Coys Auction - True Greats
Royal Horticultural Halls
Elverton St
Westminster
London SW1
Tuesday 7 December 2010
Very few automotive designs have been as influential as Porsche's 356. Challenging the idea of the conventional sports car according to the principles of the great Dr Porsche, its engine was in the ‘wrong' position and not cooled by water, the wings and headlamps were integrated into the body and there was no radiator grille up front. The resultant aerodynamic shape allowed extremely high performance from a small engine, as demonstrated by class wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1951 and '52. In 1959, Porsche introduced the best 356 yet, the 'B'. Aside from the complex and ferociously expensive four-camshaft Carrera's, engines came in three states of tune with 60, 75 or 90bhp. With the B, Porsche introduced subtly revised bodywork for the 356, the cars built between September 1959 and August 1961 often being referred to as T-5 versions. They nevertheless retained all the hallma