What to do if you want a Porsche but it’s the 1950s, and you live in East Germany? It’s simple: you build one.

This is the synopsis of the story of this car, built from scratch by Hans Miersch, a man whose dream was to own a Porsche 356 since the first moment he saw one in a brochure in the early ’50s. However, he couldn’t have one as trade with West Germany was prohibited, especially when it came to luxury cars. For the realization of this car, he started with the chassis of a Kubelwagen, longer by 30 centimeters (and wider) than necessary, but this was the easiest part of the job.

The body was built from scratch based on the designs of Falk and Knut Reimann, students at the University of Dresden, also Porsche enthusiasts. They had conceived a prototype of the car on paper, which was then built with the help of the coachbuilder Arno Lindner and a smuggling operation conducted by Miersch himself through a series of border crossings, carrying them in a 24-hour suitcase, with the alleged assistance of Ferdinand Porsche himself. It’s an almost unbelievable story for such a coveted car that has survived to this day to testify to what the determination of one man can achieve. Find it for sale at 289,000 (today $315,000) here in Vechta, Germany. Thanks to Kyle for this tip!