Porsche History

Shortly before the end of the 2nd World War the company Porsche emigrated to Austria. In Gmünd in Kärnten Ferry Porsche began to realise his idea of a sporting Volkswagen. His father had had the idea for a long time, but at this time he was imprisoned in a French gaol. In 1947 a Cabrio was produced with a tubular frame chassis and aluminium bodywork with a central modified, hyped up VW Beetle engine. The Schweizer Automobil Revue tested this Porsche number 1 and gave the following praise: "This is how to present the driving characteristics of a modern car".

The positive reaction to the Roadster made Ferry Porsche optimistic. A small series of sports cars was planned, but with a more practical space distribution. The engine was therefore moved to the back, as with the Beetle, and the tubular frame became a pressed sheet frame. The bodywork types, there was a Coupé and a Cabrio version, were made of aluminium and were hand-built. The original 356 version was born and its sporty driving style and speed delighted drivers from the start. With only 40 HP it had a top speed of around 140 km/h. The series ran from the end of 1948 for two years. A total of around 50 cars were built. The lightweight and high-torque Gmünd cars were also ideal for motor racing.

An historical overview: On Maundy Thursday in 1950 the first 356 type built in Stuttgart rolled out of the production hall. By November 1949 Porsche had appointed the Reutter company to build 500 Coupés while the Gläser/Heuer company was commissioned to build a small series of Cabrios. The relationship of the new German sports car with the VW Beetle was still current and even noticeable in details such as the hub caps. Just like the owners of the Wolfsburg creepy crawly, Porsche drivers had to gauge the fuel level with a dipstick. However, the rear-mounted air-cooled 1,1-litre Boxer engine with 40 HP catapulted the aerodynamically formed 356 into a significantly higher performance class.

The car required some skill to drive back then, with its unsynchronised gearbox which the Americans appropriately named the "Crash Box". According to one anecdote, every customer who came into the factory had to pass a test drive. If the customer was found to be a poor driver and constantly crashed the gears, the fitters would raise their eyebrows and say in Schwabian dialect: "They're not buying a car, they don't deserve one".

From the beginning the 356 had a particular appeal which captured titled personages such as the Prince of Harrar and Fürst Metternich or actresses like Marika Rökk and Hannelore Schroth. The car sold better than anyone expected and by 21st March 1951 the 500th exemplar was finished. Several refinements were made to the second series, which was to appear at the end of March in an edition of 1000, e.g. ripped aluminium casing for the brake drums or (from April) telescopic shock absorbers on the rear axle. An unusual extra was an extension for the steering column enabling shorter-armed Porsche pilots to reach the steering wheel in comfort.

A new 1.3 litre engine with 44 HP satisfied the desire for more power. It was not only that, however, which secured Porsche's sporting reputation. That was down to its motor sport successes such as class winner in the legendary Le Mans long distance race and in the neck-breaking Lüttich-Rom-Lüttich tour.

Optical retouches refined the appearance of the German sports car which so many had taken to heart. From April the central column in the front windscreen was omitted. Enthusiasts of this model fondly refer to its single pane of glass with a kink in the centre. A larger handle was attached to the bonnet at the front. Inside there were new instruments with green digits and from this point on a speedometer was included as a standard feature. From June the bumpers crept away from the bodywork somewhat and acquired a rubber inlaid trim.

This year's series was fitted with a 1.5 litre engine for renewed thrust. Initially built with a roller-borne crankshaft it produced 60 HP. These Porsches were amongst the fastest road cars in existence at that time and the auto motor und sport journal wrote respectfully that "its driving performances lie in regions which are available to only a small proportion of drivers." From October the 1500 engine, now nicknamed Dame, gained a friction borne crankshaft and the horsepower rose to 55 HP.

The Porsche synchronous gearbox opened up a new dimension in driving at its most glamorous. The Porsche of the model year 1953, which actually began in October 1952, not only had better gear-changing but also braked better as the diameter of the brake drums had grown from 230 to 280 mm. Visual retouches included bumpers with rim flanges which were moved even further away from the bodywork, round tail lights (two on each side) and flashing indicator lights directly below the headlights.

Finally there was the seal of quality, particularly desired by foreign customers, a special Porsche coat of arms set into the horn knob of the new VDM two-spoke steering wheel. The emblem represented a combination of the arms of the company headquarters in Stuttgart and Baden-Württemberg and the Porsche logo, and soon became the symbol of fast, reliable sports cars. A 1.5 litre engine with roller-borne Hirth crankshaft and a full 70 HP marked the peak in performance. According to an internal company memo of October 1952 it was originally intended only "for racing drivers taking part in racing events".

Life with a 356 became increasingly luxurious. Modifications included additional anti-noise material, new seat shapes, Bosch horns, a pneumatic fuel gauge, an improved windscreen washing system, a passenger seatbelt and even two clothes hooks.

Cabrio drivers enjoyed a better rear view with tops closed thanks to an enlarged rear window, while Coupé drivers could opt to feel the wind in their hair after a mechanical sliding-roof was added to the accessories list in April. New to the range was the 60 HP 1300-S engine which had made its debut at the Paris Salon in October 1953.

In 1954 a British journalist described driving a Porsche in The Autocar in the following words: "It feels as though you were rushing through space with the road flung precisely in front of you and the suppressed roar of the engine coming from behind".

In September 1954 Porsche launched a new model which was to become a legend - the Speedster. The new open-topped Porsche intended specially for the American market complied with the motto: "Less is more". The spartan features made the car not only lighter but also cheaper and the Speedster thus became the most likely way to enjoy driving made by Porsche.

The racy line with the low windshield was retained even with the closed emergency cover. The many fans of the Speedster driving machine can permit a smile at the comment made by TÜV Stuttgart when the vehicle type was first accepted: "When the roof is closed the emergency seats would only be usable for persons over 1.6 meters if a hole for the head of each person were to be cut in the top."

The 55 Porsche range, however, was not only graced with new bodywork: From November 1954 the engines acquired a three-part crankcase and driving safety benefited from a front stabilizer and reinforced steering knuckles.

The Porsche stand at the IAA in Frankfurt in September 1955 was surrounded by curious persons. No wonder since the models for the coming year launched here had it tough. The 356, now with the additional letter A, offered better road positioning than previously thanks to a modified running gear and the engines, increased from 1.5 to 1.6 litres, improved the running style.

The Coupé and Cabrio now had a curved windshield without kink and all models including the Speedster acquired a redesigned dashboard. The sensation in Frankfurt however was the new super Porsche named the Carrera with an engine that really packed a punch. For under its bonnet this car had the four-cam shaft drive gear with vertical shaft drive already launched in 1953 in the racing Spyder. It was designed by Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann who later described it with a smile as his "youthful sin". The lavishly built engine produced 100 HP and test driver H.U. Wieselmann gushed in auto motor und sport: "The sum of its driving features and its genuinely superb engine give to those who have the feel for it an experience of pure driving, the likes of which do not exist."

Porsche driving in the year 1956 was at a high point and on 12th March 1956 the manufacture of the 10,000th Porsche was celebrated.

The 356 A, listed internally under the title T 1, changed very little in this model year. From the early part of the year, for example, the rear lights were given a teardrop shape and the front indicators acquired a chrome surround. The rear windows of the Cabrio and Speedster were enlarged and the cowl-type emergency cover for the Speedster received a new shape which allowed more headroom.

TheCarrera dream car was now to be available in GT and de Luxe variants only. The GT was available later than hoped and therefore it belongs to model year 1958. The de Luxe was aimed at those who had previously jokingly described the Carrera as the "most expensive fridge in Europe". Now an efficient petrol electric car heater ensured that passengers need no longer freeze.

The GT was aimed at more sporting customers who got ten HP more power and a lighter car since the side and rear windows in the GT were made of Plexiglas. Weight was also spared on the bumper fastenings and the seats, for which Speedster shells were used. Extra wide drum brakes ensured reliable braking at high speeds.

For this model year Porsche bundled a large package of innovations which were presented at the IAA in Frankfurt in September 1957. These included for instance the new and somewhat more directly operating Ross-type steering which promised greater steering precision and a new crankcase which improved oil circulation. The models, internally named T 2, were however recognisable by the exhaust pipes which penetrated the rear bumper bar; the Carrera being the exception in this case.

One of the most obvious modifications in the interior was the new seat form which "arose from the scientific collaboration of tape coil specialists" as noted by the Stuttgart auto motor und sport journal. And a contemporary brochure showing a delicate female hand reaching for the gear stick is evidence that Porsche driving was not intended as just a boy's thing. "Power and elegance at your fingertips" was the caption - certainly not just a reference to the more easily reached gear stick of the T 2 but also to the new diaphragm spring clutch which required far less effort than the earlier version. The range also included a new hardtop available for the Cabrio and the Speedster.

By August 1958 the successor was launched to the superb but spartanly equipped Speedster. The so-called Convertible D, according to the brochure, would deliver "the driving pleasure of the open Roadster and the containment of the Cabriolet". For this the new open-topped Porsche built by the Drauz company in Heilbronn had crank-opening side windows instead of side curtains. A higher front windscreen protected passengers with big hair from excessive wind turbulence while driving, and the primitive seat shells were replaced with the standard seats to make inhabitants feel more cosseted.

The luxury Convertible was no longer available as a Carrera. The four cam shaft master drive in the back of the Carrera versions of the Coupé and Cabrio had increased capacity. The new 1.6 litre drive gear whose crankshaft now rotated in friction rather than roller bearings, had also celebrated its launch in the previous year. The de Luxe now produced 105 HP while the GT achieved 115 HP. The lack of demand for the luxury version showed that the Carrera clientele saw itself clearly as warrior sports drivers.

With the launch of the 356 B models at the IAA in Frankfurt in 1959 Porsche gambled on the appeal of the A model. Porsche made its daring leap into the 60s by giving the 356 a complete facelift. The internally named T 5 versions therefore gained, for instance, higher bumpers and headlights.

"I believe it to be very important for the car designer to make vehicles foolproof", said Ferry Porsche once, and modifications such as safety steering with hydraulic shock absorbers, a steering wheel with lowered hub or further optimised brakes were included to this end. The new Super 90 version also had radial tyres and a differential spring on the rear axle inspiring the tester, H.U. Wieselmann, from auto moto und sport to describe this model as having the "good nature of a fairytale uncle". The editor of the American Road & Track magazine was also delighted with the new Porsche qualities: "We reluctantly extracted ourselves from our test car."

The Convertible D version was also renamed the Roadster for this model year. As the first 356 the Carrera, now available in GT version only, had a 12 volt electrical system.

The B model already launched at the end of 1959 and which had over that time distanced itself greatly from its forbear the VW Beetle, was carried on by Porsche into the model year 1961. The Hardtop Coupé produced by Karmann in Osnabrück from 1961, and now available in the new bodywork version, would provide variety. In contrast to the Cabrio with removable hardtop, the Karmann version with fixed welded roof was not two-coloured but one colour - at least in the case of standard models.

Until February 1961 the Roadster was built by Drauz in Heilbronn, then by D'Ieteren in Belgium. The Coupé and Cabrio were produced by Reutter.

The circle of delighted Porsche owners rose steadily. In January 1961 the company celebrated the production of the 40,000th Porsche and in one brochure from the day, one of the 40,000th customers was quoted as saying: "There are many good cars, many good names, but only one Porsche".

The constant striving for more perfection ensured that in late summer 1961 the 356 B matured into the model known internally as the T 6. The notable features of this series included, for example, a larger front and rear windscreen for the Coupé and two air vents in the engine hood in all models. The Cabrio driver could additionally vary the fresh air intake as the rear window of the cover could be zipped open separately.

Numerous detail improvements were made to the always admired metal panels, whether in the passenger area or under the engine hood where in the 1600 S model an overhauled 75 HP engine with grey cast iron cylinders was mounted. On 3rd April the 50,000th Porsche was celebrated. The range had been pared down over the year. First the Roadster and then the Hardtop Coupé were dropped. The Karmann company began to build Coupés along with Reutter.

The cream of the Porsche range was the Carrera 2 available from early 1962 with a 130 HP two litre engine, "a racehorse tamed by a master's hand" as the brochure read. Here are the unforgettable words of the spellbound tester of this racy car, Engelbert Männer, in Gute Fahrt: "When I was demonstrating the Carrera to an acquaintance, without any warning I suddenly put my foot hard down on the accelerator at 30 km/h in first gear. He flew back in his seat…".

The proven B model - T 6 - continued to roll off the production line. Only two bodywork versions, the Cabrio and the Coupé, were now produced, the latter at Reutter or Karmann.

The T 6 continued to feature striking qualities which were underlined in a contemporary American brochure with quotes from the Playboy author Ken W. Purdy. Purdy spoke of "absolutely astonishing acceleration" and described the steering as being as "light and direct as power steering without actually being power steering". The Motor-Rundschau magazine praised the "remarkable economy at top speeds" of the 1600 S. The article continued "even in the harsh test drive it never exceeded 12 L/100 km".

Although the 356 B was supplied with extensive standard features, an impressive array of extras was also available such as coconut floor mats, an electrically operated steel sunroof from Golde or an additional heater from Eberspächer. If you could not fit enough luggage in the new plastic compartment under the enlarged luggage compartment bonnet in the B model T 6, you might be satisfied with a special luggage kit for the back.

By July 1963 the final phase in the development of the 356 series had begun: the 356 C. From the outside at first glance it was barely different from its predecessors. The wheel rims had a different design and the identification trim on the back was new. A C ,however, was fitted with an even more elastic 75 HP engine and a SC on a running gear with 95 HP instead of 90 HP.

The Dame engine was no longer available but the superb 130 HP Carrera unit was of course still included in the range. The running gear of the new models for its part was somewhat more comfortable and the interior featured a new gear arrangement on the dashboard with an additional small console.

Every C model made, except the first, was fitted with disc brakes. This was not the Porsche design already incorporated into the Carrera but an ATE system. The brochure particularly focused on the new qualities: "Porsche's brakes, often called the conscience of a car, have always been outstanding from the point of view of dosing capability, service life and reliability. This certainly applies to the powerful hydraulically actuated disc brakes on all four wheels of the type 356 C".

There were no more major model updates of the C model, which didn't however stop the advertising department from bringing out lovingly produced brochures for this last production year of the 356. "We've spent many years developing a superb competition car so that you can have fun driving to work" went one advertising text for the American market.

Although the Porsche 911 was already in production, the 356 still sold in surprising numbers. Around 16,684 C models were manufactured. The final exemplar was a white Cabrio, which rolled off the production line on the 28th April 1965. Even then, a brief respite followed: a further ten Cabrios were built for the Dutch Police at the start of 1966.

The end of production for the 356 had finally come, however, while driving at its most glamorous is still possible today.