Porsche 356 A 1600 Super Barn Find Diorama, White, weathered

Porsche introduced the 356 A in late 1955, with a curved windscreen among a long list of small changes, and built 21,045 of them by 1959. The common engine was a 1,582 cc air-cooled flat-four with twin Zenith carburettors, offered in standard and S tune, and this car wears the badge of the stronger version: PORSCHE above 1600 SUPER on the engine lid, under the single grille. About 76,000 356s were made in all, first at Gmünd in Austria and from 1950 at Zuffenhausen. Someone has written AIR COOLED inside a heart in the dust on the glass.

This diorama shows a 356 A coupé left to stand for years. The weathering is a painted finish: rust bleeds through the ivory paint across the bonnet, roof and wings, the glass is filmed with dust, and straw lies over the roof, the bumpers and the wheel arches. A plank leans against the driver's door, and through the window the red seats are hung with cobwebs. Mobil cartons sit on the roof and the bonnet, with a Veedol sign propped beside them. Around the car are Mobiloil and Plume Motor Spirit crates, a red jerrycan, a spare tyre with a Martini sign, Castrol and Champion signs and a round red no-entry sign for cars and motorcycles. The scene is laid on earth and straw on a stepped black plinth. The car is at 1:12, and the diorama was made by hand in Germany.