Porsche 356 original First generation 

Production period:	1948 to 1955
Class :	sports car
Body versions :	coupé , roadster
Engines:	1.1–1.5 liters
Length:	3950-4001mm
Broad:	1670mm
Height:	1290-1330mm
wheelbase :	2100mm
curb weight :	680-1010kg

The Porsche 356 is Porsche 's first production model . The type designation 356 for the sports car is the consecutive number of this Porsche construction; however, the count of Porsche developments began with number 7, presumably in order to create greater trust in the young company among clients. The engine has the construction number 369. The “birthday” of the Porsche 356 is July 7, 1948, when the first test report on a Porsche coupé was published. Production of the 356 series ended in April 1965; 76,302 cars were built. The original styling was changed on the 1955 365A to a crisper shape with a curved. one-piece windscreen, improved front suspension and steering and a bigger 1600cc engine.

The first car to bear the Porsche name was the 356/1 prototype , a mid-engine roadster , about the creation of which Ferry Porsche said: “At first I looked around but couldn't find the car I dreamed of. So I decided to build it myself.” The Porsche 356 went into series production with a modified frame and a rear engine. The first 50 cars with aluminum bodies were built by hand in Gmünd in Carinthia , where Porsche had moved towards the end of the Second World War.

In 1950, Porsche moved back to Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen . Production began on the premises of the Reutter body works , which had already received the order at the end of 1949 to produce 500 steel bodies. The design came from Erwin Komenda , who had already designed the body of the VW Beetle .

For the development of the Porsche 356, Ferry gave Porsche guidelines that, according to him, had already become clear through the work of Ferdinand Porsche:

• air cooling,
• Aerodynamics,
• stern drive,
• close connection between automobile sport and series car production.

Regarding the first point, it said: "In addition to the lower weight, air cooling in a racing and sports car has the advantage that you do not have to take the cooling air intake in the front into account when designing it. Experience has shown that the aerodynamics of the car are significantly worsened by the air intake with the water cooler behind it and thus the air resistance performance is increased by an amount that is approximately twice as large as the blower performance of the air-cooled engine." With regard to air resistance, he stated, among other things: "The aerodynamically favorable Form is extremely important for fast vehicles.” Regarding the last guideline, Ferry Porsche wrote that the ties between racing experience for series vehicle construction are strong and beneficial. 

The first Porsche 356 contained many production parts from VW, such as gearbox, brakes, front and rear suspension and steering. From 1950 there were duplex brakes at the front .

During its production period, Porsche continued to improve the Type 356, but retained typical features such as the front crank link axle , patented for Porsche and known from the VW Beetle, and the rear pendulum axle with torsion bar springs , which was guided by longitudinal struts . Although the engines were always based on the VW original, they were constantly being further developed.

At the same time, in 1953 Ernst Fuhrmann designed the completely new 1.5 liter vertical shaft engine ( Fuhrmann engine ) with four overhead camshafts and an output of initially 100 hp (74 kW) in the Porsche 356 Carrera , which was mainly used in the racing versions and later in the Type 904 GTS with a displacement of 2 liters delivered up to 185 hp (136 kW).

356 models

The Porsche 356 was produced in several model generations. All variants had a 4-cylinder rear engine and rear -wheel drive .1948–1955: 356 (original model)
The first sports car developed and produced by Porsche, which was sold under the Porsche name. Right from the start of production, the car was available as a coupe or convertible. The first Porsche 356 can be recognized by the two-piece windscreen made of tempered glass with a center bar (from model year 1952 one-piece pane, but with a crease in the middle). The car had a continuous bench seat for driver and front passenger as standard, individual seats were available on request.

The first Porsche 356 was built from 1948 to 1955 as a coupe and cabriolet with four engine versions. The first mass-produced car left the factory in Stuttgart on Maundy Thursday , April 6, 1950. Striking features were, for example, the split windscreen or the fixed rear window. Vehicles of later years of construction got hinged windows . There was a red tip on the radio antenna, called a "red tipper". A Porsche crest was not found in the 356s of the first years of construction, as it was only designed in 1952/53. That's why Porsche was written at the bow and stern . The first vehicles had a white three-spoke bakelite steering wheel by Petriwith horn ring, which was replaced in the 356 A by a version with two spokes. The ignition lock was to the left of the steering wheel, and at that time it was still connected to a start button. The only way to check the fuel level was with a notched wooden stick held vertically in the fuel tank, as there was no fuel gauge. Nitro paint was used to paint the vehicles .

Early Porsche 356s were still equipped with the unsynchronized gearbox of the VW Beetle. In the fall of 1952, Porsche switched to a completely new, fully synchronized transmission with so-called “ring synchronization” that was used in series production for the first time in the Porsche 356.

In 1953 the 356 1300 S with 44 kW (60 hp) at 5500 rpm and a top speed of 160 km/h also appeared; the production of the type 1100 ran out.

The Speedster was added to the range in 1954 , initially only for export to the USA. US importer Max Hoffman initiated a cheap base model for the US market. Porsche then developed the spartanly equipped Speedster, offered for $2995 in 1954. The Speedster was an open sports car with a flat windscreen and a fully retractable soft top that was lower than that of the convertible. The doors did not have wind-up windows , but plug-in panes. Bucket seats added to the sporty touch of the model, which came with a choice of the 1500 or 1500 S engine.

The Speedster's predecessor was the 1952 America Roadster . It was built in an edition of 15 at the suggestion of America. The hand-made aluminum bodies of the America Roadsters were created at the Gläser-Karosserie GmbH in Ullersricht near Weiden in the Upper Palatinate , which  until 1948 was based in Dresden - was one of the most well-known body construction companies. The roadster was 60 kg lighter than the coupe and reached a top speed of 175 km/h with the 70 hp engine.