Barn...Beer Find

At this point in automotive enthusiast time, most of us are absolutely convinced that the notion of a barn find falling into our deserving hands ranks right up there with hitting the Lottery. Every last collectible car hidden in someone's garage, covered with a mountain of dust left behind by a person who had every intention of 'getting around to it' has been winched out to daylight by Wayne Carini for Chasing Classic Cars. Right?

Steve Karnes is an FSR member, mega Porsche enthusiast and owner of Lee's Upholstery in Newport

News. Like so many stories about meeting a friend for a beer...or two...talk among car folk often turns to the 'I know this guy who has a car' that sets enthusiast minds adrift to 'but, what if?' scenarios. In this story, those few beers led Steve to a storage facility off Jefferson Avenue, and once the door was shoved aside, there sat a 356B that had sat forlorn for some 35 years as suggested by the 1984 inspection sticker affixed to the windscreen.

Replete with the mandatory inch of dust, spare parts flung around the storage bin, and the requisite level of disassembly as left by a guy with every intention of 'getting around to it' , Steve had unearthed a barn find that evaded Wayne Carini's network!

As the story unfolds, the owner of the 356B was a mechanic working for Joe Watson, owner of German Motor Service in Newport News, but also a local racer of some reknown. The owner managed brake system work at German Motor Service and was insistent that the brake system on the 356B was in perfect working order, though one would imagine that after all those years, a brake system flush was in order.

According to the owner and Steve, both the engine and transaxle were rebuilt by Joe Watson 'in the day' and believed to be significantly 'beefed up' . There seems to be a Bursch exhaust/headers, likely an uprated cam, and well...who know what else as the dual Zenith carbs remain in place.

Included in the sale were a box with an NOS set of Mangels chrome wheels, which were highly sought after in the day. How about a trove of NOS oval side mirrors,

wheel hubs and hood pulls? Most every part was there, just aching for Steve and his team to put it back together.

The car had undergone a repaint at some point in the past, and after a careful sponge wash and a coat of wax, the goodness of the car came sharply into focus.

Of course, 35 years of sitting always wreaks havoc with fuel systems so Steve has replaced the fuel tank and the Zeniths are being rebuilt, but the engine fired and ran!

Steve's intent with the 356B is to effect a 'sympathetic' restoration, keeping much of the 'patina' that accompanies a car sealed in storage for so long and drive it...just as it Ferry Porsche intended.

The message here?Do not take sharing a beer with a friend too lightly as you never know where it will lead you. For Steve Karnes, it was a Porsche barn...err...beer find.

photo by Steve Karnes

photo by Steve Karnes

photo by Steve Karnes