I am lucky to live in Los Angeles where the weather is nearly perfect year round. The car mecca of the world, it’s a common site to see variants of every sports car, old or new, running around town. Porsches are everywhere, a common sighting, as their distinct style makes them a standout, even in a veritable sea of expensive machines.
Great as they are, contemporary Porsches are barely worth a glance here in jaded Southern California. The Porsche that garners all the attention is the raspy little one. The one that moms, dads and kids point to, the one everyone looks at, the Rose Bowl float of Porsches, and the way it all began for the Germany manufacturer, the humble 356.
Ask any Porsche enthusiast where Porsches are made and they will mention Zuffenhausen, Germany, where most production has taken place since 1950. Ask any hard core Porsche enthusiast, as most are, and they will delight in telling you that the first 50 cars built were manufactured in a small town in Austria in 1948 called Gmünd. Ask this latter group nicely and they might let you see their “Porsche” tattoo. This little Austrian town was where it all started for the iconic sports car manufacturer, with the debut of the Porsche 356.
Using many of its mechanical components like the engine and suspension, Ferry Porsche built the 356 using the rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive setup of the Beetle, designed by his father, Ferdinand Porsche, to create a sports car from the Beetle’s platform.
As to the name, Ferdinand Porsche’s engineering company, established in 1931, implemented a sequential numbering system for all projects and orders, commencing with project number seven. This internally established system of consecutive numbers had become well-established by 1948, when the numbers had reached 356. Consequently, the first car to be constructed under the official Porsche brand name was designated as project 356, which subsequently became its name.
Parking any current 911 Porsche next to the first 356 and you will understand how the contemporary model got where it is today. While technology, materials and manufacturing have radically changed over the decades, the basic design and philosophy of Porsche is a continuation of the original cars, and lets you peek into the minds of the engineers behind the line of cars that have become the world’s benchmark for style, performance and luxury. I can think of few other car manufacturers that can visually trace their lineage the way Porsche can with that started out as the utilitarian VW Beetle.
Most sports car fans consider Porsche one of the greatest motor racing manufacturers in the world. In 1951, Porsche garnered worldwide attention with a class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with arguably, most significant Porsche in history, the 356SL.
How the light weight, aerodynamic 356SL stole races from larger high horsepower cars became obvious as the years unfolded, and this special car was resurrected as legendary Porsche builder Rod Emory, his team, and the owner, all in a quest to identify the exact car, then to restore it as it was raced.
In 2024, Porsche produced around 300,000 vehicles. Of those, 50,941 examples of the 911 in various configurations were delivered, continuing the DNA of the original 356, underlining how many fans of the marque are anxious to own one of the finest sports cars on the road. Somewhere between a Porsche 911 Carrera from $114,400 MSRP*, and the Porsche 911 S/T from $290,000 MSRP*, you can find a machine with the same basic premise; rear-engine, agile, purposefully built to connect car and driver in the most exciting ways.
The original price in 1948 for the 356 coupe was US$3,750, the cabriolet cost US$4,250 and both versions sold somewhere in the middle compared to its contemporaries, the Jaguar XK-120 at $2,000-3,000, and the much more expensive Ferrari 166. You can find a chart of prices over the years, below. Approximately half of the 76,000 originally produced 356s survive. But if you are still interested in owning and driving how it all started, these are some of the latest figures for the 356:
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356A Speedster: $350,000–$700,000
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356C Coupe: $90,000–$180,000
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Carrera 2 GS: $500,000–$900,000
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Gmünd Coupe: $1M+ (very rare)
If you are looking for the same driving experience without the price point or maintenance worries, consider a replica. I recently spent some time in a replica Speedster while visiting Monterey Touring Vehicles in Monterey, California. Owner Heather Gardner, and Business Director Erin Solicito, have carved out a unique niche in Central California, with nearly 40 fully-restored vintage vehicles for rent. A marvelous way to explore the Monterey Peninsula, Big Sur, Pebble Beach and the surrounding area, my 356 replica recalled the past experiences I’ve had driving these wonderful little machines. Reach them at 831-337-8800 and reserve one of several vintage Porsches they have available, or try something else for a large dollop of nostalgia.
