Porsche 356B 1600S T5 Coupe 1961 RHD

MODEL HISTORY & PRODUCTION

It was Porsche’s first production vehicle, with an evolution starting with the Pre-A, the 356A introduced in 1955, the 356B in late 1959, and the final series 356C introduced for the 1964 model year. In each form, they were built predominantly as either Coupe or Cabriolets. Although several variations were available as ‘Notchback Coupes’ or ‘Speedster and Roadster Convertibles’. Also, available in limited numbers was the four-cam racing ‘Carrera’ version introduced in 1954.

The 356 was created by Ferdinand ‘Ferry’ Porsche (son of Ferdinand Porsche – company founder). In 1972, during a PCA magazine interview, he summarises his thinking behind the concept as: “I had always driven very speedy cars. I had an Alfa Romeo, also a BMW, and others... By the end of the war, I had a Volkswagen Cabriolet with a supercharged engine, and that was the basic idea. I saw that if you had enough power in a small car, it is nicer to drive than if you have a big car which is also overpowered. And it is more fun. On this basic idea, we started the first Porsche prototype.”