901 #6, vin 13326, Earls Court Motor Show, London, 16.10-26.10.1963
first public appearance
- updated per 60th anniversary of this event on 16.10.2023 - pictures of the motor show added
As we read from Mr. Lewandowski #13325 or #13326 had been supposed to be in London at the Earls Court Show directly after the Salon de l’Automobile, Paris, 03.10-13.10.1963. As nobody had any factual proof, it was assumed, that #13325 made its way from Paris to London.
In the meantime I did get hands on two pictures, showing a "type 901" licensed plated car at that very show.
Due to copyright reasons I cannot show either of the two pictures. I hope to have this solved shortly.
But I can describe what I see:
It is a "half front" total b&w shot, showing the passenger site, trunk and both lights are visible.
One shot is with doors closed, the other shot shows the car with open doors and open engine lid.
On both pictures, the interior could be cleary seen and identified as pepita front and pepita back seats.
Furtheron the surroundings can be identified.
there can be seen at the left the booth #112 DKW Auto Union Audi, right to it the booth #117 Morgan.
between the both in the background there can be seen the booth #16 of the „Ministry of Transportation“ - MOT.
Straight in the back at the wall there is the #booth 138 Iso Rivolta, directly next to the Porsche booth it shows booth #111 Wolseley.
I had a picture of the floor plan below, which confirms that this picture is taken on that Earls Court Show in 1963.
Now the tricky part is:
I have of course thoroughly checked the hue values of the b&w greys between the two cars.
Another item to compare had been the dashboard: the #13325 dashboard had been a bit shorter at the gauges, also a bit higher, than the later "standard" five gauges instrument panel.
We do know from pictures from Frankfurt in September, that #13325 did have as seat fabric a "glencheck" pattern, not a pepita black and white.
We do know that #13326 did come latest at the Show in Geneva with a pepita front and rear seat pattern.
Unless the factory had changed the complete interior of #13325, which is of course also possible, there are very strong indicatives that the two pictures show #13326 in London.
So how did #6 did come to London? Did it come by plane, like one year later #300 027
((http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...-63-pics/page2) #11), or it was taken by truck via ferry boat across the channel to arrive in time in London.
The first Porsche sold, by Archibald Frazer Nash (AFN) from premises at Falcon Works, London Road in Isleworth Middlesex was in 1954. AFN moved to larger premises on the Great West Road in 1977, and operated from the site until 2003. AFN subsequently became part of the Porsche Retail Group and Porsche Centre West London was born.
The AFN issue is discussed widely and if you do search for Porsche in the UK you do have to look for AFN.
Thus the official Earls Court Motor show catalogue does not list "Porsche" as an exhibitor, but instead lists
A.F.N. Ltd, Falcon Works, London Road, Isleworth, Middlesex
as the exhibitor on booth # 92 on the ground floor.
The floor plan is below, also the content of the official Earls Court Catalog to the entry of AFN, but interesting, instead of the above indicated AFN, "Porsche" is printed on the ground floor plan.
In the Daily Mail Motor Show Review of the Earls Court Show on page 35 two Porsches are listed:
The one is a 356 C, the other is called Porsche 901
This is the standard picture we do know already from S-CU 902, the tank flap being "photoshopped", the license plate changed to "AFN 1"
Clearly pointing out the presence of Archibald Frazer Nash being the importer for Porsche in the UK.
Last but not least, as we now know in march 2023....
one picture of 13326 at the booth # 92, happily found by Robert Barrie aka "one-two"
via VSCC Library in the "Autocar" from 18.October 1963 reporting about the London Show
enjoy and best regards
haul
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Originally Posted by Scott A
