As early 356 cars are of interest to many judging by the way this thread has grown, a short story and a few photo's of a car I have known of for the past 39 years.
During 1970 one of the helpful and most hospitable members of the PCGB was Betty Haig. She was racing driver as late as the early 50's and had a fine collection of cars all stored in her converted stable block attached to her 400 year old house in Farington Oxfordshire.
I used to visit her house along with the PCGB when she opened her ground for summer picnics. To have 30-40 356 cars arrive in her grounds was always the start of a good day!
During 1970 she was advised of an old 356 coupe rusting away and she went and rescued it immediately together with the boxes of engine parts etc, etc,
When the chassis number 5560 and engine number 10062 was discovered she realised she had one of the earliest 356 cars in the UK. This was originally running with an 1100cc engine and produced early in 1951.
During the next 2-3 years she had the car completed after much work. and then it appeared for while in the Beuliegh museum ( spelling!!) and then at AFN and then Reading.
On one visit to her house to help her with some items she needed to measure and photograph the wooden door cappings on my brothers 51
coupe as hers had been lost over time. I remember well two things about that visit in around 1971 the first although I didn't smoke being offered in case I did, a huge Ferrari piston cut in half and with machined radii cut in around the circumference for the fag and being asked "what type of tea did I prefer"! I must have have looked blank because Betty said "China or Ceylon"? I nearly said Typhoo!
So having not seen the car for many years saw it again last year at the Goodwood Revival part of the display outside the AFN mockup showroom.
I took a few pictures below. I don't think it runs with the original engine? I know the remains she had but the heads had been butchered with the previous owner forcing oversize valve guides into the head.
I see it still has the same rubber quarter light molding to secure the glass my brother had the normal chrome trim and I was never sure if the rubber version is original??? (See photo)
The first photos are of the car as found and then under repair at AFN Frazer Nash with Ernie Gregory doing the metal work. ( photos were by Betty I think for inclusion into the Porsche Post.
The other pics show the car at the revival meeting.
[img][img]
http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq15 ... 110005.jpg[/img][/img]
[img][img]
http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq15 ... 110006.jpg[/img][/img]
[img][img]
http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq15 ... 110007.jpg[/img][/img]
[img][img]
http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq15 ... 110008.jpg[/img][/img]
[img][img]
http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq15 ... 080076.jpg[/img][/img]
[img][img]
http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq15 ... 080079.jpg[/img][/img]
[img][img]
http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq15 ... 080080.jpg[/img][/img]
[img][img]
http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq15 ... 080077.jpg[/img][/img]
Finally can anyone tell me if the black steering wheel is an original type or is it VW? The car in its original state shows what I think is an "A" steering wheel with horn ring? I don't remember seeing a black wheel before and would like to know?
Roy
Not often you see such early cars together 
