Ford
Chevy
Other Makers
Accessories
Advertising
AD
X
Vintage Porsche Cars
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...
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 1.5 liters in the pre-A era, the 1955 356A shipped with either 1.3-, 1.5-, or 1.6-liter engines. Body styles ranged from coupes to cabriolets (a removable hard top), as well as convertible Speedsters. In the United States, about 1,000 356As were branded as Continental models, until Lincoln Continental sued and put a stop to that. Similar versions of the same cars were sold in Europe as Europeans, though in fewer numbers. The 356A was also the first Porsche to boast a Carrera ("race" in Spanish) engine.
As Porsche entered the 1960s, it led with its trusty 356. First came the 356Bs, which were distributed starting in 1959, and then came the 356Cs, which went into production in 1963. The 356C line would continue until 1965, but it was a 1964 356 that would become the most famous Porsche of the decade when, in 1968, Janis Joplin of Big Brother and the Holding Company purchased a used 356 from a car dealer in Beverly Hills. Joplin paid a friend named Dave Richards $500 to paint it in psychedelic colors and imagery. In 2015, the legendary rock star's Porsche sold at auction for $1.76 million.
The other great Porsche of the 1960s, of course, was the 911, which made its debut in 1963 at the same venue as had the 356A, the Frankfurt Motor Show. By 1964, U.S. sports-car enthusiasts were happily paying the then-steep price of $5,500 (around $46,000 in 2021 dollars) for this roomier and more powerful six-cylinder beast. Concurrently, in 1965, Porsche put a 911 body on its four-cylinder 356 and dubbed it the 912 ($4,000 in 1965, about $33,000 today). A string of 900-series cars would follow in the 1960s and '70s, including the 914, which came in a four-cylinder model (engine supplied by Volkswagen) as well as a six-cylinder version (with engine by Porsche).
More recently, beginning the 1990s, the Porsche name has been closely associated with unnumbered models such as the two-door, two-seater Boxster, which is a brand that combines the name of Porsche's "boxer" engine with its "roadster" looks. One of the most initially controversial new models was the 2002 Cayenne, an SUV produced with Volkswagen, whose bulk horrified Porsche purists. The company would have the last laugh, though—the Cayenne would go on to become Porsche's best-selling model ever.
Continue readingIt'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...
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 1.5 liters in the pre-A era, the 1955 356A shipped with either 1.3-, 1.5-, or 1.6-liter engines. Body styles ranged from coupes to cabriolets (a removable hard top), as well as convertible Speedsters. In the United States, about 1,000 356As were branded as Continental models, until Lincoln Continental sued and put a stop to that. Similar versions of the same cars were sold in Europe as Europeans, though in fewer numbers. The 356A was also the first Porsche to boast a Carrera ("race" in Spanish) engine.
As Porsche entered the 1960s, it led with its trusty 356. First came the 356Bs, which were distributed starting in 1959, and then came the 356Cs, which went into production in 1963. The 356C line would continue until 1965, but it was a 1964 356 that would become the most famous Porsche of the decade when, in 1968, Janis Joplin of Big Brother and the Holding Company purchased a used 356 from a car dealer in Beverly Hills. Joplin paid a friend named Dave Richards $500 to paint it in psychedelic colors and imagery. In 2015, the legendary rock star's Porsche sold at auction for $1.76 million.
The other great Porsche of the 1960s, of course, was the 911, which made its debut in 1963 at the same venue as had the 356A, the Frankfurt Motor Show. By 1964, U.S. sports-car enthusiasts were happily paying the then-steep price of $5,500 (around $46,000 in 2021 dollars) for this roomier and more powerful six-cylinder beast. Concurrently, in 1965, Porsche put a 911 body on its four-cylinder 356 and dubbed it the 912 ($4,000 in 1965, about $33,000 today). A string of 900-series cars would follow in the 1960s and '70s, including the 914, which came in a four-cylinder model (engine supplied by Volkswagen) as well as a six-cylinder version (with engine by Porsche).
More recently, beginning the 1990s, the Porsche name has been closely associated with unnumbered models such as the two-door, two-seater Boxster, which is a brand that combines the name of Porsche's "boxer" engine with its "roadster" looks. One of the most initially controversial new models was the 2002 Cayenne, an SUV produced with Volkswagen, whose bulk horrified Porsche purists. The company would have the last laugh, though—the Cayenne would go on to become Porsche's best-selling model ever.
Continue readingADX
Best of the Web
Club & Associations
ADX
AD
X