1963 Porsche 356

The Porsche 356 was a very successful vehicle for Porsche with sales quickly exceeding expectations. The production versions were built alongside their racing counterparts benefiting from knowledge and technology gained from racing, and the road-going version quickly evolved into a refined sporting automobile. The first Porsche, introduced in 1948, was designated 356/2 and initially produced in Gmund, Austria. By the time production came to a close in April of 1965, more than 70,000 examples had been manufactured. The sleek and distinctive bodywork had been designed by Erwin Komenda, and the project was spearheaded by Ferry Porsche, the son of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. The lifespan of the 356 went through numerous and never-ending improvement, a hallmark that continues to this day.

The 356B debuted at Frankfurt in September 1959 with the new T-5 body style, while available engine options remained unchanged. The 'Super 90' motor became available as an option in 1960, the most powerful pushrod-type Porsche engine to date.

The 356B T-6 was powered by a 1740cc air-cooled four-cylinder engine, with power being sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox while four-wheel hydraulic drums provided the stopping power.

The T6 was first shown at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show and one of the most distinguishable features was the twin-engine cooling grilles mounted on the rear lid. In comparison to the T5, the T6 had a larger windscreen and the Coupe version received a larger back window. There were other subtle changes such as the spring-loaded fuel filler which was mounted in the right front wing. An electrically operated sunroof became available but at an additional cost.

Slow sales forced Porsche to discontinue the model in June of 1962. The production of the 356B continued until July of 1963 when the 356C was introduced.

Super 90
The 356B was available as a coupe, roadster, and cabriolet body style, with a small number of 'notch-back' coupes built in 1961 and 1962 by Karmann. All of these variants could be installed with a choice of three air-cooled OHV engines, the 60-horsepower Normal, the 75-horsepower Super, and the Type 616/7 'Super 90,' named for its peak horsepower at 5,500 RPM. The Super 90 had a higher-lift camshaft, a 9.1 compression ratio, and a pair of larger 40-millimeter Solex PII down-draft carburetors. A stronger Hausermann clutch package was adopted, and engine lubrication was upgraded for better longevity. With this engine installed, the 900 kilograms Porsche was capable of a 185 km/h top speed while returning 27 mpg. Large finned-aluminum drum brakes provided more than adequate stopping power.

Carrera 2 GS 2000
The Carrera was named for the famously grueling Mexican road race at which Porsche had dominated the 2-liter class. Initially available in Coupe, Convertible, and Speedster body styles, the Carrera would outgrow its original performance mandate, eventually becoming more luxurious.

The 356 Carrera, the first edition of Porsche's performance car, was introduced in 1955 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It was powered by a special race-bred engine that had been in development since 1952 and differed in nearly every detail from the standard Porsche engine. It used dual-cam valve actuation, twin distributor ignition, two twin-throat carburetors, and dry-sump lubrication. The four-cam engine was backed by a fully synchronized four-speed manual transaxle, with model-specific annular disc brakes at all four corners. The top speed was in the neighborhood of 125 mph.

The 356 B 2000 GS Carrera 2 Cabriolet was the most expensive and fastest Porsche road car of its day, with the $6,200 price about 50% more than the pushrod-engine model. The cost was mostly due to the complex Type 587/1 four-cam engine, which took nearly 100 hours to assemble. Total Carrera 2 CABS production in 1963 and 1964 was about 64 examples.

The updated Carrera had been first shown at the 1961 Frankfurt auto show and was exclusively available as a Coupe. The original dual-cam motor design was enlarged to two liters, increasing more power, and reclassified as the Type 587/1, resulting in the fastest Porsche road car to date. Other performance improvements included four-wheel ATE disc brakes, making it the first Porsche road car to be so equipped.

The Carrera 2 was introduced for the 1962 model year, being internally coded GS 2000 and wearing Reutter's twin rear-grille T-6 body style. Dual exhausts helped distinguish it from the standard pushrod 356B. The 587 two-liter engines could be distinguished from the earlier 1600 pushrod units by their rectangular camshaft covers and 12-volt electrical systems. Carburetion was by a pair of Solex 40PII-4 downdraft units that were fed by a single electric fuel pump. The fuel tank was slightly larger, at 110 liters, than the pushrod 356 C. To ease access to the spark plugs, small access panels were installed inside the rear wheel wells. A Type 751 fully synchronized four-speed gearbox was mated to the engine, sending power to the rear wheels. Approximately 310 examples of the Carrera 2 were made in total.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2018