We are a part of eBay Affiliate Network, and if you make a purchase through the links on our site we earn affiliate commission.
It's an article of faith among Porsche enthusiasts, bolstered by the official history on the Porsche website, that Ferdinand Porsche, who learned his trade as an automobile engineer and designer at Daimler-Benz before founding his own firm in...
Continue reading
It's an article of faith among Porsche enthusiasts, bolstered by the official history on the Porsche website, that Ferdinand Porsche, who learned his trade as an automobile engineer and designer at Daimler-Benz before founding his own firm in 1931, designed the VW Beetle for Adolf Hitler. In fact, Hitler probably got the idea for the car's design from an Austrian named Hans Ledwinka, who designed a Czechoslovakian vehicle called the Tatra V570 in 1933. Even at a cursory glance, the V570 seems an obvious forebear of the beloved Bug, a perception reinforced by the fact that after World War II, Volkswagen settled with the Czechs for its inspiration. As for Ferdinand Porsche, he spent 20 months in prison, charged with being a war criminal, only to be released after his case did not go to trial. Far less controversial is the origin of the first Porsche, the 356, which was designed by the elder Porsche’s son, also named Ferdinand but known to most as Ferry. The first aluminum version of that vehicle, which got its name only because it was project number 356, was produced in 1948. By 1951, the same year Ferdinand senior died, a steel-body version of the car had won best in its class at Le Mans. This so-called "bathtub Porsche" went through numerous changes from 1948 to 1965. The first 356s, manufactured from 1948 through 1955, are known among car collectors as pre-A. Initially, these cars had divided windshields until they were replaced in 1952 by v-shaped windshields that were bent in the middle. As mentioned, the first ones had aluminum bodies, perhaps no more than 50 or so, and the cars were powered by air-cooled, four-cylinder Volkswagen engines, which Porsche bored out to 1.1 liters and outfitted with Porsche cylinder heads to increase their paltry performance. The 356A arrived in 1955, making its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Gone was the v-shaped windshield, replaced by an elegant curve. As for the engine, although the heart of the 356 had grown to...
Continue reading

Best of the Web

Hemmings Auto Blogs
This great (and frequently updated) blog from the folks at Hemmings Motor News is a visual feast...
Most Watched

Best of the Web

Hemmings Auto Blogs
This great (and frequently updated) blog from the folks at Hemmings Motor News is a visual feast...