Guide: Porsche 356 C — Supercar Nostalgia

Apr 19

Apr 19 Guide: Porsche 356 C

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Background

In July 1963, production of the much-loved 356 entered its final stage.

The appropriately titled 356 C was manufactured until September 1965, by which time the now legendary 911 had been in production for just over a year.

From its humble origins in an Austrian sawmill where each car was painstakingly assembled almost entirely by hand, the 356 had become an international best seller.

Porsche moved back to Germany over the winter of 1949-1950, initially leasing factory space from Reutter before relocating to a brand new factory in the autumn of 1952. The firm’s return to Germany coincided with the adoption of more efficient manufacturing methods and, from the trickle of cars that emerged in the early days, production exploded.

Within a few years, Porsche had become the benchmark against which all other high performance car builders were measured.

By the time the 356 C arrived in 1963, little evidence of its humble Volkswagen origins remained. Although it had always been a fairly expensive machine, over the years, Porsche had gradually moved the 356 further and further upmarket.

The 356 C was certainly the most refined derivative yet, but the little Porsche and Volkswagen Beetle still shared the same unmistakable air-cooled clatter.

Ignoring the expensive four-camshaft Carreras (covered separately) customers had the choice of two 1.6-litre engines to choose from: the 75bhp 1600 S and the 95bhp 1600 SC.

There were also two body styles: Coupe or Cabriolet.

Chassis

The steel unitary body / chassis remained practically unchanged in its transition from 356 B to 356 C.

Suspension was fully independent all round with transverse torsion bars and trailing arms plus additional swing axles at the rear.

For this latest variant, the spring rates were softened and shorter torsion bars were fitted which increased passenger comfort. A thicker front anti-roll bar was added along with a rubber bump stop above the driveshafts to keep axle travel in check. However, the rear compensating spring designed to keep the back wheels as flat as possible under load was now only available as an optional extra.

Undoubtedly the 356 C’s most significant update was the addition of four wheel ATE disc brakes manufactured under license from Dunlop.

Porsche had persevered with drum brakes longer than most manufacturers but the switch to discs was inevitable. The discs themselves had a 227mm diameter at the front and 243mm diameter at the rear. They required subtly modified wheels, hubs and hub caps.

Wheel size was unchanged at 4.5 x 15-inches.

As usual, a 57-litre fuel tank was mounted underneath the front lid.

Engine & Gearbox

Whereas the 356 B had been manufactured with pushrod engines in three different states of tune, the entry level 60bhp variant was dropped when the 356 C arrived.

The air-cooled all-alloy Flat 4s used in these cars had their cylinder heads reworked with new inlet and exhaust ports plus a modified camshaft profile to make them more tractable at low speed.

They retained the familiar 1582cc displacement thanks to bore and stroke measurements of 82.5mm and 74mm respectively.

Specifications of the two units were as follows:

1600 C: Type 616/15, 75bhp at 5200rpm / 90lb-ft at 3600rpm, 8.5:1 compression, two Zenith 32 NDIX carburettors.

1600 SC: Type 616/16, 95bhp at 5800rpm / 91lb-ft at 4200rpm, 9.5:1 compression, two Solex PII-4 carburettors.

Whereas the 1600 C engine was little changed from its predecessor, the unit found in the SC featured a number of important developments.

It came with high-lift camshafts, larger intake and exhaust valves, further re-worked exhaust ports, four integral counter-weights to ensure smoother operation and sodium-filled valves. Compression was also increased (from 9.0:1 to 9.5:1).

Whereas the 1600 C engine came with cast-iron cylinder barrels, the SC used Ferral-coated alloy.

Both variants used the familiar four-speed synchromesh transmission and the thicker diaphragm clutch previously reserved for the outgoing Super 90.

Bodywork

Cosmetically, the only new features were S and SC badges on the engine lid.

Bodies were made by the Reutter coachworks in Stuttgart and Karmann in Osnabruck.

By this time, the 356 was approaching 15 years of age and, aside from a few nips and tucks here and there, relatively little had changed. That the car still appealed to style-conscious purchasers was truly remarkable and a testament to Erwin Komenda’s original design.

Interior

Inside, Porsche fitted seat bases that offered greater lateral thigh support and backrests that were lower in height. The rear seats had marginally lower backrests.

Door panels now came with armrests and the floor-mounted heater control was switched to a lever directly in front of the gear stick.

Some minor switchgear changes were made that saw a handbrake warning light added to the combination gauge and magnetic closure added to the glovebox.

The Coupe now came with modified vents to improve rear window demisting and a second zip was added to the Cabriolet’s removable rear window.

Otherwise, it was still the same classic layout as before. The dash had a padded top that was normally trimmed to match the rest of the upholstery. The dash fascia was body coloured metal and housed three primary instruments: a combined oil pressure / oil temperature / fuel gauge, a rev counter and speedometer. These were mounted directly behind the dished black plastic-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel. In the centre of the dash was a clock.

Whereas Cabriolets typically came with full leather interiors, the Coupe’s seats, door panels and rear quarters were vinyl.

Options

Optional extras included fog lights, head rests, an electric sunroof (Coupe only), a choice of radios and a hardtop for the Cabriolet.

Weight / Performance

The 1600 C had a top speed of 110mph and 0-62mph time of 13.5 seconds.

For the 1600 SC, these figures were 123mph and 11 seconds respectively.

Production Changes

As Porsche were intensively developing the 911 for its imminent launch, technical changes made to the 356 C post-launch were limited.

From early 1964, the SC gained Biral cast-iron cylinder sleeves with a finned cast aluminium muff to improve heat dissipation.

On March 1st 1964, Porsche took over the Reutter coachworks. They changed the company’s name to Recaro and switched its focus to seat manufacture. After the takeover, all Reutter badges were removed from the 356.

The final update was made in May 1964 when the mechanical rev counter was switched to electric.

In August 1964, production of the new two-litre Flat 6-powered 911 began.