Prior to the arrival of Ernst Fuhrmann’s exceedingly complex four cam Carrera motor which was offered in the 356 from late 1955, the ultimate engine for Porsche’s little flyer was the 1500cc pushrod…
Read MorePrior to the arrival of Porsche’s own purpose-built Sports racing car in 1953 (the 550), a small number of well-connected privateers created their own interpretation of such a vehicle. Among…
Read MoreAlthough the fast and tough 356 had proven itself a formidable competitor in every discipline of motor sport, Porsche knew that a purpose-built machine, something designed from the ground up…
Read More“Once you get it on song, get up to 7,000-plus-revs, it was absolutely amazing,” says racing driver Derek Bell, “…and the fact you could brake so perfectly, flick it into a corner, put the power on…it just wanted the hell driven out of it.”
Read MoreIf you wanted the best production-based Porsche racer in 1957, that car was the 356 A Carrera GT Lightweight. Bristling with all the best gear, at its heart was the ultimate 110bhp iteration of…
Read MoreThe liberation that comes from driving a well-sorted but cosmetically scruffy classic car is difficult to underestimate. Once freed from the worry that driving a car can compromise its clinical perfection, a…
Read MoreUnveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1954, the Speedster was conceived as a lightweight, back-to-basics iteration of the 356 that would be of particular interest to those…
Read MoreDuring the late 1950s, Porsche’s ultimate properly appointed road car was a 356 Carrera GS de Luxe. As its name suggested it combined the radical four-cam Carrera engine with a luxuriously equipped…
Read MoreChassis 02 was one of the two 550s with which Porsche began its first sports car racing programme. Built to 550/1 specification, this brace of cars (01 and 02) both received a chassis and body…
Read MoreChassis 01 was the first 550 assembled by Porsche and one of two examples completed to 550/1 specification. This pair (01 and 02) both received a chassis and body fabricated by Weidenhausen in…
Read MoreAlthough Porsche had scored some impressive results with the aluminium-bodied 356 SL (perhaps the most notable of which had been back-to-back class wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1951 and ‘52…
Read MoreBy the autumn of 1951 Porsche’s fortunes had been transformed. When 356 production began in 1949, it did so at a converted Austrian sawmill because the firm’s Zuffenhausen plant in Stuttgart…
Read MoreHaving been used in the firm’s 550 racing cars since 1953, Porsche began to offer the 356 A with an Ernst Fuhrmann-designed dual overhead cam Carrera engine during the second half of 1955.
Read MoreFollowing its victorious debut at the Nurburgring Eifelrennen in May 1953, the Porsche 550 established itself as the car to beat in the under 1500cc class of international Sports car racing.
Read MoreFive years after he had joimed Porsche (back when the company was based in the Austrian town of Gmund and the 356/1 prototype was still on the drawing board), engineer Ernst Fuhrmann was given…
Read MoreChassis 0036 was the 550 purchased new by Frankfurt racing driver, Theo Helfrich. Between 1949 and 1953, Helfrich mostly campaigned Veritas cars in a mixture of sports and monoposto events.
Read MoreIn October 1950, Porsche took a stand at the Paris Salon which, at the time, was the most important motor show on the calendar. Here, Porsche management held a meeting with French car dealer and…
Read MoreChassis 84855 was a 356 A Speedster purchased new by legendary actor and noted motor racing enthusiast, Steve McQueen. Having spent three years in the US Marines, which he joined shortly…
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