The Porsche 356 was a significant car for the company. Developed from a pre-war sports coupé project, it was the first Porsche put into series production.
It used many Volkswagen components and a modified 1100cc Volkswagen engine that produced 40bhp, giving a top speed of 90mph.
Continued development of the car saw engine capacity and power output rise to 2 litres and 130bhp through a succession of models the handling of which was also improved.
The success of the 356 inevitably led to developments for racing such as the 550 Spyders which did so well in the Carrera Panamericana race in Mexico, the Mille Miglia and at Le Mans. Others were bought and raced privately and some were used as road cars, the most famous of which being that used by James Dean.
Porsche 356, the story of the flat-four Porsches covers the background of the company and the early work done by Professor Ferdinand Porsche, the development of the engine and the struggles of the company to remain solvent in the early post-war years.
This led to Porsche building farm tractors and a military general purpose 4 × 4 vehicle, while the engines were also used in aeroplanes.
- Full history of the flat-four engined Porsches
- Complete development history
- Full specifications
- Fully illustrated with archive and contemporary photographs
Product specification
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