Of all the different models Porsche built during the 1950s, the Speedster had to be the most charismatic — and today, it's the most desirable.

It's a car with personality and pizzazz. But who in 1954 would have thought this $3,000 sports car with a 1,600 cc air-cooled motor that had no real heater and swing axles would someday sell for more than $100,000. And that's for a good driver! The really excellent ones sell in excess of $200,000.

If I had only known then what I know now ...

The Speedster was smooth, low and purposeful. In 1954, Porsche defined their drivers as individuals who wanted speed and handling and were willing to give up creature comforts to get it — think Paul Newman in the movie "Harper." The car had an unimaginably low canvas top, bobbed windshield, stripped-down interior and a big engine.

Even today — 60 years later — it is a beautiful, and even sexy, automobile.

The Speedster came into existence when Max Hoffman, the New York importer of Porsche for America, was facing stiff competition from the new, lower-priced sports cars from the British. He convinced Porsche to develop a convertible model that could be sold for less than $3,000.

The factory came up with a car that weighed 150 pounds less than the standard 356, and they put in the largest engine of the Porsche lineup. The seats were no more than vinyl-covered shells, the side windows were eliminated, and the low-raked windshield could be removed for racing.

The 356 A was an instant hit, especially in California.

Speedster production ran from 1954 to 1958, and as with all Porsches, it received continual improvements. It was finally replaced by the 356 Convertible D model in 1959. What started as an attempt to improve Porsche sales by offering a low price, finished as one the most desirable and collectible of all the Porsches.

It has been said that imitation is the highest compliment. Except for the Shelby Cobra, the Porsche Speedster is the most recreated "kit car" replica in the United States today.