[ported_head]

I plan to have every model ever made by Porsche listed here. It's a very ambitious project considering the number of models they have made over the year, but i should think it would be great to have an archive at TB.

Gmund Coupe

Year: 1948-50

On 25 april 1931 Professor Ferdinand Porsche founded his automotive engineering company. The company was named:
"Porsche Konstruktionsburo für Motorenfahrzeug und Wasserfahrzeugbau". Porsche engineering designed merely for automotive manufacturers. Porsche engineering designed and constructed small cars for Zündapp, NSU and Wanderer. Porsche also engineered a fair share of the Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix racing cars and some components were even built by Porsche engineering.
The most important prewar successes of Porsche engineering were the development and production of the Auto Union Grand Prix racing cars and the design and production of the "Kraft-Durch-Freude-Wagen" later to be known (and become world famous) as Volkswagen Beetle. Ferdinand Porsches big dream was to build sportscars carrying his own name... In the year 1936 he started project 60K10, a racing car prototype to participate in the Berlin-Rome road race. The 60K10 was mechanically based on "KDF-Wagen" components of which the chassis, engine and other components were used. In 1939 project 60K10 was finished; a beautiful aluminium bodied aerodynamic racing car was the result. Regretfully the second world war became reality and all projects at Porsche were stopped and the Berlin-Rome road race was cancelled. Porsche moved his company and the production line to an old sawmill in Gmünd, Austria. After the second world war not much was left of the German industry, everything needed to be rebuilt. The old Porsche company building in Stuttgart Germany was taken by the allies, the personnel had to manufacture gardening equipment and repair farming machinery.
In the old sawmill in Gmünd Ferdinand Porsches son Ferry Porsche and *Prof. Eberan van Eberhorst started working on project 356 in the year 1947. On that moment in time Ferdinand Porsche was still imprisoned in France being suspected of war crimes. Ferdinand Porsche was found not guilty and was set free in August 1947. He joined project 356 and the first prototype was finished in march 1948; Porsche 356-001 was born, aka Gmund coupe.




The very first of the Porsches prototypes were designed by Ferry Porsche himself. The design was heavily influenced by aerodynamics and the four cylinder air cooled 1086cc engine was center mounted and located just in front of the rear axle and developed between 35 and 40 bhp. Though the production model incorporated some changes, the most evident of them being that the engine was relocated behind the rear axle. The chassis with tubular framework was covered with aluminium body panels. Mechanicals from gearbox to torsion-bar suspension were borrowed from the relatively humble Beetle. Drum brakes were fitted all around. The production Porsche 356 shape was designed by Erwin Komenda . Performance was fairly meaty for it’s time with a top speed of around 80 mph. Around 50 of these hand made coupes were made, few of which survive today. A Gmund Coupe also won its class at the 1951 24 Heures du Le Mans, which started the very trend that Porsche followed till late, dominating motor sports.

Wheelbase- 2100 mm
Length- 3850 mm – 4010 mm
Width- 1660 mm


Here are some Gmund coupe brochures by Porsche. One of the earliest one's ever.

[F50]

Hey Ported Head keep it comin' coz after Ferrari I love these cars from Stuttgart man im also a Porsche fan

[Revvmaster]

Well done Ported

Fantastic info on the Gmund. Great details, great sense of information placement with pics. Keep it up pal. Can't wait till you get to

1. 1955 550 Spyder
2. 1973 911 Carrera RS
3. 1978 Porsche 911 Turbo
4. 1987 Porsche 959
5. 2001 996-911 Turbo

Gee.. i am rubbing my hands in glee at the prospect of it.

Revv

[GTO]

Simply amazing Ported. Admittedly ignorant about Porsches (They never appealed to me the way other exotics have), I look forward to information from your end.

GTO

[Aditya]

Excellent stuff, Ported. Keep it coming. It's a treat for a Porsche fan like me.

[Dippy]

Amzing pictures ported. Coming from a true Porsche enthusiast . eagery waiting for the next in the series..

Dippy

[ported_head]

356 ‘ Pre-A’

Year: 1950-55


Porsche relocated to Stuttgart where the erstwhile factory premises were being used by the American army as a vehicle repair shop. So Ferry Porsche rented a facility next door, and rented additional place at the famous coachbuilder Reutter.
The first Stuttgart built 356’s are the ‘Pre-A’s’ built from the beginning of 1950 through to September 1955. Reutter had received order to build 500 bodies. When Porsche moved to Stuttgart, the major shift in the manufacturing of bodies was that they were made of steel rather than an alloy as in the case of the Gmund coupes. The Pre-A’s were easily distinguishable because of the two piece windscreen with a rubber dividing seal running down the center, which in 1952 was changed to a bent windshield.

The car was also given a higher waistline than their predecessor.

A distinct ‘V’ shaped roof was given to accommodate the split windscreen. In 1950 the only engine on offer was the 1100cc air cooled flat-four engine which now produced a full 40 bhp. The aerodynamic shaped carried over allowed Porsche owners to enjoy high speed motoring without using powerful engines, in this model the top whack being 87 mph.

Based on the Porsche designed, flat four air-cooled Volkswagen unit, Porsche engines had reworked cylinder heads for improved breathing and were fitted with twin Solex 32 PBI carburetors, mated to a ‘Crash-box’ transmission. The car rode on 16-inch wheels.

1951 saw the addition of two more engine options to the models:
1. 1300cc flat-four air cooled engine producing 44 bhp and ensuring a top speed of 90 mph.
2. 1500cc flat-four air cooled engine producing 60 bhp and an achievable top speed of close to 100 mph.
The weight of the car all this while hovered between only 745-830 kgs depending on the engine configuration.
1952 saw the introduction of the 1500S, which produced all of 77 bhp and was enough to propel the car to 106 mph. The most significant introduction, though, came in 1953 when Porsche gave the world it’s first synchromesh gearbox. Several cosmetic changes were made from time-to-time, as well as changes to the interiors.

Prior to the introduction of the 356A in 1955 several detail changes were made in 1954. These included the fitting of the Porsche crest on the front lid. Max Hoffman the sole importer of Porsche into the US, urged Ferry Porsche to make a stripped down version of the Cabriolet to make a less-expensive stripped own version for the West Coast. Fair weather and lots of amateur racing made the Speedster an instant success. In 1955 14 Pre-A 356 Carrera Speedsters were made. These were regular Speedsters possibly equipped with 1500cc four-cam engines and options built to buyers’ needs. The very first cars did not use the Carrera name as it wasn’t used by Porsche back then.

Porsche's first colour sales brochure:

356 Pre-A brochure:

Speedster brochure:

[ported_head]

Thanks a lot guys. I can't wait myself till i get to the 911 series. But don't mind if i'm a little slow, especially with older models such as the 356s, the information is fairly hard to come by as well as the pictures. And guys wait till i get to the 996 series, i have some amazing pictures i just can't wait to share.

[ported_head]

The 356 SL (The Gmund Coupe)

Year:1951

Porsche's first official racing entry was the 356 SL which appeared at the famed Le Mans 24-Hour endurance classic in 1951, winning the 1100cc category to begin a record of success that continues to this day.
When representatives from Le Mans approached Porsche about participating in the event, the left over Gmund 356's seemed a perfect solution, being far lighter than their newer counterparts. n 1950 and 1951 Porsche recycled seven of these Gmünd cars for racing purposes. They gave these cars new chassis numbers and called them 356SLs. Their reason for doing this was that the aluminum Gmünd built cars were narrower and significantly lighter than the steel bodied cars that had been built in Stuttgart after the moved there in 1950. The 356SL coupes were specified at 1411 lbs while the steel bodied Stuttgart cars weighed 1763 lbs. In 1952, introduced were the 1488cc flat four engine pumped out 70 hp, which meant 0.11hp/kg and was mated to a four speed manual. The first four 356SLs were built to run the Liége-Rome-Liége Rally and then Monthléry, France for record setting and then sold off to private individuals. In 1951 before Le Mans an additional three cars were built to run at Le Mans. Actually only one car ran in the 1951 race because the other two were both involved in accidents that prevented them from racing there. The one car the did run at Le Mans won the 1100 cc class and was fifth in the Index of Performance. In 1952 three of these '1500 Super' engined 356SLs ran in the 1952 Le Mans race. Also in 1952 Max Hoffman imported three of these cars to the United States.

The 356 SL Gmund coupes achieved an outstanding record of success, not only at Le Mans, but also in a number of other events, ranging from rallies to speed record attempts. In all they served the factory from 1951 through 1954. Several also raced in North America, carving out their own winning tradition.

[ported_head]

356 A
Year: 1955-59

In September 1955 the first 356A was introduced to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show, for the model year 1956. The 356A was a logical development of the Porsche philosophy, more comfortable, luxurious and responsive, safer but easier to drive than the original Porsche, but nothing in the 356A’s specification suggested a break into wholly new territory. When the 356A was introduced in 1955, it was designated T1 and the Pre-A cars became known as T0 retrospectively. The T1 was much the same as before but many detail changes genuinely improved it. The comprehensive range of models comprised the Coupé, cabriolet and the Speedster (introduced in 1954). Engine choices extended to 1300cc and 1600cc in the Normal and Super models and the Carrera 1500 four cam. Cars fitted with the Normal engines became known as "Ladies" in Britain, "Dames" in the US and "Damen" in Germany, because they were generally smoother and more pleasant to drive.
The first of the 356A’s to roll off the production lines were ‘Technisches Programm 1’
(Technical Programme 1), so these models soon came to be known as T-1s. While they borrowed the shape from the older Pre-As, numerous subtle differences in the shape of the body and the features of the car were included, which were:
New Engines:
Four Cam Carrera engines were launched in the 1500cc and 1600cc engine capacity. These engines were directly derived from racing technology. They were dry sumped, reduced compression ratios and were higher revving.
The 1500cc Carrera engine produced 100 bhp and 87 lb-ft of torque.
The 1600cc Carrera engine produced 105 bhp and 88 lb-ft of torque, but wasn’t introduced until 1958.
The other engines on offer were the 1300/1600cc engines in the Normal and the Super guise.

Suspension Alterations:
The front wheels were supported lengthwise by levers, the rear wheels attached by pendulum shaft sections and fitted with spring vines.

15 inch rims were fitted in lieu of earlier 16 inchers.
Exterior: V-shaped curved windscreen does away with the split windscreen.
Interior: No longer detachable, the T1’s modernized dashboard looked superb. The three main instruments were equal in size with integral warning lights. The upper surface of the panel was padded and the shapely glove box lid acquired a chrome look. A more modern radio became available, with twin speakers positioned in the side kick panels. Vinyl replaced cloth on the insides too.

The major changes to the 356A though, were made in 1957, with the application of ‘Technisches Programm 2’ or easier said as T-2. Again several changes were made and actually the T2 was so successful that very few changes were made in 1958.
The changes made were as follows:
Gearbox: A new transmission, the 644, replaced the earlier 519, with an improved shifter, a split case, dual nose mounts and better synchros.
Technical: This included a new Ross type steering box by ZF, Zenith carburetors for the 1600 and 1600S engines, Normal guise engines with cast iron cylinders and black fan shroud. Super engines has silver fan shroud. Also the crankcase was modified with better oil distribution and more efficient cooling. All the models ran on fully synchronized, hydraulically operated drum brakes.
Exterior: Teardrop shaped tail lights were the major design change and small changes were made to the rest of the details. The tail pipes now exited through the bumper guards.

More than half the 356As sold were the Cabriolet or the Speedster versions.

[ported_head]

356B
Year:1959-63

Throughout 1958, improvements continued on the Carrera engine to yield higher horsepower. Production began on the Convertible D, a replacement for the Speedster. The 'D' stood for Drauz, the factory where it was made. The D was between that of the Speedster and the Cabriolet in terms of luxury and lightweight appointments.

In 1959 the last ever Speedster was made. Throughout 1958, Ferry Porsche and his team were working on ideas to update the 356 and a number of schemes were mooted both for the revised car and the future. Design studies for a T3 and a T4 version were shelved before the end of 1958. The 356B was launched at the Frankfurt Motor show in September 1959 and was a complete facelift of the previous design. It was the result of the "Technisches Programm 5" (technical program 5), and was known as the T5. The differences between the 356A T2 and the first 356B T5 were much more radical than between the original car and the 356, although externally they appeared to be the same. Changes were made in nearly all parts of the car, and the great majority turned out to be improvements. The 356B T5 version consisted of a Coupé, Cabriolet and Roadster (replacing the Convertible D of the A series). The Roadster model, the replacement of the Convertible D continued to be manufactured by Drauz. Later on production moved to Anciens Etablissements D'Ieteren Frères in Belgium. By the beginning of 1960 the Karmann Hardtop model entered the market.

Engines: The 1300 engine is dropped from the line up in wake of the new 356B T5, with the 1600 being the basic workhorse. The 1600S was offered in two states of tune producing 75bhp and the 616/7 engine producing 90 bhp, called the 1600 Super 90 with a counterweighted crank, light alloy cylinder barrels, sodium-filled valves and twin Solex P40-II carbeurettors.

The car had a top speed of around 175 km/h. The Super 90 model was equipped with compensating rear springs to eliminate the car's tendency to oversteer. It remained on the world's most reliable sports cars with the usual Teutonic build quality.

After only two years, Porsche made further changes to the 356's appearance when the T6 version appeared. The nose was modified again with a wider front lid and instead of being curved along its front edge, the line was flatter.

The windshield and rear window on the T6 was again increased in size. For the T6 the optional sunroof was electrically operated. The shapely engine lid was also increased in size and now had twin banked intakes.

To some the T6 resemble a frog on four wheels but to others its beauty was unrivalled. *Technical modifications included mainly, redesigned brake drums with 72 fins, a new steering box and the Super 90 engine.
In the spring of 1962, the Carrera 2 with its enlarged 2000cc four-cam engine was to become the ultimate road-going development of the 356.

Although there were only made 436 examples, all in the B and C series body, it remains one of the rarest and most desirable of all Porsches.

The Carrera 2 was not as fast as the Jaguar E-Type, which was also announced in 1961, but its sizzling performance, 130bhp and 210 km/h top speed capability was extracted from just 1966cc. Later 2000GS and GT versions, which were intended for competition, produced 140bhp and 155bhp respectively. Both were equipped with Weber 46 JDM carbs and had a compression ration of 9.8:1.

Speedster addicts made their feelings with the Convertible D in no uncertain terms. A Speedster with luxury interior and hood was not a proper Speedster, and the factory spend no time in renaming the Roadster (after some further revisions) to avoid further upsetting this small band of fanatics. A Carrera version of the Convertible D was not made, but a total of 25 Carrera Speedsters were built in 1959 fitted with the 1600 four-cam engine. An essential piece of equipment for all convertibles, a tonneau cover was never provided as standard, but was listed either as a factory option or an accessory.
In 1961, The Karmann Coachwerks is employed to make the "Hardtop", which is a Cabriolet body with a fixed hard roof. This profile gives the car the nickname "Notchback". Nearly 1750 of these cars were made over two years of production time.

By 1962, Karmann had made 2170 coupes along with the 4100 made by Reutter. Along with almost 1600 Cabriolets, production topped at 7900 for the year. Porsche began discussion with Reutter to purchase the coach maker and finally completely consolidate the successes of 12 years of co-operation.

[ported_head]

The factory also launched "Christophorus", a customer magazine of news and background on the Porsche lifestyle, around the same time.

[ported_head]

356C
Year: 1963-65

The 356C was announced in July 1963, a final version of the 356 which had brought Porsche both an international reputation and a healthy bank account. Porsche had grown so much that it took over Reutter coach building concern in March 1964. Reutter then became Recaro and concentrated on manufacture of car seats. Changes made to the 356C were relatively few by Porsche standards, because development of the 356 had gone as far as it could. There was no need to change the bodywork either because Porsche knew that it was aerodynamically efficient. In fact, the 356 had been improved so much that enthusiastic Porsche owners could enter sports car events and beat cars with double the engine capacity and horsepower.
The final version of the 356 body type came with the introduction of the 356C Type 6, in 1963. The most notable changes in the 356C were reworked engines, which now used cast iron cylinders. Also for the first time the cars had ATE spec disc brakes all around, a major breakthrough, and wheels and hubcaps were changed to accommodate the same.
The engine options on offer were modified too, with the 1600, 1600S and Super 90 being dropped in favour of the 1600C and 1600SC. The regular pushrod engines were limited to the above producing 75bhp and 95bhp respectively. The 1600SC engine was reliable and provided enthusiastic drivers with brisk performance but, represented a tuning limit for the air-cooled four-cylinder pushrod engines in the early 1960s. The 2000GS engine of the Four Cam type was also on offer producing 140bhp. New front anti sway bar and rear torsion bar were designed to cope with the reinforced performance.
In 1964 the 356 production reached an all time high of over 10,000 cars in a single year, surpassing the entire production of the first 10 years of the 356. The cabriolets remained as strong as ever accounting for almost a fifth of the total sales of the 356C. The last 10 356 cabriolets run off the production line in the calendar year 1966, finishing the 1965 model year run. The factory introduces the 911, presaging the end of the legacy that was the 356. About half of the entire production are believed to exist even today.

[ported_head]

coming up next:
Porsche 901

i know i'm lagging behind but since college has started it's an even bigger ##### when it comes to time.

[ported_head]

Porsche 356 B Carrera GTL Abarth

Nearing the end of the Fifties, Porsche’s 356 Carrera was losing pace to better peforming sets of wheels. To remain in the game Porsche understood that weight reduction and more aerodynamic efficiency were on call. The facts around these cars were though still very hazy. The most common viewpoint is that Porsche’s first port of call for their new machinery was Carlo Abarth, who had since long been working his magic on Fiat based machines, was approached in 1959 by Porsche to bless the German marques Carrera GT.

However, Porsche, under the assurance of Abarth, were originally led to believe that it would be Zagato fabricating bodywork for these new cars although the Milanese carrozzeria's contribution never materialised. Abarth commissioned ex-Bertone designer Franco Scaglione to come up with the re-profiled bodywork, and Rocco Motto in Turin to fabricate it. But Rocco's contribution was merely a fleeting one as, having manufactured the first three shells and received part payment for the entire run, he disappeared on what was described as an unplanned holiday. Production quickly got switched to another Turinese body builder, the little Viarengo & Filipponi works moving heaven and earth to complete the last eighteen aluminium shells. But after all the logistical problems of working with the Italian's, what became known as the GTL was able to do its talking on the track, securing a hat-trick of of Le Mans 24 Hour class victories between 1960 and '62.

The GTL in it's glory days, victory at LeMans

The first example was completed in late February 1960 and would have been finished sooner if only there had been sufficient space for the engine - its dimensions not having been taken into consideration when the prototype was designed back in Italy! All twenty one were built on chassis's and floor pans taken directly from Porsche's 356 B Carrera GT, this car featuring all-round independent suspension and hydraulically operated drum brakes although discs were quickly introduced, the factory using an experimental set on their works entry in 1960's Le Mans 24 Hours, the GTL's third race. Meanwhile, no less than five different engines were used in these cars between 1960 and '64, 1.6-litre motors initially with 115bhp being fitted but soon afterwards, both 128 and 135bhp units saw service, both with straight-through competition exhausts.

Even hotter two-litre versions with 155 and 180bhp were also plumbed into GTL's, but quite amazingly, even with the intermediate 128bhp 1.6 installed, Herbert Linge and Paul-Ernst Strahle were timed at 150.2mph down the Mulsanne Straight in 1960's Le Mans. Body-wise, the only existing parts carried over from the regular 356 were its headlamps although these were now set well back into the front wings and could be fitted with Plexiglas covers (which made the car look much prettier). Meanwhile, Scaglione's original elongated nose housed a prominent radiator duct flanked by two distinctive pods that were either used as brake-cooling channels or supplementary light bays.

Another interesting detail was the heavily louvred engine lid which, in true Abarth style, could also be propped open, some cars even featuring a cockpit-controlled rear lid mounted scoop located between the two highest banks of vents.

But although Scaglione was able to reduce the GTL's frontal area by 16% compared to the regular 356, instantly acquitting it with a far more drag resistant profile, it was certainly not a design to rival the prettiest Porsche and Abarth's. Inside, the cabins were spartanly finished, identical aluminium bucket seats to those of the GT normally being trimmed in black leatherette with velour centres, Porsche instruments being housed in a new lightweight aluminium dash. Binnacles of early GTL's featured two main dials, later models housing three, but all were fronted by an exquisite triple aluminium spoked, wood-rimmed Nardi steering wheel. Pretty uncomfortable for most tall drivers though, the GTL's cut-down windscreen meant headroom was at a premium. Various weight-saving measures ensured it tipped the scales around 50kg lighter than a regular Carrera GT, but the German marque were unhappy for a number of reasons, poor build quality, leaking seals and an insufficient steering radius convincing them that the collaboration with Abarth should go no further. However, they couldn't have been at all disappointed with the GTL's race record in the all-important World Manufacturers Championship. Indeed, GTL's would go on to take three consecutive class victories at Le Mans and no less than four in the Targa Florio. Meanwhile, Porsche also secured a hat-trick of class wins in the Nurburgring 1000km, Germay's highest profile endurance race of the year. There were three class wins at Sebring and two at Montlhery, GTL's also triumphing at Daytona, Bridgehampton, the Rossfeld Hillclimb and the Wiesbaden Rallye.
On a final note, there has been some disagreement in the past with regard to exactly how many GTL's were built. But twenty-one were eventually manufactured, their chassis numbers ranging from 1001 to 1021 although chassis 1019 was badly crashed when new and got subsequently rebuilt and renumbered as 1021, leaving us with twenty. Furthermore, chassis 1021 is believed to have been used in the rebuild of chassis 1002, the 1960 Targa Florio class winning car. Thus, whilst twenty-one GTL's were constructed, one was used in the reconstruction of another by Porsche and, in reality, only twenty ever existed at any one time.

special thanks to Mr. Sebastien Morliere, for the pics, though i don't know who he is, seems like a Porsche fan.