Customs Dean Jeffries Custom Carrera in Monterey this August

As most of you might know I decided some time ago to try to find a new caretaker for the ex-Dean Jeffries 1956 356A Carrera coupe. I was able to participate again this year at the Amelia Island Concours and the Werks Reunion so I've had about as much fun with the car as I reasonably can expect. I've decided to ship the car out to Monterey, California for the Bonham's Auction at the Quail next month. It is held in conjunction with the Quail Gathering that will be featuring an exhibit on the 70th Anniversary of Porsche on August 24th. As the Dean Jeffries Carrera has its roots firmly in the California car culture I thought that it would be fitting to return the car to its home state for a final farewell.

I've owned this car since I was 19 years old in 1971, it was the first car I ever bought without any input or approval from my father (who had nixed previous planned purchases of a pair of Mini-Coopers for $150 - some assembly required - and a Porsche Speedster which looked about like you would expect a $600 Speedster to appear). I've spent 47 years enjoying what turned out to be one of the most interesting Porsches that I've ever encountered. Along the way I've been introduced to many great folks who appreciate the history and significance of this important piece of Porsche, Kustom and Hot Rod history. Dean Jeffries himself, a boyhood hero of mine was deeply involved with the restoration of his Carrera and not only selected the final color for the car but also provided vital information along the way during its restoration. His final verdict on seeing the car in person was that it was "Bitchin" and that he truly appreciated that I had taken it back in time to look exactly as it did when he completed the car in 1957. Bill Warner, founder of the Amelia Island Concours, has told me that it is one of his all time favorite cars and he was the one who convinced the Glasurit corporation to donate all of the paint materials used in its restoration. I recently got a FIVA certification on the Porsche which documents it on the Historical Vehicle Association list as a significant piece of automotive history - something I am very proud to receive.

It is with mixed feelings that I look forward to seeing it roll across the stage next month but I think it is time for me to find it a good home and move on to restoring my beloved 1967 Land Rover Series IIA that has been patiently waiting its turn in the shop for over twenty years. I've got some great memories of the Porsche that will never leave me and I hope its next caretaker will continue to add to the great stories this car can tell

I look forward to seeing the many fans of this Carrera which has had many nicknames over the yeas from "Silver Satin" to "Kustom Karerra" to the "original Outlaw' while I am out in Monterey next month. Please come by and say hello to Dean Jeffries' Custom Carrera if you are attending the car shows out there.

 

Very cool and great story.. I love 356's.. Closest I came to owning one was a 356 Speedster kit.. Wish I had it back...

 

Always loved that car, must be heart breaking to see it go. What sort of value have they put on it? Carreras have been hugely valuable for a while now, does it still have the correct motor? The Porsche market being how it is does the Jefferies work and history harm the value or increase it?

 

It's very hard to guess what its worth - a concours condition 356A Carrera Coupe is worth around $800K or more. Some would say that the Dean Jeffries provenance can add to that value but the Porsche enthusiasts tend to overvalue originality sometimes. Dean's car does not have the original 1500cc 4-cam engine which was removed in the mid -1960's. (Dean told me the roller bearing crank was rattling a bit when he sold it.) It does have a 1959 1600cc plain bearing 4-cam motor from a later Carrera that has been completely rebuilt. The engine alone is worth over $250,000.

I've had estimates from $550,000 to $1,200,000 placed on the car - we'll see what the market thinks in about a month when it crosses the block. I was hoping Bruce Meyer would want to acquire it for the Petersen Museum since I'd like to see the car preserved in Dean's memory. and it was built just a few miles from the museum.

Dean Jeffries and his Carrera in 1957.

 

one of my favorites ! Karerra , The original "Outlaw 356" .. hope it goes to a great home ..Thank you for sharing it with us here. @Karrera

 

Great story, Great car! That Land Rover must be something Special. Thanks for sharing the story.

 

It may not receive the hype recently given to the infamous "Dayton Pair", but this car is more significant in my opinion. The styling is timeless. Built by a kid!

May Bonham's treat it as the special vehicle that it is!

 

So Dean built the Porsche before the Manta Ray, I thought it was the other way around all these years. I'll be out there next month,sure would like to see the Porsche. Guess it was 10 years ago that I finally saw the Manta Ray in the Petersen, sure would be the proper home for the Coupe. Bob

 

Love the power take-off! So, this was the Brits take on the Jeep? Could you buy add on accessories, too?

 

Dean told me the Porsche is the car that launched his career. He was well known as a custom painter but wanted to go beyond that specialty and decided that customizing his Porsche would be the gateway to a whole new world.

 

It was within the last 15 years or so that we drove past Dean's shop, just by chance, wish I'd stopped and at least taken a few photos. Bob

 

Here's a link to the Bonhams auction listing for Dean's Carrera:



http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24811/lot/106/?category=list&length=10&page=11

 

Very cool. I have my dad's 1962 109 pick up waiting for me to get to.

Thanks for the info on your Porsche hope it brings some big dollars for you and it goes to someone who appreciates it as much as you have.

Sent from my SM-G950W using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Very true and wise thinking from "a kid". In '56 that Porsche was shocking. The Mantaray is probably the best scratchbuilt custom of any area.

I was able to interview him for an hour back in 2011 and from that, I ascertained Jeff also airbrushed shirts (with Von Dutch) before Roth did it. Renaissance man.

The Peterson is the perfect place for it, Bruce! I had no plans to attend Pebble Beach, but that may have to change!

 

Jack, I get that it's time for you to sell Dean's car as you are about to close the last chapter of your time with it. You've done it all! I'm guessing the best part was working with Dean, after surprising him with the car at Amelia in 2009, to finish off the detailed, gingerbread work needed to bring it back to his way. What an experience it must have been!

As you do, I hope that the car will go to a Dean Jeffries fan rather than a Porsche geek who will present us with yet another over restored 356. I see that Bonhams has set the estimate at a place that a buyer could take a chance on Dean's custom features and know he wouldn't be underwater when it became time to sell to a restorer. Sad but a possibility.

I've (also) had my bullet hole $200 Speedster since 1971. We are old friends that get together just a few times a year and all of the memories and good times come flooding back. I'll be keeping mine until that doesn't happen.

Good luck and have fun next month. You have earned it!

Mark Eskuche

 

Best of luck with the sale! Such an iconic car, it's great to see how you've given it the life and care that it deserves.

I visited Dean a couple times while out for the GNRS, sure do miss him.

 

Ryan - thanks. I wasn't trying to stir up any controversy - Dean Jeffries is one of my personal heroes (along with Dan Gurney) and I know there are a lot of his friends and fans on this board. I know a lot of them are in California and since the Carrera has lived on the east coast for over 55 years I thought that it would be fun to let everyone know that Dean's car was coming to the west coast next month. I've had a big portion of my life involved with this car and I've spent so many years researching it that I sometimes get a bit overboard in sharing my enthusiasm. I'm just a car guy with no interest in any sport involving a ball - third generation gear head is how I see myself with a deep appreciation of history and the men who created the cars we grew up with. I grew up with Rod & Custom, Road & Track and Cycle magazine. I look forward to sharing this car with the people who get to see it in Carmel Valley next month.

Here's a shot from 1971 when I first bought the car. My mother is in the background looking over what I had just brought home.

 

Maybe I missed the story, but how did you find the car and did you know at that moment what it was? We'll be out there next month, sure hope I can get to see it, any tips on getting into the Quail? Bob

 

Here's an excellent piece on the car from Hemming's this morning:

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/...-once-actually-owned-by-an-outlaw/?refer=news

 

I think you can get in on the preview days (Tuesday-Wednesday) to review the cars going up for auction on Thursday. Thursday is the day of the Quail car show and traffic that day is outrageous.

I didn't know what I was buying when I got the car other than it was a neat looking old Porsche. The tag slip called it a "Sebring Coupe" Porsche and since it had come up to Georgia from central Florida we thought maybe some one in Florida had done the modifications to the car. It wasn't until about a year later after the head of the local Porsche Club of America gave me a copy of the October 1959 Rod & Custom that I realized what I had. I knew who Dean Jeffries was of course - just didn't realize how lucky I'd been to get his car.

 

Beautiful.

 

The Jalopnik staff called it ugly...
https://jalopnik.com/dean-jeffries-custom-porsche-356-is-an-ugly-car-i-cant-1827954007

 

^^^^ Those guys are weiner queens, obviously.

 

Best of luck with the sale, beautiful car

 

I just finished the last task that I could think of doing on the Carrera yesterday - a little adjustment to the tachometer cable to make sure it works properly. After 47 years of always having some project to do on the car its pretty sobering to realize that it is truly done. I think my dad would be amazed at how the car turned out - he thought I was nuts for buying it as a 19 year old who obviously did not have the skills to undertake such a project. At least I got the satisfaction of getting Dean Jeffries' approval.



from this:



to this:



For all you guys that have a project out in your garage that just seems to be gathering dust; keep the faith and keep plugging away - with enough help from your friends you can make it happen.

 

This really is a great story, hope to get to stand along side it next month. Bob

 

Nice short video presenting the Dean Jeffries Carrera:

https://www.bonhams.com/video/26353/

 

^ Nice video, and I'm glad to see they seem to be strongly presenting it as a Dean Jeffries custom and the history of the car rather than "another" Porsche, and hopefully whoever ends up with it, will appreciate what it is. Good luck with the sale!

 

We'll said Mark!

I wish I could have held on to my 54 Speedster!