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Dr. Brett Johnson

About Brett Johnson

Brett Johnson is a practicing Veterinarian who has always had an interest in Porsches.  His first column published in the Registry magazine was in February of 1976, in Volume 2, No. 3.  Since then, Brett has continued to contribute articles of interest about restoration and authenticity.  In fact, Dr. Johnson is considered the foremost expert in Porsche 356 authenticity.  

His book, The 356 Porsche, A Restorer’s Guide to Authenticity IV, is now in its fourth edition and can be found in the customer service library at the Porsche headquarters.  This book takes a part-by-part, year-by-year approach to what an owner or prospective buyer should look for when evaluating a 356 Porsche. For each year, from 1950 through 1965, Brett examines with amazing detail every change, documented or not, of each model, including major mechanical components. Also included are the most accurate and comprehensive chassis number and color/upholstery listings anywhere.  A review of this book in the Registry magazine can be found at Book Reviews - New Editions.


Brett received the Spark Plug Award in 1977, was inducted into the Registry Hall of Fame in 2003 and was profiled in the magazine in the September 2014 article, Authenticity Chief of Police, in which he described the history of his involvement with the Registry and his interest in authenticity.

Authenticity 4th Edition cover

Registry Columns

Brett is a prolific contributor to the Registry's magazine and his columns can be found within the preserved articles available for download.

Here's Brett’s first column. 

The most efficient way to find Brett’s columns is through the site's Document Search function. Before jumping in though, please understand that the system returns only a maximum of 30 articles. Brett’s search results may give a count more than 30, so you have to narrow the search down by searching only in specific magazine volumes, or if the results are more than 30, issue by issue.

For example, search for "Brett" and then, in the Document Folder, select a specific range of Magazine Articles, 
i.e. "V20-29".  Be sure to check the "Include Sub-folders" box.

For details on conducting a narrowed-down search, please refer to the Search Help document - PDF

Search Brett in Documents


Restoration - what a restoration requires (V02305)
Restoration - rust and what to do about it (V02508)
Restoration - problems encountered repairing rust (V02609)
Restoration - fixing body imperfections (V03106)
Restoration - leadwork and prep for paint (V03204)
Restoration - Jones prep tips; painting process (V03304)
Restoration - interior & exterior colors; upholstery (V03414)
Restoration - colors, floor pans, carpet and seat covers (V03504)
Restoration - dash knobs, alumi-lead, preventing hidden rust (V03604)
Restoration - deco inserts, cracked windshields, aluminum trim resto (V04105)
Restoration - troubleshooting electrical system (V04204)
Restoration - roadster windshield, sandblasting, undercoat, electrical (V04304)
Restoration - removing spot welds, more electrical system (V04404)
Restoration - paint removal, early wire colors, soundproofing, chrome (V04504)
Restoration - Marine Techron vs bondo, authenticity help requested (V05105)
Restoration - front exterior panels, how to make aluminum dash strips (V05305)
Restoration - bumpers, undercoating, body panels, table of engines and chassis #'s (V05407)
Restoration - sunroofs and convertible tops, lock posts (V05505)
Restoration - corrections on top frame and lockpost, rear body panels (V05606)
Restoration - Authenticity questionaire (V06105)
Restoration - Various differences in sheet metal including Carreras (V06206)
Restoration - Glasser production, various body panels (V06307)
Restoration - Paint colors for various components (V06408)
Restoration - Bumper trim strip and guards, license lights, riveted shroud (V06506)
Restoration - Pressure regulator, scripts, early paint, drains for hardtop (V06609)



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