The Porsche 356 was the first real production automobile that Porsche made, and it had a pretty long production life from 1948-1965. Outwardly, almost nothing about it changed during that time. There were, however, mechanical upgrades as technology advanced, which is just the type of thing I like to see. To buy a 356 in its later production years would have been kind of like getting a resto-mod vehicle -that is, one that outwardly appears stock but has been upgraded internally to function and perform better. Only, of course, it was a new vehicle -back in its day.
A guy named Ferdinand Porsche, who was the son of a guy also named Ferdinand Porsche created the 356 while he worked for the design firm his father, Ferdinand Sr. established. The Sr. Ferdinand is the fellow who brought the world the VW Beetle, by the way, and by the time he died in 1951, his son, Jr. was already running the company and kept building on the family name. Lest you think Ferdinand Jr. did this all by himself, keep in mind that he only came up with the idea of making the 356 -it was actually designed by a guy named Erwin Kemenda.
These cars caught on pretty quickly once consumers realized how light and fast they were, and how well they could handle. Before too long, 356’s were racking up victories on the track and growing in favor with people who loved to drive. These were hand built cars, each engine was built by a single individual whose initials you will find stamped on the case of an original engine. I’m not sure if anybody keeps track of whose initial signify who, but I’ve got to wonder if there weren’t some engine builders whose work is valued over others. If anybody in the know about this can chip in some info, please do, because I really am curious.
At this point, one might be wondering just what went into making such a hot little car… Well, one, wonder no more, because I’m about to fill in that blank. The functional bits on a 356 -engine, suspension and chassis were borrowed and tweaked from Volkswagen. The engine sat snugged into the rear of the car, which is rear wheel drive. The one we’re looking at today has a 1600cc 4 cylinder boxer engine that over time was tuned and tweaked. By the time the 1959 model was for sale, that engine could turn out 70 HP and 82 lb ft of torque. That was a lot for a car so light (just a smidge over 1800 lbs) back then. It had a top speed of 110 MPH.
In the original 1948 356’s you’d only get 55 HP, but of course, that car had a 1500cc engine rather than the 1600 like the ‘59 has. Price wise, a 1948 was listed for right about $3,000, and by the time 1959 came around, that price would go up by a grand to right around $4,000. I’d happily plunk down $4,000 for one now, but of course, they’re worth more than that. Lets do some hypothetical car shopping, shall we?
I’ve just pulled out the June issue of Hemmings Motor News, and let me tell you this -if you’re looking to buy a Porsche 356 cabriolet and your budget is $4,000, the news ain’t good. Why, here’s a 1955 speedster with the 1500 cc engine listed for -gulp!- $215,000! Umm, well we also have a listing for a 1958 cabriolet (like what we’re looking at today only a year older) for $119,500 -I’ve got a feeling we didn’t pack enough hypothetical money for this outing. There’s a 1960 cabriolet for $109,500 - that’s a little better. It looks like one might be able to get an early ’60’s coupe version for around $60,000, though.
Well, scrap that. I think us budget-restricted wannabe Porsche 356 owners are going to have to settle for a replica. Hemmings has those listed too, and it looks like you can get a 1956 356 speedster replica that was built in 2003 and has the 1600 cc VW engine for the bargain price of $19,900. There are three others listed as well -all priced between $20,000-$25,000. Granted, they probably don’t have anybody’s initials stamped on the engine case, and they’re not REAL 356s, but they sure look like the real thing. Considering that these replicas seem to be built with all the same -albeit newer- parts as an original 356, one would think that they should drive and feel the same or even better. In fact, I'm not even totally sure that the one pictured today isn't a replica, but it was labeled on its show tag as a Porsche 356 with no mention of being a replica. My goodness, authenticity comes at a steep price, doesn’t it?
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