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Saga of a Gmnd Porsche

Thinking of himself as the current custodian of 356/2-040, Jerry Seinfeld did not want anything done that would be frowned upon in the future when viewed from a historical perspective.

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mong the many collections dedicated to Porsche cars, that of actor/comedian Jerry Seinfeld has a special personality. First, Seinfeld likes to collect an early and a late example of each version as a way of illustrating the technical and styling changes that the model underwent during its production life. Second, Seinfeld is a strong believer that his cars should be exercised regularly on the road or the track and not simply parked on the 18th green or under museum spotlights. Seinfeld can often be found driving his Porsches through the streets of Long Island, up and down the hills of Santa Monica and around the track at Daytona. Although the Seinfeld collection of Porsches spans the timeline of the air-cooled 356 and 911 models, early in 2002 Jerry perceived a gap in the collection that he wanted to fill. He already had several 356s including a 1958 pushrod Speedster, a 1959 Carrera GT Speedster and an original 2,000-mile 1965 SC Coupe. But none of these examples could speak for the very beginning of the 356 lineage. As a result he initiated a search for an example of an aluminum 356 built in Austria during the late 1940s. During the course of that year Seinfeld inspected several cars but was not satisfied with what he saw. Though many had been restored to a very high level, they didnt speak to him of the originality he desired in a car for his collection. Nor were all owners of these rare early Porsches eager to part with their historic cars. In early March of 2003 Sam Cabiglio, the primary facilitator behind the Seinfeld Porsche collection, was visiting Europe. During a casual conversation Cabiglio heard that an unusual example of a Gmnd car might be

available. After returning to the States he made several follow-up phone calls to assess the subject cars provenance as well as its current condition and availability. With Jerry Seinfelds support, Cabiglio traveled to Vienna on March 20. Sam inspected the car the following day at a factory owned by number 40s then-owner Franz Rathkolb. Cabiglio already knew much about this cars unique history but did not quite expect to see the level of unreconstructed originality displayed by the coupe before him. Its look of a battered veteran was owed to 356/2-040s distinctive history, not to willful neglect of a 54-year-old Porsche. Sam Cabiglio was impressed by the car after being given the opportunity to drive it. He took note of the documentation Rathkolb had and also the example of an engine that was also in Rathkolbs possession. He took numerous photographs, expressed keen interest to Rathkolb and stated that he would quickly relate to Seinfeld what he had seen. Thats what Sam did that night during a phone call from his hotel. The cars originality and extraordinary provenance got Jerry Seinfelds attention. Returning to the U.S., Cabiglio shared his photographs with Seinfeld, who was quickly convinced that this Porsche would make an excellent addition to his collection. Sam had been quoted a price by Rathkolb before his trip to Vienna so a starting point for negotiation was already on the table. Communication by phone and e-mails established a value that satisfied both seller and buyer. Later in 2003 a blue-tailed Lufthansa 747 cargo jet landed at Los Angeles carrying a Gmnd Porsche with chassis number 356/2-040. Sam Cabiglio was on (text continued on page 216)

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Shown here with the more modern wheels and tires that were later fitted to many of the Gmnd Porsches, this was one of the aluminum 356/2 cars first owned by Otto Math. After Maths death in 1995 it would eventually make its way into Jerry Seinfelds collection.

This sighting documented in the Porsche Salzburg report is consistent with 356/2-040s first official registration for the road, which was submitted by Porsche Konstruktionen GmbH on December 9, 1951. It listed the chassis and body as dating from 1950 and the engine as being made in 1951. Running on factory plates, after its completion in the latter months of 1950 the car had been used as a test vehicle for various

Austrian components that were being considered by the remaining Gmnd engineers for the 356/2 chassis. The tests covered a variety of assemblies over differing mileages. Brake cables from the Stckel company were assessed for 2,092 miles and clutch linings from Klinger for 620 miles. The same companys brake linings, tested in number 40 for 2,351 miles, were judged (text continued on page 220)

With trophy and victors wreath atop his Porsche tow car none other than 356/02-040 a pleased Otto Math posed in front of Zell am Sees Grand Hotel. Races on the frozen lake were a big local attraction.

(Previous two spreads) Automotive photographer Michael Furman captured the texture and personality of Jerry Seinfelds Porsche 356/2-040 in these portraits taken just as the preservation work was being completed. The roof rack was a custom accessory delivered with the car to Otto Math.

hand to meet the plane although no special EPA, DOT or other import requirements were applicable due to the cars age. A quick inspection determined what was needed to make the car driveable and reliable on the road, followed by some initial work on the Porsche. Seinfeld was interested in getting behind its wheel as soon as possible, so the car was shipped to his Manhattan garage for Jerry to enjoy.

356/2-040 Provenance
Although indisputably a Gmnd production coupe, chassis 356/2-040 is one of several enigmatic chassis numbers whose delivery details are unrecorded in the list of chassis manufactured at the Karnerau works. The underlying reason for this is that the list was compiled not later than 1951, while chassis number 40 wasnt released by Porsche until December of 1953. Only then did it cease being a Gmnd test car and pass into private hands. Thanks to contributions by contemporaries and research by Franz Rathkolb, Marco Marinello, Paul Rus-

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sell, Jerry Seinfeld and others, the provenance of the Seinfeld 356/2 has been established. Some details of this process are worth our attention. One source was Ernst Pich, Ferdinand Porsches eldest grandson, who was active for many years at Porsche Salzburg. Chassis 356/2-040, he advised, was the last handmade Porsche in aluminum out of the Gmnd production. The motor is from a later date and out of the production from Stuttgart . This meant not that number 40 was the last to be made, but rather that it was the last to leave the Porsche/ Pich nest for a private home. A Porsche Salzburg progress report of June 16, 1950, showed the chassis as one of four in its workshops for which all necessary components were available for assembly save one engine. Four other cars were in process of completion while nine coupes were still at Gmnd, lacking the Volkswagen parts needed to finish them. For the most part these were the cars being prepared to meet the Swedish order from Scania-Vabis. Gmnd also had two coupe frames and one completed chassis ready for testing. One more coupe was being completed by Tatra in Vienna.

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The bizarre appendages attached to the 356/2-040s roof-top rack were the fenders of Otto Maths Fetzenflieger (see sidebar), removed for events in which they werent needed.

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Another view of the paddock for the ice races at Zell am See saw Maths trailer in the foreground, carrying the fenders that his single-seater needed when competing as a sports car. 356/2-040 is filling its role as a tow-car here.

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(Above) With Porsche Salzburgs VW Kombi in the foreground, Porsche 346/2040 was parked next to Otto Maths racing single-seater at Zell am See. Math was not greatly worried about its appearance.

The competition in the Zell am See Professor Ferdinand Porsche Memorial Races included standard Germanbuilt Type 356 Porsches. The Math single-seaters front wheels were of Berlin-Rome VW 60K10 origin.

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Loaded up for departure from Zells Grand Hotel, 356/2-40s roof rack carried the racing cars studded tires. With their help the little Porsche-powered racer was virtually unbeatable.

marrying it with a bore size in excess of the 80 mm that Ferry Porsche regarded as the limit with the basic VW engine. In fact the bore and stroke given amount to only 1,453 cc. In Type 356 production no bore larger than the 1600s 82.5 mm would be used.

The Nuts and Bolts of Preserving 356/2-040

This Porsche was over fifty years old when Jerry Seinfeld took possession. In the hands of Otto Math (see sidebar) it had seen rough usage. Consequently it was no surprise that many areas needed maintenance and repair. But Seinfeld was not looking for 356/2-040 to be restored; he wanted it preserved. At the recommendation of fastidious collector Ralph Lauren he contacted Paul Russell and Company of Essex, Massachusetts. The Paul Russell firm had done award-winning restoration work on several of Laurens cars. One of Paul Russells well-deserved awards was for a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder which won the Preservation Award at the 1991 Porsche Parade. Thus it seemed that this shop would be qualified to handle the work needed to make 356/2-040 usable and enjoyable while maintaining its patina. In July of 2003 Jerry Seinfeld contacted Alex

Finigan at Paul Russell and Company. Together they established a list of the preservation issues that had to be addressed. Jerry emphasized that he wanted no irreversible changes to be made. Thinking of himself as the current custodian of 356/2-040, Seinfeld didnt want anything done that would be frowned upon in the future when viewed from a historical perspective. Before delving into the entrails of number 040 the Paul Russell team visited, discussed and photographed several Gmnd coupes in American collections. Miles Collier and Scott George at the Collier Collection assisted, as did Jim Barrington, Gary Kempton and Dave Seeland. Fortunately neither body nor chassis were found to need much attention. In its long life with both Porsche and Math the coupe had apparently never suffered significant accident damage. Also there was minimal rust on the steel doors and chassis and little electrolytic corrosion where the aluminum body was riveted to the chassis. Although the body is now painted silver, the car may well have been repainted during its life. The interior, including the insides of the doors, shows traces of both gray and blue paint. Russells work on the ex-Math coupe was revelatory of the way in which the Gmnd coupes were (text continued on page 224)

the best linings weve ever had for our sports car. British shock absorbers were tested as well, as were transmission components.1 The reports on these tests indicate that they constituted a wrapping-up of the trials undertaken at Gmnd, since it was obvious by mid-1950 that no more cars would be made there. With the Karnerau staff winding down, the tests were reported on as a matter of record, not for actioning. On several reports the author pointed out that in any case the materials in question
1 The report on the tests on units from Universal Dampers, Ltd. of London included the following sentence: Since the chassis had to be scrapped because of material shortages, the experimental department took possession of the shock absorbers. Neither the reference to the scrapping of the chassis nor the reason given for its scrapping is readily explicable. If in fact the cars original frame was subsequently scrapped, it was clearly replaced with another, still bearing the same chassis number, the cars identity thus remaining the same.

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wouldnt be available for the cars that were being made in Germany. The use of 356/2-040 for testing was confirmed by Herbert Kaes, who joined the Pichs at Porsche Salzburg and oversaw technical activities there. This automobile was not sold immediately, Kaes wrote in 1998, but was granted to the Porsche Salzburg companythe Pich familyand for a certain time was retained internally for test purposes (testing of the new brake system for the 1952 model and testing of the new 1,500 cc engine Type 527) and racing purposes before it was then sold to Mr. Otto Math in Innsbruck. This explains why the cars December 1951 registration in Salzburg lists it as having an engine of 1,485 cc with dimensions of 85 x 64 mm. The VW-based four installed at the time was a highly experimental unit built as part of the Type 502 project, launched in July of 1950, to create a 1.5-liter engine for the Zuffenhausen Porsches. It kept the standard Volkswagen stroke,

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Complete and original though it was when it arrived in the United States, Porsche 356/2-040 would need a lot of tender loving care to make it operational. Fortunately such talents were available.

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alex finigan
their way to the middle. It was wonderfulexposed welds, different lamp heights, odd window openings. The cars oddities made us curious enough to go back and look at old photos in the books. Of course it was odd: it was built in a sawmill with almost no tools or equipment after a devastating world war by a small company with very limited resources. They were lucky to build anything, much less a car that would turn out to be an icon of the sports-car world. Going back to the car after doing some research gave us a new respect for what we had in front of us. The challenge was to preserve the Porsche for generations, without making it better than it was. It is usually much easier to restore a car than it is to preserve one accurately. Replacing old parts and upholstery using modern materials and technology is faster, and usually cheaper, than repairing or rebuilding the original using the old-school techniques. But Jerry was the ideal owner/customer in that respect. In fact I knew from his story about polishing the windshield with peanut butter that he would have the interest and the patience for a meticulous preservation. Jerry came to the shop numerous times to discuss the progress and direction of the project. He was as excited as a little kid when the smallest original details were pointed out to him. That excitement spread to the crew too. Once the car started to come apart, you could almost sense how the original builders were thinking and why they did things certain ways. This car was a test mule before being sold to Math and the documented changes would make your head spin. The challenge here was to do the car over as crudely as it had been done originally. And by that I mean the quality of the welds, the wiring, the upholstery, etc. The panel fits were horrible. Looking back in the books, thats the way they were originally. So we just didnt touch them. The interior was a real challenge, trying to preserve 50-year-old material. New stuff just wouldnt look right. Some of the vinyl looked like it was out of a 1950s diner, material you couldnt find if you tried. The object was for the end product to look like it hadnt been touched. Most restored Gmnds are restored to a state that is far superior to the way they looked when they first came off the production line. Jerry definitely did not want that. As my appreciation of the earlier cars grew, I began to think of the mindset of the builders. Americans at the time were back to mass-producing autos stamped out on a production line to fairly high standards while these guys were banging out bodies over a wooden buck in an outbuilding. Amazing. In the old photos you can see the determination in their faces. The 356 cars themselves caught the automotive community by storm. These little air-cooled wonders bested cars of much larger displacement. The Porsche legend began to grow. When we finished our restoration of Porsche Gmnd coupe 356/2-040 it debuted at the second Rennsport Reunion in Daytona Beach, Florida. Even parked among some pretty rare and spectacular Porsches, 040 stopped the most diehard Porsche enthusiasts dead in their tracks. As soon as they walked past 040 people knew this was it: one of the earliest cars that started it all. It was crudely built, slow, bordering on uglyand everyone loved it! I spent the day with Jerry, talking to other enthusiasts who stopped to admire the car and look at the photo album documenting the cars history. I never got bored. Im proud to have been part of this cars history. And particularly pleased to have played a role in preserving it in its original condition so that generations to come can look at it and see first-hand how the Porsche legacy began. The head of Classic Car Sales at Paul Russell and Company, Alex Finigan is the consummate car guy. A boyhood spent treasuring the latest car magazine led him to open his own Porsche restoration business in upstate New York. By the late 1970s he found himself spinning wrenches in Marblehead, Massachusetts, restoring 1950s Mercedes-Benz alongside Paul Russell. An essential founding member and equity partner of Gullwing Service Company, Inc., Alex spent his first decade there displaying his mechanical talents on 300SL roadsters and coupes. Eventually the business expanded its undertaking to offer full restoration services on other European classics and changed its name to Paul Russell and Company, where Alex has offered expert guidance to classic car collectors for over three decades. Alex was project manager for the preservation work that Jerry Seinfelds Gmnd coupe underwent at Paul Russell and Company, and he was thrilled to discover a very active and enthusiastic collaborator in 040s owner. A member in good standing of all the local car clubs, Alex spends most of his free time tinkering with his Deuce Coupe or Porsche Speedsters in his custom-built garage.

my Experience with 356/2-040

Ive owned over 50 Porsche 356s since buying my first in 1969 and I have five in my garage now. Ive got a soft spot in my heart (head?) for these early Porsches that I cant really describe. It evolved from my love of old VWs and Ive never been without a 356 since my first. Through my job at Paul Russell and Company Ive been very fortunate to have been involved with most of the European classic sports cars of the 1950s and 1960s and I still hold the 356 above the rest. As Ive said many times, its a disease with no cure. Like all 356 fanatics Id been aware of Gmnd number 040 through many articles and sightings over the years. But I was never really focused on the very early cars. They just never really caught my attention. That was until 2003, when Jerry Seinfeld contacted us about doing a sympathetic preservation of his newest acquisition. When the car arrived at Paul Russell and Company it simply blew us away. We spent days going over it, putting it up on the lift and inspecting it before we ever touched it. We photographed it and made many de-

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tailed notes about how it was built. To say its condition was good would be a gross understatement. Here was a car that was driven hard for over 50 yearsas a test mule and then as Otto Maths work car and tow car yet it showed almost no rust or accident damage. Having said that, it had not been very well maintained in the last dozen or so years before it was purchased by Jerry Seinfeld. After Otto Maths racing career was over the car sat in his garage in dead storage, only occasionally being brought out for special events until his death in 1996. Then it was sold to the collector who eventually sold it to Jerry. He told us that the Plexiglas windows were so cloudy you could barely see through them. Rather than replace them, his detailer spent untold hours polishing them with peanut butter to make them clear again. One of the things that surprised us when we first went over the car was how crudely it was made. There wasnt a symmetrical line on the whole body. It literally looked like four guys started on each corner and worked

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The visible seam welds on 040 are an indication of the hand-built and relatively unrefined condition of these first aluminum Porsches. A roof seam is shown here (top). The photo of the front fender shows another weld seem along with the evidence of hand-hammered body shaping.

While replacing the lenses for the beehive turn indicators, 040s center-mounted tail lamp assembly was dismantled and found to be in fine working order.

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originally fabricated. The aluminum sheets used for the body are approximately 0.062 inch or 1.5 mm thick. For the bumpers, doors and dash Porsche decided on steel of approximately 22 gauge. The body surfaces were hand-hammered to shape and fitted over a wooden buck by highly skilled metal craftsmen. That this was the final metal-shaping step on 356/2-040 is shown by bumps and weld seams that are obvious. The handformed aluminum panel sections closely correlate with the patterns of the stamped-steel pieces later used by Reutter in Stuttgart. Additional metal-finishing steps must have been performed because paint alone couldnt hide the rough surface of the body immediately following its formation on the buck. Hand planishing was the most likely method, although it is slow, tedious work that requires great skill. Planishing wouldnt eliminate the weld-seam irregularities so filing was probably done in these areas. An alternative to hand planishing would be the use of filler, but todays fiber fillers were not yet available. Lead can be used as filler on a steel body, as was later done at Reutter, but this material cannot be used with aluminum. When 356/2-040 was in his possession, Franz Rathkolb discussed this topic with Herbert Kaes. Kaes told him that they had a great deal of difficulty in completely hand-finishing the Gmnd cars, thus leading to experiments with fillers. Addressing the other external preservation needs of 356/2-040, the only issue was sourcing correct lenses for the beehive turn indicators. Used on multiple Porsches of the period, a pair was located in Europe. Jack Styles led the sourcing of parts and materials for the preservation project. The unusual center-mounted, amber-red tail-lamp assembly was in acceptable condition. Similar to those used on some prewar European cars, this type of lamp must have been available as an off-the-shelf item in its day. Paul Russell and Company focused considerable attention on the cars drive train to ensure reliability.

The cars engine was removed and freshened up. The aluminum case was split and the camshaft and crankshaft were replaced. The bore and stroke were measured and found to be acceptable so the engines existing cylinders, pistons, and piston rings were reinstalled. For the cylinder heads new valve seats and springs were installed and a minimum fly-cut done to ensure a good seal between the heads and the cylinders. The rest of the engine was completely disassembled and subjected to thorough cleaning and inspection. The fuel pump, Solex 26 VFJ carburetors and the Bosch distributor were rebuilt in the name of reliability. To restore a sense of the original appearance the engine sheet metal was shot-blasted and repainted. Old pieces were cleaned by hand to revive the finish and then a color match achieved. Most of the original colors are semi-gloss black except for silver valve covers and a light gray for the muffler and exhaust. No heater boxes were fitted to the coupe although hot-air channels into the passenger compartment were provided. The transaxle was removed and shipped to Gary Kempton of GK Restorations in Crawfordville, Florida for restoration. Kempton noted that what he received was a post-1954 VW case with synchromesh on all four
The engine was disassembled and cleaned while at Paul Russell and Company. The engines serial number can be seen stamped on the engine block (at left) and is a match to the factory technical specifications for chassis number 356/2-040 (see documents in Appendix 1).

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gears. Obviously not in the car when it left Porsche Salzburg, this modification in favor of drivability must have been made by Otto Math.2 The Porsches VW worm-and-nut steering box could safely be used with a cleanup and change of fluid. In 1949 VW was still using cable-operated brakes, which were carried over to the 356s built in Austria. Documentation confirms that 356/2-040 was originally equipped with mechanical brakes and was used for testing different cables and linings. Subsequently 356/2-040 was fitted with hydraulic brakes, using 230 mm brake drums with pressed-on fins. Like the later 356s, its front brakes use dual wheel cylinders activating two leading shoes for optimum retardation. Number 40s brakes are unique, however, in having been modified from the standard car. At both front and rear its backing plates have two patterns of drilled holes to allow entry and exit of cooling air. A crude scoop covers the forward series of holes to sweep air into the brake when the car is moving. A screen covers the holes to keep road debris out of the drum.
2 The author has some sympathy for this change. When the crash box of his 1951 Porsche 1300 expired, he had a more modern VW transaxle fitted. Math may well have made the change for the same reason.

The rear suspension also manifests changes from standard. Although its basic torsion-bar system and lever-action dampers are identical to other Porsches built prior to the spring of 1951, 356/2-040 also uses telescopic rear dampers that are not prototypes of any Porsche design. The bottom of each damper bolts to a crude plate that attaches at the location where the axle meets the radius arm from the torsion bar, using workmanship not representative of the Porsche standard. These atypical rear shocks may be an alteration made by Math to facilitate his use of number 40 as a workhorse. There are photos of it hauling race tires and towing Maths Fetzenflieger to winter races (as shown in this chapter). In addition to dismantling, inspecting and rebuilding mechanical components on Jerry Seinfelds coupe, the Paul Russell team led by Alex Finigan gave special attention to the electrical system to ensure reliability. The wiring had spans that appeared unsafe and needed to be renewed. Corrosion was dealt with at most of the electrical connections to avoid a failure-prone sixvolt electrical system. Gene at YnZs assisted with the Porsches wiring loom. The cars minimal instrumentation has seen displacement in the process of the cars transformation from left-hand drive to right-hand for Otto Math, and

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These photos show the unique backing plates on the front and rear brake drums installed on 040. These backing plates are shown before preservation on the left, and after preservation on right. The drilled holes accommodate cooling air, assisted by the scoop to sweep air in when the car is moving. The screens (top right) keep road debris out of the drum.

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Fuse blocks are seen prior to preservation work.

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included adding carpeting, headliner, seats with cloth centers and padded door panels. Wear and tear was evident everywhere on this 50-year-old material when the car arrived in the U.S. The team at Paul Russells shop turned to professional carpet restorer Marion Petescu at Carpathian Oriental Rugs to address the fraying and holes. She worked miracles by hand-stitching new fiber wherever there was a problem. It takes minute examination of the final result to see where any restoration work was done on the carpeting. The leather seats suffered from the drying out of their stitching and stuffing but could be salvaged. Paul Russells in-house upholstery expert, Derrick Dunbar, preserved the period look of the bench seats with careful resewing and restuffing. Except for the lower portions around their pockets, the door panels were also in satisfactory condition. Larger gaps were closed by stealing material from nonvisible areas and restitching it at existing seams. When everything was reinstalled the car retained its original patina while the gross damage had been corrected. The hope is that the preservation work will slow down or eliminate further degradation of this historic artifact.
Worn areas in the cars carpet were painstakingly rewoven by hand during the preservation process.

With the wheel converted back to its original lefthand-drive position, the hole to the right of the large speedometer was used for the ignition switch while the car was in right-handdrive configuration for Otto Math.

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then back to left-hand drive again at some point. At the time Jerry Seinfeld took ownership of the car a large 6,000 rpm tachometer was directly in front of the driver and a 200 km/h speedometer of the same size mounted in the glove-box face in front of the passenger. Both gauges were made by Veglia with green numerals on a black background. Redline on the tachometer was set at 4,500 rpm. The gauges were sent to North Hollywood Speedometer & Clock for expert refurbishing while the car was with Paul Russell. Two holes in the glove box on either side of the speedometer provide positions for the ignition switch that suit a steering wheel on either the left or the right. Centrally located are four prominent warning lamps. The large, white plastic surround of each lamp makes it look like something from a childs toy but these lamps are common to other 356/2 Porsches. On the left is a

green oil-pressure warning, on the top is a blue lamp for high beams, on the right is a red light indicating the generator output and at bottom is a yellow lamp reserved for fog lamps if they are installed at some point in the future. Below these four lamps are three switches. The left one is for the interior, the center one is for the instruments and the right switch turns on the wipers. The headlamp switch is the only one that fails to support right/left drive symmetry. It is located between the centerline and the leftmost gauge. According to previous owner Franz Rathkolb, Herbert Kaes recalled that the interior of 356/2-040 was absent most upholstery when it was being used as a Porsche Gmnd test vehicle. Confirmation comes from an invoice that shows basic decor being added at Maths request during December of 1953. The work

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West Coast Tune-Up

Porsche 356/2-040 made its post-preservation debut at Rennsport Reunion II at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, April 23, 2004. Thereafter it returned to California, where it soon became evident that more mechanical work was needed to adapt 040 to the kind of active driving Jerry Seinfeld had in mind. For this work he turned to Adrian Gang of Edelweiss Porschaus in Torrance, California. When Adrian got behind 040s wheel he immediately noticed its awkward driving position. As Gang put it, it was like driving a golf cart designed for a jockey. His knees were up against the steering wheel, which was crushed into his chest. As well he found the clutch action very stiff, disproportionately so for such a small engine. Gangs mission was to make the Porsche comfortable and safe to drive while respecting Seinfelds desire to preserve his cars originality. After closely examining the Porsches mechanicals, Gang could see that 040 had been subjected to many modifications over the years, some of which had been made quite crudely. The most egregious of these was the reconversion from right-hand drive back to lefthand drive. The pedal cluster was of an unknown makenot a Porsche or Volkswagen clusterand had been modified in a way that. forced the drivers feet into an awkward position. As well, the tubes housing the clutch
(Above) The pedal cluster that was in the car when Jerry Seinfeld took ownership was not a Porsche or a Volkswagen cluster, but most likely an artifact of Otto Maths modifications.

and throttle cables were bent and twisted during the conversion to the point where the cables were getting snagged by crimps in the tubes. This accounted for the extraordinarily stiff and sticky clutch action. Much of Adrians work centered on correcting the damage done during the successive drive-position conversions. Throughout the work done at Edelweiss Porschaus, changes were only made to components that had already been altered from the original. In some cases the change restored parts to a condition more akin to work that was originally done at Gmnd. Seinfeld authorized some modernizing and improvements to the pedal clusters position and the cable tubing for the sake of safe driving. He did request, however, that the mystery pedal cluster be retained since it probably originated with Math.

Jerry Seinfeld tolerated some discomfort behind the wheel of 356/2-040 for the sake of keeping the cars original components intact. However, after the work done by Adrian Gang he reports that the Gmnd is great fun to drive. He could even keep pace with a Porsche Speedster through the twists and turns of Topanga Canyon! After months of preservation work and mechanical and electrical systems tweaking, Porsche Gmnd coupe 356/2-040 fulfilled Jerry Seinfelds goals as its current caretaker. Not only is it the cornerstone of his Porsche collectionrepresenting the foundation upon which all other Porsche cars were builtbut also it is the oldest original-condition Porsche that is routinely performing its essential function: joining its lucky owner in driving in its purest form.

The mood was celebratory when Porsche 356/2-040 made its post-preservation debut in April 2004 at the Rennsport Reunion in Daytona, Florida. Shown here from left are Paul Russell, Alex Finigan, Jerry Seinfeld, and Sam Cabiglio.

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The Otto math Story

Although born in Zillertal, Austria, in 1907, Otto Math grew up in Innsbruck. At the age of 16 he graduated from cycle racing to the motorcycle competitions that were popular in Austria and at 19 was hill-climb champion of the Tyrol. Becoming a dirt-track racing specialist, he designed and built his own machines. An able mechanic, Math was a trained machinist who also enjoyed success as an entrepreneur. He invented and patented a ski binding, began selling branded oils and additives and after the war opened the Tyrol regions first workshop for cylinder and crankshaft grinding. When he was 27 Math suffered a racing crash in Graz that cost him the use of his right arm. Neither his handicap nor his multiple business interests kept Otto Math from enjoying racing. On July 11, 1948, Math drove his 1934 Fiat Balilla 508S in the Innsbruck race meeting during which the Porsche 356 roadster was
Otto Math and his wife posed for the camera at Zell am See during one of the ice-racing weekends there. He was an authentic luminary of these events.

Appreciating the missing Link

Ive been in the Porsche repair business more than 40 years At Edelweiss Porschaus and Ive worked on many Porsches, including a lot of 356s. But 356/2-040 is the earliest Porsche Ive ever worked on. It was like being an archaeologist and discovering the earliest homo sapiens specimen. This model was the progenitor of all the Porsche 356sand 911s for that matter. For me working on 040 and seeing such an early Porsche up close inspired a lot of wonderment. You can see how much Volkswagen is in this car. Its the missing link in the evolutionary timeline between Volkswagen and Porsche. I had worked on a couple of 1952 356s, the last year they used a throttle cable. But the 356/2 is what they started withvery Volkswagen-ish. Its not the very first Gmnd car off the line but it is still not very far from being a prototype. Take the unfinished bodywork, for exampleall the hammer marks and the total lack of showroom finish. One of the Porsche dealers down the road brought a couple of his youngest technicians to see 040. He wanted them to see where it all started. Right away they started criticizing the roughness, saying, Who would let a car out of the factory like that? Theyve probably never even seen a Porsche earlier than 1995. They didnt get it. But the older guys, the people whove owned 356s or early 911s, just love the raw quality of 040. Theyre drawn to this car. My friend Joe Cavaglieri, who restores Spyders, loves this car because its so unrefined. For a lot of guys who have been around Porsches a long time like me, this car is the source; the beginning of it all. It fills in a lot of missing information about how it all started. You can seeparticularly on 040 since it was used for testingthe types of decisions they were making, stuff they were trying out while they figured out whether they could make the 356 as a production car. When you look at the end of the 356 linethe 1965 C model seriesand compare it to 040 its just amazing. In certain senses the car is so different, but it is still the same 356 after almost 20 years. Then when you work on early 911s you can see how they transitioned from the 356 to the 911the same concept with a little more modern thinkingwhich continued that whole lineage until the end of the air-cooled line in 1998.

Youd see some of the new bells and whistles being added to the 911 from the mechanical standpoint, which just made the cars more difficult to work with. Maybe more comfortable for the driver or more competitive with the BMWs and Mercedes, but much less pure. So for me to go back to this 1949 356 is to go back to the pure Porsche. Its the great-grandfather of them all. Adrian Gang began working on Porsches as a hobby back in 1967 with the purchase of a 67 911S. In the course of modifying this car he got to know one of the mechanics at a local dealership so well that they later opened their own Porsche repair shop together. Shortly after Adrian opened Edelweiss Porschaus for business in 1968 he entered the world of Porsche racing. From 19701988 he not only fixed Porsches, but raced them in both the SCCA and IMSA. Today, after 43 years of working on Porsche cars, Adrian still truly enjoys what he does. His primary focus is on engine rebuilding and mechanical restoration work, with a specialization in 356s, early 911s and 4 Cam Spyders and Carreras. Fixing these older Porsches requires a great deal of patience and perseverance, but it is very rewarding work. Gang finds his greatest satisfaction in successfully troubleshooting each cars mechanical problems and then sending the owner away with a fun and responsive Porsche that drives to its full potential again.

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Celebrating after the Zell am See races were Otto Math, right, Louise Pich and, just visible, Ferry Porsche. In the foreground was Louises eldest son Ernst.

60K10 can be seen at various classic gatherings around the world. Clearly pleased with the performance of his BerlinRome coupe, Math was an early customer for the new Porsche-badged sports cars being built in Austria. On February 9, 1951, Math purchased aluminum Coupe 356/2-052, whose final assembly was completed at Porsche Salzburg. Originally equipped with a 1.1-liter engine of the latest type, the Porsche was intended by Math to be primarily used for racing. Though the track records of 356/2-052 have not been completely reconstructed, one result is that of September 1953 at the Gran Premio Supercortemaggiore in Merano, in which Math placed second in class.

Other records show that during 1953 the coupe was used in as many as 19 races in both 1.1- and 1.5-liter classes. Many of these and later races were on street courses, dirt tracks and frozen lakes. Porsche 356/2-052 continued to be raced by Math throughout Austria, Switzerland and Italy until 1956. His many campaigns in coupe 52 made Math the first serious racer of Porsche sports cars and forged for him a friendship with the Porsche and Pich families. Maths number 52 coupe still exists, appearing at various Porsche-related functions, displaying Maths good-luck horseshoe across its nose. Otto Math first crossed paths with 356/2-040 late in 1952. He was a frequent customer at Porsche

An enthusiastic and talented competitor in spite of his handicap, Math fielded his Type 60K10 Volkswagen in several events, winning his class in 1950s Austrian Alpine Trial.

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demonstrated. Also shown off during the demonstration was the surviving 60K10 Berlin-Rome KdF-Wagen. Almost exactly one year later on July 8, 1949, Franz Binderan Englishman who was an employee of Porsche Salzburgoffered the Berlin-Rome coupe to Math. For the keen driver this was a great opportunity which he seized, acquiring the by-now-unique racing Volkswagen. Math initially received a provisional registration for the car. To suit his driving style, which saw him bracing the steering wheel with his chest while he shifted with his left hand, the 60K10 had to be converted from left-hand to right-hand drive, work that was apparently completed by August 10, 1950.

According to VW Beetle expert Chris Barber, Otto Math ran his Berlin-Rome coupe in some ten events with decent results. Most notable of his successes was an Alpine Cup and victory in the 1,100 cc class in the 1950 Austrian International Alpine Trial. The win fell to Math after his great rival Wolfgang Denzel retired with engine trouble. The achievement merited a special telegram from Ferry Porsche congratulating Math and wishing him many more successes. The car was taken off the road in 1958 and given a full restoration in 1980. In 1982 Math brought the unique Volkswagen survivor to California for the Porsche Club of America Parade and turned demonstration laps at Riverside. Still in private hands, the

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Bearing number 5, which manifested his primacy among Austrian competitors, Otto Maths racing license showed his birthday of July 31, 1907, and his residence in Innsbruck.

Porsches people at Gmnd were pleased to welcome Math and a colleague during their visit to the Austrian works with one of the three VW 60K10s that they had built in 1939.

Issued on July 13, 1949, this registration document identifies the Porsche simply by its plate number T2222 and specifies its displacement as 1,085 cc. Math is described as a salesman.

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Salzburg where they carried out regular maintenance on his cars as well as modifications such as the conversion to right-hand drive. Since 040 had been used as a test mule by Porsches Austrian engineers, we can only speculate that Math may have seen it tucked away in the Salzburg shop or one of the Salzburg employees may have told him about a neglected aluminum 356 sitting in storage. Having developed some brand loyalty by this point, Math was happy for an opportunity to add another Porsche 356 to his fleet. Math agreed to purchase the car, but only after it had been restored. Restoration meant making the car roadworthy and reliable, converting it to right-hand drive, installing upholstery, fabricating a special roof rack and probably installing a trailer hitch. It was around mid-summer before Math took delivery of 040, which he soon started using to carry parts, tires and later skis. The main assignment of 356/2-040 was to tow Maths single-seat Fetzenflieger ice racer to various events up to 1960. Its name loosely meaning plum crazy, the Fetzenflieger was an open-wheel racer fabricated by Math from his personal stock of Volkswagen and Porsche parts, including pieces from the wrecked Berlin-Rome coupe he had also acquired. From these he built the remarkable single-seater that he completed in 1952 and first exploited in Austrian racing in 1953.

The Fetzenflieger consisted of the bare essentials: a simple ladder frame connected to the familiar VW front torsion-bar tubes. Math sat right in the nose, close to a big steering wheel and ahead of a central fuel tank. Behind that, just ahead of the rear wheels, was its 1-liter Porsche engine. Although Math reversed the engine/transmission system in his racer he did not swing the whole rearsuspension assembly aroundas Glckler had done in his cars and as the Porsche people did in the 356 roadster and in their first 550s of early 1953. Instead he kept the rear torsion-bar housing forward of the engine and lengthened the trailing arms at each side. Everything was rigidly bolted in place so that the engine and transmission added strength to the frame. A specialist in sideways motoring, Math went to a dirt-track race at Krieau, near Vienna, on October 18, 1953. To the credit of his new car he came away with first place in the racing-car class. Running with spiked tires, the Math special became the terror of the winter races held on Austrias many frozen lakes. It could also be equipped with fenders and lamps to compete where these were required by the rules. To stave off the competition Math later took out his Super engine and installed a four-cam Carrera four under a more sophisticated-looking rear deck. He also updated his Fetzenflieger with later Porsche wheels

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Math cannibalized components from a wrecked VW 60K10 to build his Fetzenflieger, seen here after his October 1953 victory in a dirt-track event at Krieau, Austria.

Making a virtue of simplicity, Otto Maths single-seater was excellent advertising for his special lubricants. Spiked tires were the key to success in ice racing.

Among Otto Maths many outings with his Gmndbuilt Porsche coupes was this hill climb on a loose surface. This is likely to have been 356/2-052.

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and brakes. Even with the heavier four-cam engine its weight was a scant 870 pounds. One of the best-known winter competitions was held on the lake at Zell am See, known as the Professor Ferdinand Porsche Memorial Races. Math and his tough little Porsche hybrid gained a hammerlock on these events in the late 1950s against competition that was anything but token. Early in 1959, for example, he had to beat Spyders driven by Richard von Frankenberg and Huschke von Hanstein to hang on to his unofficial Ice King title.

No evidence suggests that Math ever raced 356/2-040. He said he raced two Type 356 Porsches but this is open to several interpretations. In addition to 356/2-052 Math may have been referring to his BerlinRome coupe or his Fetzenflieger because both were powered at one time or another by engines from the Type 356. Or he could have been referring to 356/2022 which he briefly owned in the mid-1950s. Ultimately Otto Math was credited with some 100 national class victories. He was often Austrian national champion. After his death in 1997, his Porsche

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356/2-040 was sold to Franz Rathkolb of Vienna in that year and resold to Jerry Seinfeld in 2003. Ottos surname lives on in the brand name of his additives, which had the reputation of extending oil-change intervals for thrifty Austrians. In 1959 a ten-year-old Viennese lad was just old enough to be inspired by the exploits of Otto Math,

who became a hero to the youngster. Here was a man who achieved much with little. In his schooldays the boys first wheels were a 1949 Beetle cabriolet, setting him back $180, in which he could emulate Maths exploits. He continued to take an interest in cars, growing up to become triple Formula One world champion Niki Lauda.

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established 1950 Automotive Reference

BentleyPublishers
.com

Porsche Origin of the Species

by Karl Ludvigsen
Foreword by Jerry Seinfeld

Price: $119.95 Bentley Stock No: GPGC Publication Date: 2012.09-01 ISBN: 978-0-8376-1331-4 Hardcover Case quantity: 5 356 pages 436 photos and illustrations

Bentley Publishers is proud to announce the latest Porsche heritage book by renowned automotive historian Karl Ludvigsen. Within Jerry Seinfelds renowned Porsche collection resides an unassuming yet extraordinary piece of Porsche history: Porsche Gmnd coupe 356/2-040. Captured exclusively for this book in a series of evocative portraits by acclaimed automotive photographer Michael Furman, 040s unsullied originality conveys with startling immediacy the combination of artistry, innovation and determination that went into its improbable creation. This cornerstone of the Seinfeld collection serves as the inspiration for PorscheOrigin of the Species, an in-depth exploration by the eminent automotive historian Karl Ludvigsen into the specific influences and circumstances that brought forth the first Porsche-badged sports cars. How and when did the people of the Porsche firm find themselves in a sawmill in Gmnd? What was the influence on the 356 of the cars and engines built by Porsche before and during the war? How and why was the first 356 shaped as it was? What was the real relationship between the tube-framed Type 356 roadster and the first 356/2 coupes? Questions like these deserve answers because the resulting DNA is so powerful, so robust, that it still influences the shape and style of Porsches well into the twenty-first century. Karl Ludvigsen, author of the award-winning Porsche: Excellence Was Expected and Ferdinand Porsche Genesis of Genius, tackles these questions and more in Porsche Origin of the Species. The saga that emerges encompasses mechanical revelations, human drama and the turmoil of world war. PorscheOrigin of the Species will appeal to all car enthusiasts who are eager to know what events really ignited the spark from which all other Porsches evolved.

Otto Math in front of Zell am Sees Grand Hotel with Porsche 356/2-040.

After its careful preservation, Porsche 356/2/040 is back on the road and providing its lucky owner with the joy of driving in its purest form.

Table of Contents
Foreword by Jerry Seinfeld 1 The Species Porsche 2 Automaking Ambitions 3 Turbulent War Years 4 Sawmill Survival 5 Italy to the Rescue 6 A Volkswagen Sports Car 7 Miracle of Production 8 Saga of a Gmnd Porsche 9 Why Porsche? 10 Origin of the Species Appendix 1: Factory Documentation for Porsche 356/2-040 Appendix 2: 1949 Porsche 356 Owners Manual (40 pages plus cover)

Bentley Publishers, 1734 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-1804 USA Tel: 617-547-4170 Toll Free: 800-423-4595 Fax: 617-876-9235 http://www.bentleypublishers.com/contact-us
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