Words: Jonathan Wells
It tends to figure that the best cars are a little odd-looking. When Lamborghini first revved their engines in the 1960s, their brutal, low lines were the thing that got heads turning. The Aston Martin V8, choice of car for Timothy Dalton’s Bond, looked more muscle car than DB5, but it’s one of our favourite models the marque has ever produced.
And this, the Porsche Carrera GS, is striking — almost ugly — at first. But when you take the time to appreciate the strange, nose-less design, it becomes one of the most beautiful cars ever created.
Originally introduced at the 1955 Frankfurt Motor Show, this was the first of Porsche’s cars to feature a race-bred engine that had been in development since 1952. With precision and reliability being the two main goals for an engine destined for competition, this brought fun to the roads like no car before it.
But who really cares about what’s going on under the bodywork when the bodywork looks like this? It’s a custom job, clearly, and one undertaken very seriously by talented custom painter and car-builder Dean Jeffries in 1950s Los Angeles.
He removed the bumpers, extended the nose, added frenched headlights, a rear scoop with custom grille, handmade taillights, and roof vents. And then, for the perfect finish, he used pearls and metal flake to colour the car silver — before using aircraft clear as a topcoat.
It’s a unique piece of American motoring history, modified by one of the most legendary customisers and hot rodders from the Golden Age of custom cars. Still think it’s ugly?
Want another striking Porsche? Check out this Paul Smith-designed set of wheels…
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