The Porsche that punches above its weight

“The build-up was intense,” says Sam. The car was being prepared by Woolmer Classic Engineering and was due to make its debut at the Donington Historic Festival in May. “We were on schedule for our original timescale until the opportunity came to be at Goodwood. With this being the case, we were unable to do the necessary learning and development we would have liked prior to an event such as MM.”

Even so, the car put on a highly respectable showing. Being a 1954 car, it’s much older than anything else that shared the Moss Trophy grid. “It regularly punches well above its weight in Pre-63 GT grids,” says Sam. “Weighing in at only 750kg and being agile, it makes up for its smaller engine size and lack of power.”

The car was registered in California where it lived its life as a road car for many years. It was purchased by previous owner John Ruston and converted to a race car for 2012. 

For subsequent years, the car then raced competitively in events such as Silverstone Classic, Donington Historic Festival and Le Mans Classic. The highlight of its motorsport career to date is a win at the Le Mans Classic after the Performance Index was applied.

It’s a 1954 356 Pre-A 1500S. This means it has drum brakes all round which was of the time and must remain as per the FIA HTP regulations. The four-cylinder boxer engine is now slightly larger at 1582cc and has been highly tuned to develop circa 170bhp.

Given the tight timescales involved in getting to Members’ Meeting, Sam had only driven the car once before qualifying. “The race was actually the first time we had ever run the car in the dry, having only driven it for the first time earlier in the week and having a wet qualifying session. From our qualifying position of 22nd, I rose through the field to 14th by the time I pitted to hand the car over to teammate Tim Sugden. However, two laps into his stint, the car developed a severe vibration from the drivetrain – possibly the gearbox, diff or driveshaft. That put end to our race. It was unfortunate but not unexpected having not had the time to do the necessary due diligence with the car prior to our last minute entry.”

The car is actually owned by Porsche Centre Leeds, part of the Tordoff family’s JCT600 Group, and one of four Classic Porsche Centres in the UK. It’s part of the Tordoff Collection, a new venture that specialises in the sale of sports and classic cars outside of the franchised dealers. There’s Porsche history here, too. Sam’s grandfather famously won the 1973 Circuit of Ireland Rally in a Porsche 911 2.7 RS.

Sam will continue to race the car this season and ultimately hopes to receive an invitation to the Goodwood Revival. Perhaps Goodwood will yet witness this 356 prove what it can really do.

Photography by Tom Shaxson