Porsche 356

Porsche 356

Porsche 356

Porsche 356

Porsche 356

This Porsche 356 is the very first real Porsche car created by Ferdinand 'Ferry' Porsche. This prototype two seater open roadster, known as 'Porsche Number 1,' has a mid-mounted, air-cooled flat-4 engine displacing 1,131cc. While the body was an original design, most of the mechanicals including engine and suspension were derived from the Volkswagen Beetle, which Ferry's father, Ferdinand Porsche, had designed. The aluminum roadster body of this car was designed by Porsche employee Erwin Komenda in April 1948 and was completed in just one month. Smooth and low, Porsche Number 1 set the pattern for later 356s with one fundamental difference, the engine of the production cars was moved behind the rear axle to reduce costs and make room for two additional seats.

The 356 was a sports car designed by Porsche that sold from 1948 through 1964 and was Porsche's first production automobile. A prototype for the 356, the 'Number 1' had a mid-engine. The name for the 356 was chosen as it was the 356th project off the Porsche design desk. In 1949, production officially began in Stuttgart, Germany.