My father, a graphic designer by trade, grew up in Corona, CA, watching the thrilling races at Riverside Raceway in southern California. In the late 1960s, while hitchhiking in Mexico, he was drafted into Vietnam. Upon his return in the early 70s, he paid $2,500 for a 1957 Porsche Speedster. This car, the last VIN of the 1957 356A Speedster, became his daily driver for 10 years, ferrying him from Berkeley, CA, across the bridge into San Francisco for work.
The Last 57 Speedster is more than just a car; it holds cherished family memories. My parents drove away from their wedding in the car, and it was a beloved fixture in our garage in Berkeley where it was parked awaiting one final restoration. Kids, finances, and life got in the way and the Speedster was stolen in broad daylight from our garage in 1999 - feared never to be seen again. Despite hiring private investigators, filing a police report, and spending years searching, my father couldn't find it, with reality setting in that it had likely been shipped to Europe.
In 2024, after 25 years of searching, I found The Last 57 Speedster with the help of some honest and incredible people to which our family will forever be indebted.
The Last 57 is here to preserve the legacy and inspire passion in a new generation of 356 owners.