able to build and sell enough Carrera GT chassis to make the car eligible for SCCA competition.

Fortunately for all, Porsche met the quota. Rickerts Speedster, chassis number 84711, was eventually completed on 21 April 1958. This was one of only 151 Carrera-powered 356 Speedsters completed in total, of both pre-A and A generations, of which only 87 were of the more honed GT variety.

Upon completion, chassis 84711 was dispatched to New York via the SS American Forwarder. It arrived on 18 May and was picked up by Rickert a little over a week later. Although production delays meant that Rickert missed some of the 1958 SCCA seasons early events, he would make up for lost time with a run for the record books.

LITTLE MISS ZEROS DEBUT

Just days after taking delivery of chassis 84711, Rickert entered his new Porsche in the SCCA National held on 1 June 1958 at one of the great lost American road courses, Bridgehampton. Running as #0, he took 3rd in class, behind two other Porsches. Amazingly, this was the worst finish he and Little Miss Zero, as the car came to be known, would experience until 1960.

From 1958 to 1961, Rickert would run this car in at least 23 races across 17 events. He would win 1st overall or 1st in class in 19 races, held at important early sports car racing circuits including Bridgehampton, Elkhart Lake, Pensacola, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Louisville, and more; he would also take the fastest time of the day at the 1958 Millport Hillclimb, the inaugural running of the event. His sole 2nd place was at the Elkhart Lake National in June 1959, with the runner-up finish attributed to ill-behaving spark plugs.

Rickerts impressive run only faltered in August 1960, when he did not finish the Louisville National race after having been forced off track by a Corvette. He entered just one race in 1961, the Elkhart Lake National, but a broken crankshaft took him out of contention. He traded the inoperable car to Richard Snider of Columbus, Indiana, for a 1961 356 Coupe later that summer. By this point, he and Little Miss Zero had already achieved more success together than anyone could have imagined.

A CHAMPS NEXT ACTS

Though Snider intended to repair and continue racing chassis 84711, he never did so. The car went through one additional owner before September 1978, when it was purchased by B. Mitchell Leland of Pasadena, California. Leland began accumulating parts for the car in preparation for a full restoration, stripping and repairing its bodywork and even going so far as to acquire a correct-type replacement Carrera engine and have it rebuilt. He contacted Rickert for information on the cars history, and in their ongoing correspondence, Rickert noted that while he owned a total of six cars from Stuttgart over the years, chassis 84711 remained his most favorite Porsche of them all and expressed his desire to someday own the car again.

Leland, however, had shifted his focus to Ferraris by 1985, and even offered Rickert the chance to re-acquire his beloved Porsche in a largely restored but disassembled state an offer Rickert regretfully declined. It fell on a later owner to complete the cars well-deserved restoration, a process that is said to have benefited from the expertise of former Vasek Polak employees.

By September 2007, the Speedster was in the possession of a collector in the UK, later joining the stable of a German collector and vintage racer. During his tenure, the car was granted a FIA historic technical passport in May 2011. Its next documented owner was a prominent businessman in Spain, who in 2017 had the experts at RUF perform over 7,000 euros in service, mechanical adjustment, and tuning. The Porsche subsequently returned to its original market, the United States, and was inspected by Road Scholars of Durham, North Carolina, in September 2021.

Acquired by its current caretaker in 2022, the Speedsters restoration in its original colors still presents well today. The car is fitted with a four-cam engine of the correct type; numbered 90943, it was originally installed on a 1958 356 A Carrera GS Cabriolet and is presumably the replacement engine sourced by its fourth owner some decades ago. In addition to a fascinating file of documentation, including correspondence with its original and subsequent owners, the car is further documented by a Porsche CoA, Reutter certificate, and a copy of its FIA HTP. Needless to say, it is highly eligible for tours, rallies, and vintage racing events worldwide.

A remarkable example of a hallowed model, this 356 A Carrera GT Speedster is worthy of a place of honor in the collection of its next caretaker and would also make for a fantastic companion for the dedicated vintage racer looking to continue Little Miss Zeros winning ways. To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/mo26/.