One out of 248 Porsche 356B units produced 59 years ago with custom bodywork by Belgian coachbuilder D’Leteren Frères is heading to auction in the USA, and market observers suppose it might fetch more than $500,000.
The Belgian company used chassis designs from premium automakers of the time, such as Hispano Suiza and Duesenberg, to produce custom cars for its clients. Aside from making 248 Porsche 356B units based on the T6 chassis – the last one the 356 Series was built upon – D’Leteren Frères also made 473 units based on an older T5 platform.
Bodywork was not the only selling point, of course. This particular sports car had its 1.6-liter Type 616/12 flat-four boosted from the stock 60 PS (60 hp / 45 kW) to 75 PS (74 hp / 55 kW). A four-speed manual gearbox directed the torque to the wheels.
The seller reveals nothing about the past of the car or its current state. Judging by the photos alone, it is in excellent overall condition. The accompanying text states that it comes with a conformity certificate issued by the original manufacturer.