Do you know the Classic 359?
01/11/2024
At "Classic Motor Carriages" in Miami, GRP replicas of the Porsche 356 Speedster, Shelby Cobra and Bugatti 35 were built from the end of the 1970s onwards, as well as a series of their own models in the style of the 1930s based on the Ford Pinto. In keeping with the pretense of luxury, the latter were given distinguished names such as Royale or Tiffany. In the warm and humid sunshine state, the wind-cooled and rust-resistant plastic bodies certainly had their fans.
A good ten years later, the creative plastic model makers from Florida came to the conclusion that the customer base of the financially underserved self-promoters still lacked a convertible version of the Porsche 959 super sports car, which had been in production for two years, in addition to the fakes of traditional classic cars. To build it on a VW Beetle chassis shortened by five inches, the Classic 359 was therefore created from 1989 onwards, the name of which was a highly ingenious combination of two Porsche type numbers.
For just 19,000 US dollars, you could become the envy of your entire circle of friends, as the advertising proudly proclaimed - provided you were already in possession of the Wolfsburg base and had the confidence to assemble it yourself. If neither was the case, both had to be paid for separately. In return, the 15-inch cross-spoke wheels with their pronounced dish were standard equipment. If the VW drive set wasn't fast enough for you, you could turn your Classic 359 into a semi-real Porsche with a 911 engine. There was certainly enough space in the expansive rear.
Even if at first it is easy to make fun of the fiberglass-laminated pretence of false facts and a little imagination is required: with blackened air vents and the correct chassis height, the Classic 359 would certainly not look so bad. And in times when aesthetically no less questionable Koenig specials have become particularly typical and highly prized eighties collector's items, the quirky CMC creations also deserve a second chance as recognized motoring cultural assets.
Around 200 Classic 359s are said to have been built up to the beginning of the nineties. This one is currently being auctioned at bringatrailer.com and is located in Florida. Where else would it be?
