Porsche in America: The Type 540 Roadster | Full Documentary
Check out the story of the little-known Porsche that made a big impression in America – The “America Roadster!” Built specifically for the American market, a small run of these cars proved Porsche’s racing prowess and paved the way for their success and popularity in the U.S.! ___________________________________________________________________________________ In 1952, thanks to the cajoling of two Austrian-American car dealers Max Hoffman and John von Neumann, Porsche imported a small number of purpose-built street going, race cars to the United States. Officially designated the Type 540, only 17 were built and they came to be known as America Roadsters. The America Roadsters demonstrated the successful formula of the novel Porsche in the American racing scene, leading to the creation of the famous Speedster and Type 550 models, and making Porsche a household name in the United States. In 2023, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Porsche and to recognize the impact of the famed sports car brand in the U.S., the Hagerty Drivers Foundation (HDF) added this America Roadster to the National Historic Vehicle Register. This means that the car, the brand and the legacy of sports car racing in the U.S. will be recorded in perpetuity in the Library of Congress. Complementing the work to record the history of this important car owned by the Ingram family and restored by Road Scholars (@RoadScholars ), the Hagerty Drivers Foundation has produced this documentary, chronicling the history of Type 540, its impact on automotive culture, and bringing the story to life. Featuring an in-depth look at the car and the early days of Porsche, the documentary explores how Hoffman, Neumann and the U.S. market were instrumental in building Porsche’s legacy. The Hagerty Drivers Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, exists to ensure the future of car culture. Please check out our website https://driversfoundation.org to learn more about our many efforts and consider a donation to support future projects like this.
