In 1954, Porsche introduced its delightful Speedster as a 1955 model.

Essentially willed into being by the powerful New York-based foreign car impresario, Max Hoffman, as “price leader” in the sports car-hungry American market, this bare-bones little roadster proved to be extremely competitive both in the showroom and on the track.

In effect a stripped-down Cabriolet with a removable windshield, the Speedster was devoid of almost every amenity for its base price of under $3,000 delivered in New York; even its heating system was an extra-cost option.

A pair of simple side-curtains and a folding fabric top kept bad weather at bay.

Basic single-piece buckets were installed in lieu of Porsche’s usual well-padded, adjustable seats.

Speedsters could be enjoyed as everyday transportation, then driven to local racing circuits—where owners would slap masking tape over the glass-covered headlamps, apply taped numbers to the doors and decklids, and line up on the starting grid.

Speedsters q...