1956 Porsche 356A

The 356 was the work of Ferry Porsche and based on his father's Volkswagen Beetle. It had a platform-type chassis with a rear-mounted air-cooled engine. The new suspension was comprised of an all-independent torsion bar setup with larger shock absorbers, and revised suspension bump stops. During the first phase of 356 development, the engine grew from 1.3 to 1.5 liters; the original split windscreen was replaced by a one-piece unit, and a Porsche synchromesh gearbox was added. Fitted luggage was available and additional legroom was made possible by lowering the car's floor.

Over 10,000 Porsche cars had been manufactured by 1956 and its credibility on the race track had been well established. The Porsche Spyder won class victories in 1952, 1953, and 1954 (the last earning a 1st and 2nd in class and a 3rd and 4th overall) at the Carrera Panamericana. In celebration, Porsche installed a slightly de-tuned version of the 550's 1.5-liter, four-cam, twin-plug racing engine into a limited number of production cars. To test the concept, a few 356 Pre-A examples were built (roughly four coupes and 14 speedsters). The models that followed were called the Carrera.

The restyled 356A made its introduction at the 1955 Frankfurt Motor Show as a 1956 model. It came with a curved windscreen and smaller 15-inch wheels (from the 16-inch size of the Pre-As). Coupe and Cabriolet body styles were offered, as well as the limited production Speedster. The Roadster-type sportscar was tailored by Max Hoffman and intended for the American market. The stylish and sleek roadster had a low, raked windshield that could easily be removed for racing. The interior had light bucket seats and the side windows were discarded in favor of lightweight side curtains. Introduced for 1954, 200 examples were built initially, but the next year's sales grew to more than 1,000. The Speedster was the lightest of the 356s and offered impressive performance and handling characteristics.

Five engines were available on the 356A in most markets - three in America. The 1,600cc engine replaced the previous 1.5-liter unit and would be standardized on the successor 356B model. The new Fuhrmann-designed, dry-sump, roller-bearing engine, with chrome-plated cylinder bores and an 8.1 compression ratio could be ordered in all three of Porsche's body styles. A new Type 644 transmission with a single-piece case was installed, with the gear shafts being installed from the font. On the left-rear wing, protected by a mesh screen, was the oil tank for the dry-sump lubrication system. Fuel flow was controlled by a pair of Autopulse fuel pumps and a pressure-reducing valve.

The bodies were supplied by the Reutter company, located in Stuttgart.

The 1956 Porsche 356 A
The Porsche 356A Coupe with 2+2 seating was priced at approximately $3,670 in the United States, the Roadster at $3,220, and the two-passenger Cabriolet at just over $3,900. The horizontally opposed, overhead-valve four-cylinder, air-cooled engine displaced 96.5 cubic inches (1,582cc) with four main bearings, solid valve lifters, two carburetors (twin Solex 40 PBIC or Zenith carbs), and delivered approximately 59 horsepower at 4,500 RPM and 81 lbs-ft of torque at 2,800 RPM. The rear-mounted engine was installed in a steel unibody platform with boxed, pressed-steel platform chassis that was suspended by an independent setup with the front using parallel trailing arms while the rear had swing axles with transverse torsion bars all round. The engine was backed by a four-speed manual transaxle and stopping power was courtesy of hydraulic four-wheel drum brakes.

The 1600 'S' engine was similar to the 1,582cc unit but with higher compression (8.5:1 compared to 7.5:1) and produced nearly 90 horsepower at 5,000 RPM and 86 lbs-ft of torque at 3,700 RPM. The smaller 78.5 cubic-inch (1,286cc) engine was optional, except in the Speedster, and produced nearly 45 horsepower at 4,200 RPM and 59 lbs-ft of torque at 2,800 RPM. It used two Solex carburetors, four main bearings, solid valve lifters, and overhead valves. The 1300 S or 'Super' which was introduced in 1953 had higher compression and delivered nearly 60 horsepower and 63 lbs-ft of torque.

Only the earliest 1956 Porsche models destined for the American market wore the golden 'European' fender script. Porsche was forced to discontinue the Continental model at the end of the 1955 model year after mounting pressure from the Ford Motor Company. Its name was changed to European for just a few months so that script would cover the pre-drilled fenders intended for the Continental. It is believed that only seven Cabriolets were built with the 'European' script.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2019