The First Porsche Production Automobile

Despite arguments to the contrary, the Porsche 356 is known as the first Porsche production automobile to be mass-produced for sale all over the world. The arguments relate to the Porsche 64 which was produced by the German company, yet it was never mass-produced for sale to the public. It was purely a test mule. This proves that the Porsche 365, which was sold from 1948 through to 1965, was really the first Porsche car produced for sale. The models of the Porsche 356 that were available were initially the coupe, the cabriolet (which is a luxury convertible) and then the roadster which is a stripped down version of the convertible. Before this model was withdrawn in 1965 it went through several alterations and improvements. 150 000, the Super 90 and the famous Speedster. In 1954, Max Hoffman was the only importer of the Porsche car into the United States. He soon realized that he needed a more cost effective, racier version of the popular German car for the American market.

This is how the creation of the 356 Speedster came about! The Speedster became an instant hit with its compact little body, removable windshield for racing, bucket seats and minimal folding top. Even in the modern day and age, the Speedster is still valued and loved. 100 000 and has even been used in several famous films. It is admired and treasured as a collector's item. The production of the Speedster peaked at 1, 171 cars, and that was all the way back in 1957. In 1959 the Speedster was replaced by a more sensible version - the convertible D model. The D model featured a taller windshield, glass side windows, and more comfy seats. Because of its fame, and widespread appreciation, the basic shape of the Porsche 356 remained the same. Of course a few changes were made, especially in the mechanical area. This was a normal progression as advances in motor technology were achieved and the performance of the car could be improved. In the year that Porsche launched the 911, the production of the Porsche 356 peaked at 14, 151 cars! Although they had released their new model, the 911, the company continued to sell the 356C through to the end of 1965 in North America. Unfortunately, the customers complained that the price of the 911 was too high. It was almost twice the price of the 356! 56 years after the beginning of its production, the 356C has been named number 10 on the list of 'Top Sports Cars of the 60's' by Sports Car International. Even today, the 356 is a greatly respected car among collectors. It has really stood the test of time! Worldwide, thousands of 356 owners maintain the tradition, and preserve and drive their treasures regularly.

It gained 2.2 inches of length, while the wheelbase increased by 3.9 inches. These changes effectively moved the rear axle back three inches, which made the 911 a little less rear-engined than before. This was done to increase stability and comfort, and in concert with a two inch wider front track, produce a more neutral handling balance. Old 911s are defined by tricky handling characteristics you expect with a small rear-engine car; the 991 isn't too tricky at all. For a lot of people, though, the 991 never felt quite right. Objectively, it handled better than ever, but the appeal of the 911 has never been fully rational. After all, it's a car that developed a cult following precisely because of its faults. Recall that in the 1980s, Porsche tried to phase out the primitive, tricky-to-drive 911 with the sensible front-engine 944 and 928. It didn't work, mainly because people kept buying 911s, faults be damned.

By making the 911 bigger and improving the handling, the 991 got further away from what made the 911 so beloved in the first place. Other decisions Porsche made during the 991's lifetime didn't win favor with purists either. For starters, there was the use of electric power steering, which boosted efficiency but made the 911's steering wheel a lot less chatty than the hydraulic power assistance employed before. Another defining characteristic of the 911, seemingly lost to modernity. Then Porsche dumped manual transmissions in the GT3 and GT3 RS, causing a purist's revolt. And in 2015, the lovely naturally aspirated flat-sixes in the 911 Carrera range were dropped for a 3.0-liter twin-turbo motor. It seemed the 911 was losing its magic. Enthusiasts turned to old 911s, driving up the prices of air-cooled models and older GT3s and GT3 RSes significantly over the 991's life. But to Porsche's credit, the right people were paying attention.

鈥淚 say these guy are all a little bit crazy, but they're all crazy in the same way,鈥?Achleitner told me. One of 鈥渢hose guys鈥?is Andreas Preuninger, the man responsible for GT3s. He created the 911 R in 2016. It was the lightest 991 yet, and it combined the 4.0-liter, 500-hp flat-six from the GT3 RS with a six-speed manual gearbox. Preuninger was clever when it came to the chassis setup of the R, too. He decided to prioritize fun on the road over lap times on track, and it worked. The R is an absolute gem, offering old-school thrills with modern performance and capability. It's probably the 991 at its finest. People at the top of Porsche didn鈥檛 think there would be much of a market for the R, so they capped production at 991 units, offering most to those who bought the 918 Spyder. 500,000 on the second-hand market.