Chassis No. 112285
Engine No. 800887
Transmission No. 38381

Tourist Delivery, the exciting process of combining a European vacation and the purchase a new Porsche, can forge a bond between car and owner that can last a lifetime. Ordered through the Northrup & Klaus Company of Nuremberg, Germany in October 1959 by William R. Wilcox of Azusa, California, this remarkably well-preserved Signal Red 1960 356 B Super 90 Coupe is a pure expression of that bond. Finished in optional Signal Red over a Black Kunstleder and Corduroy interior, the Super 90 was ordered two headrests, a Becker Europa radio with two loudspeakers, an antenna, and a pair of Coco matswith the final order totaling $3,470.20. Wilcox traveled to Germany to accept delivery of his new 356 and after a summer of touring Europe, the Coupe arrived in Southern California.

After Wilcox's passing in 1976, the car was stored in the family garage located in the dry climate of inland Southern California. A letter from Wilcox's son from approximately 15 years ago describes the way the car remained so well-preserved noting that it “... has been carefully stored since 1976 with less than 50,000 miles.” After 64 years under single family ownership and preserved in storage for the majority of it, the car would have a new caretaker, a preeminent Porsche and early Volkswagen historian with a keen eye for the inimitable details this Super 90 displays and a careful plan to thoughtfully return it to the road.

Highly original preserved cars such as this are best identified by the minute details they retain. The car itself is a matching-numbers example as per its factory Kardex. It still wears its original coat of optional Signal Red paint on top of its chassis number stamped body panels. The interior remains upholstered and carpeted in the original materials it was first delivered in. It retains nearly all of its original purchase paperwork, oval Tourist Delivery plates, owner's manuals (including the rare Super 90 supplement), its original tool kit, jack, date-stamped KPZ steel wheels—even its rare original stamped Huf glovebox key and period red leather factory teardrop key pouch. The eagle-eyed will spot period additions that include a Becker Europa “Highway Hi-Fi" AM/FM radio and a pair of Impact brand safety belts.

Then there's the drive. Recent sorting by Richard Dick at Air Cooled and Scott's Independant and the subsequent light mileage added under current ownership prove that it is not only the cosmetics that remain in near as-delivered condition. The flat-four received multiple oil changes and filters, a Solex carburetor restoration, valve and timing adjustments, and the transmission fresh fluid. With an emphasis on originality, nearly every system was inspected and renewed as necessary including the braking, electrical, and fuel systems with various sundry components to properly and safely return to the road with invoices on file detailing the work completed. Those who have driven well-preserved cars with relatively light use, note a tightness and road feel that many restorations struggle to match. Chassis number 112285 exhibits this is spades with the consignor noting that, “the car is highly civilized with doors that sing upon closing, a clutch and shifter that engage positively with original tolerances, a ride with lack of vibration, with the typical cold-blooded nature of the high-compression Super 90 nonexistent.”

There are innumerable phrases that exist in the hobby to describe an automobile such as this. “They're only original once” and “find another one” are favorites yet, these shallow remarks fail to capture the complexity of this Super 90. It is a wonderfully preserved matching-numbers example. It is an unshown, yet sure-fire Porsche Club of America Parade winner. It is a candidate for a 000 quarterly Referent. Perhaps most of all, it is a 65-year-long love letter to the Porsche marque and an unrepeatable opportunity for a new caretaker to experience—as near as possible—what it was like to enjoy a new Porsche 356 B Super 90 Coupe in 1960.