Porsche 356A 1957

Compact, beautifully built and in some cases very fast, the 356A was the car with which Porsche built its reputations in 1950s, and its passing was much mourned when the 911 Series took over completely in 1965.

Ferdinand Porsche set up his design consultancy in 1931 but the first car to bear his name, the 356, was not built until 1946. A dumpy engine sports car, the 356 was closely related to the VW Beetle, another famous Porsche design, with an air - cooled flat - four pushrod engine and the same kind of trailing – link front suspension with high – pivot swing axles at the rear. There were coupe, cabriolet and shallow – screened sportster versions, the latter now much sought, after (and replicated by kit – car builders). Early cars, built in Austria up to 1950, had split windscreens and 1100cc versions of the air cooled flat four producing just 40hp. There were further 1287, 1290 and 1488cc versions producing up to 70hp. The original rounded roly-poly styling was changed on the 1955 356A to a crisper shape with a curved one, piece screen, improved front suspension and steering and a bigger engine (1600cc). From here on the story gets complex: the 356B of 1959 had a higher nose and came in two new styles, based on Roadsters and a notchback coupe by Karmann. Top of the standard range was the 177 km/h Super 90, but even the standard 60hp car could achieve 160 km/h. The 356 improved dramatically over the years, growing more and more specialized and increasingly distant from its VW Beetle roots. Compact, beautifully built and in some cases very fast, it was the car with which Porsche built its reputations in 1950s, and its passing was much mourned when the 911 Series took over completely in 1965. This unit had a very good rust-free lifetime. It needed only a cosmetic restoration, which it received in 2003 using parts by noted 356 specialists Stoddard Authentic Parts and interior components by World Upholstery and Trim. Finished in classic Silver Metallic with a red interior, the car is fitted with a huge luggage rack and leather bonnet straps. This car has covered 11,773 km