America Roadster 12371
Chassis 12371 - Although frequently referred to as Series III, this car is one of a kind. It is the only car that matches the July 1952 drawing 540.00.202 and separates itself from the other roadsters by many differences. Since this AR was built on an existing Cabriolet body, it uses steel rather than an aluminum body. The top rear fender well is considerably lower than other the ARs and, as originally built, it had a fixed windshield rather than a removable one.
There are a lot of unknowns and therefore speculation, about the motivation for 12371. Given the drawing number 540, it is fair to assume that this car was a normal progression step in the design process that started with roadster 356-001 and continued through the A Speedster (drawing number 644.003.301.00). Perhaps it was an attempt to combine the best features of the previous roadsters with the current cabriolet design. The other reasonable assumption is that an attempt was being made to reduce cost through the use of stamped-steel panels rather than hand-hammered aluminum. Both assumptions are likely to be correct.
There is a commonly seen early photograph showing what appears to be an incomplete 12371 sitting outside the Heuer factory. However there is also the Body Book that lists 12368 through 12384 as being delivered to Reutter as opposed to Porsche. If this information is accurate, 12371 was bodied by Heuer and then sent to Reutter for final component fitting and painting. A note from Chuck Stoddard's interviews with ex-Heuer employees indicates that Reutter hired the Heuer craftsman to finish the car and they remembered 12371 as "very nice."
The original owner of 12371 was Hubert Brundage. A common story told by Jan Brundage is that his father, Hubert, negotiated with Hoffman for the car via telexes and purchased it sight unseen. In mid 1953, they flew to New York to pickup the car, which was being stored in a garage away from Hoffman's Park Avenue showroom. Hubert drove out of the garage and stopped within a few blocks to purchase a magnet. His unhappy discovery was that 12371 was a steel body car. "Screwed by Hoffman again," Brundage reportedly exclaimed. Hubert raised holy hell with Max because a 200 pounds disadvantage had a significant impact on his racing plans for the car. Evidently, in an effort to mollify Brundage, Hoffman ordered special, lightweight seats for him.
12371 shows up in a September 1953 rally in Clewiston, Florida. The AR as it appeared at that time was painted green and had America Roadster seats. But just one month later on October 25th, 12371 shows up at the SOWEGA National Sports Car Races in Albany, Georgia painted black, equipped with Speedster seats and wearing #20. These must have been the special seats Hoffman ordered but remember that the announcement of the Speedster was still several months in the future. The other item to note with respect to timing is that the 1953 Albany race was the first appearance of the Porsche factory race team in the United States running Spyders 550-3 and 550-4.
This car is most remembered for it appearance in the 1954 Sebring race. Records show #50, a Porsche 356 (sic) America Roadster driven by Hubert Brundage, William Simpson and Stacy Brundage, finished 7th in class and 15th overall. Brundage apparently continued to race the roadster but by 1955 he is seen racing a Porsche Coupe in photographs.
In 1958 the car shows up being driven as everyday transportation. More importantly, the appearance of the car has been greatly modified by this time. The restorer of the car believes that it received major damage in a rollover while being raced. During repair efforts multiple changes were made most significantly to the windshield. The fixed frame was sawed off and replaced by a low Speedster windshield. A new top was made but the original America Roadster side screens remained in place resulting in a strange configuration. The car changed hands a few more times and at one appearance, a sports car "expert" declared 12371 was not a real Porsche. The story says that the owner was so upset that he put the car into hiding.
Other Chassis Numbers:
10455
10465
10469
12312
12317
12322
12323
12324
12336
12337
12345
12353
12361
12362
12363
12364 12371