Model history

Prior to World War II Porsche designed and built three Type 64 cars for a 1939 Berlin-to-Rome race that was cancelled. In 1948 the mid-engine, tubular chassis 356 prototype called 'No. 1' was completed. This led to some debate as to the 'first' Porsche automobile, but the 356 is considered by Porsche to be its first production model. It was created by Ferdinand 'Ferry' Porsche (son of Ferdinand Porsche).

Like its cousin, the Volkswagen Beetle (which Ferdinand Porsche Sr. had designed), the 356 is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, rear-engine, rear-wheel drive car with unitized pan and body construction. The chassis was a completely new design as was the 356's body which was designed by Porsche employee Erwin Komenda, while certain mechanical components including the engine case and some suspension components were based on and initially sourced from Volkswagen. Ferry Porsche described the thinking behind the development of the 356 in an interview with the editor of Panorama in September 1972. '...I had always driven very speedy cars. I had an Alfa Romeo, also a BMW and others. …By the end of the war I had a Volkswagen Cabriolet with a supercharged engine and that was the basic idea. I saw that if you had enough power in a small car it is nicer to drive than if you have a big car which is also overpowered. And it is more fun. On this basic idea we started the first Porsche prototype. To make the car lighter, to have an engine with more horsepower…that was the first two seater that we built in Carinthia (Gmünd)’.

The first 356 was road certified in Austria on June 8, 1948, and was entered in a race in Innsbruck where it won its class. Porsche re-engineered and refined the car with a focus on performance. Fewer and fewer parts were shared between Volkswagen and Porsche as the 1950s progressed. The early 356 automobile bodies produced at Gmünd were handcrafted in aluminum, but when production moved to Zuffenhausen, Germany in 1950, models produced there were steel-bodied. The aluminium bodied cars from that very small company are what are now referred to as 'prototypes'. Porsche contracted Reutter to build the steel bodies and eventually bought the Reutter company in 1963. The Reutter company retained the seat manufacturing part of the business and changed its name to 'Recaro'.

The 356 was built in four distinct series, the original ('pre-A'), followed by the 356 A, 356 B, and finally the 356 C. To distinguish among the major revisions of the model, 356s are generally classified into a few major groups. The 356 coupés and cabriolets built through 1955 are readily identifiable by their split (1948 to 1952) or bent (centre-creased, 1953 to 1955) windscreens. In 1956 the 356 A appeared, with a curved windshield. The A was the first road going Porsche to offer the Carrera four-cam engine as an option. In late 1959 the T5 356 B appeared; followed by the redesigned T6 series 356 B in 1962.

The final version was the 356 C, little changed from the late T6 B cars but disc brakes replaced the drums.

This Example

This lovely Porsche 356 C 1600 was manufactured in 1965 and delivered on 1 July 1965. Beautifully finished in dark blue with a brown interior.

The original colour was Champagne yellow. The dark blue suits the car very well. She is in a nice driver condition with good panel fit and the bodywork is very solid. The chassis is clean and solid showing little or no hard life in 55 years.

A Matching Numbers car according to the Porsche factory certificate. She was imported from USA into Holland 26 years ago and then restored by a well known Porsche specialist to use on a daily base. The current owner bought the car in 2014 on whose behalf we are selling it now. She then received a major service at an official Porsche centre and since she has been used infrequently but we drove the car more than 50kms and were quite pleased with the drive!

The dark blue paint has just been polished and looks very nice. The bodywork presents well but has a few places where the paint could be improved. We could organise that easily for a new owner. The panel fit is good to very good. The right door has some colour discrepancy as it obviously has been repainted in prior ownership.

The interior has been redone and presents nicely. The drivers seat has most wear ofcourse. The rear seats have never been used it seems. The engine bay presents very original and the engine and gearbox have only minor leaks.

Driving this car is a joy with a strong pulling engine showing no smoke. The gearbox is a delight without any cracks or noises. We always recommend a pre purchase inspection at renowned Porsche and 356 specialists Fa. Kraan.

The car is Dutch (EEC) registered and comes with a fresh APK (MOT/TUV/CT).

Price is a very attractive 79.500,- euro.

VSOC’s Sassenheim showroom is centrally located between Amsterdam and The Hague, only 17 km (11 miles) from Schiphol Airport. There is a broad selection of classic sports cars on display, in very good or excellent condition, varying from beautiful yet affordable sports cars to rare and valuable collectors’ items. When you intend to visit us in The Netherlands, we would advise you to make an appointment so that we can give you some quality time. If you arrive by plane or train, we would be happy to pick you up at the airport or train station. Besides Dutch we speak English, German, French and Italian.