The Second Porsche Sports Car

The beautiful Porsche 356 was designed by Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche, the son of the VW Beetle designer by the same name. It remained in production for 27 years (1948-1965) and over 75,000 were produced in both coupe and cabriolet variants, including the famed Speedster model. The car's liquid lines have graced such, uh, classic films as Top Gun and Doc Hollywood. But lets not hold that against it.

The original 356 borrowed engine, chassis and suspension components from the VW Beetle. In fact, there were only 4 Porsche 356s manufactured during 1948. They featured handmade aluminum bodies and were the only 356s to have the engine mounted in front of the rear axle. Unlike today's 500 HP ubercars, it was equipped with a 1.1L engine that put out a meager 40 HP. The factory moved to Stuttgart in 1950 and the famed Speedster debuted in 1954. It offered a shortened windshield and only the essential accessories. It arrived in the USA with a recommended price of $2,995. A legend was born.

Oh, and in case you're wondering what the first Porsche was, it was the VW Aerocoupe, also known as the Porsche 64. It's considered by many to be the first "real" car from Porsche. Three were built in the late 1930s, and only one exists today. [the image is of Bertrand Picard's Pascha Red 356 Coupe, which was beautifully restored in 1994.]

Porsche 356 Registry: The world's oldest & largest 356 club

Related:
Retro Thing's Top 20 Retro Cars
The Forgotten Porsche