Early Porsches were not supercars. Only well-built, harmonious and beautiful gran-turismo cars with sporting characteristics.
Model history
Ferninand Porsche designed the famous Volkswagen Type 1 – the people's car. Before the war, he also managed to plan a new, sporty model. Extremely aerodynamic for its time. A car that could be driven fast on the German autobahn stretches. After the war, work began. The Porsche 356 was produced from 1950 to 1965 in 4 series.
- Pre-A, 1950 – 1954
- 356A, 1955 – 1959
- 356B, 1960 – 1963
- 356C, 1963 – 1965
The last series, the 356C, was produced in parallel with the then brand new 911 model. You have to be a bit of an expert to find visual changes between the different series of the Porsche 356. The 356 Pre-A is easily recognizable because it has a windshield with a "break" in the middle. You can also quite easily find the differences between the 356A and later models. Note the following details:
- narrower chrome strip on the hood
- the upper side of the front fenders curves more
- the air vents by the front turn signals
- dual rear air intakes from model year 1962
Spotter's Guide to the 356 Models
Engines
The A series could be supplied with either 1300 or 1600 engines. The fittest was the 1600S with 75 HP. The standard 1600 delivered 60 HP. Not much to brag about, seen in today's eyes, - but the 1600S had about 3 times as many horses as a standard people's wagon. The engines were air-cooled, 4-cylinder boxers. From 1960, the B series came with the following three engine options: 1600 (60 HP), 1600 Super 75 and 1600 Super 90. The standard engines in the C series were the 1600C (75 HP) and 1600SC with a whopping 95 HP. This was the first time Porsche used the designation Carrera (C) and Super Carrera (SC) on the standard models. The Carrera name had previously only been used on engines used in the racing models.
Variants
Standard variants were Coupé, Speedster and Cabriolet. In addition, special variants were built for racing cars. The Speedster was built primarily for the American market. It went on sale from the end of 1955 and was replaced by a new, more conventional Cabriolet in 1958. Compared to the Speedster, the Cabriolet had a windshield that gave full roof height with the hood up. It also had side windows that could be swung up.
Speedster
A total of 4822 Speedsters were built. Most were built between 1955 and 1958, but there are genuine Speedsters produced both before and after this. However, many replicas of this model have been made since then. Many of these have original decals that make the cars look like the originals down to the smallest detail. The replicas are based on a truncated Volkswagen chassis with a fiberglass body, while the original cars have a metal body. Original cars can also be recognized by the following details:
- 5 wheel bolts – not 4.
- The handbrake is operated via a handle under the dashboard on the left (LHD) – not between the seats.
- The pedals go into the wall – not mounted in the floor.
About the pictures
Several photos were taken at the Norwegian Folk Museum, where one day in 2016 a lot of folk cars and some Porsches were on display. The red car in the main picture at the top is a 1959 model 356A 1600S originally with 75 HP. The silver-grey car is also pictured at Folkemuseet. It is a 1963 model 356B also the one with the 1600S engine of 75 HP. The light blue exhibition car is photographed at the London Classic Car Show 2020. The dark car in profile is a 356B Super 90 (90 HP) photographed at a car meet in Perpignan, France in 2022. The old car with the "crack" around the windscreen is a Pre-A Porsche in Los Angeles. Image published with permission of aa-w/Depositphotos.com. The red Porsche 356A with leather straps for the front hatch is photographed at a car meeting in Perpignan, 2023. The dark green car, the white one and the dark blue ones - all with French registration numbers - are photographed on the occasion of the Porsche meeting "Tra'montagne 2023" in St.Cyprien . The pictures of the black and the light yellow 356 Speedster were taken at a car meeting in Perpignan in 2023.
Janis Joplin's Porsche
In December 2015, Janis Joplin's 1965 Porsche 356C 1600 SC was sold for $1.760.000 after being on display for 20 years at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. The famous artist bought the car used in 1968 and had it painted in psychedelic colours. As well as being a classic car owned by a famous person, it is considered to be a work of art.
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