Porsche 356 No 1 1948 posters


Porsche 356 No 1

In 1948, Ferry Porsche expressed his idea of building a sports car powered by Volkswagen components to which he labelled the code-name "VW-Sports" with a construction number of 356. This vision of Ferry Porsche's, which was to create a sports car he himself liked, was immensely risky for the time period since people were focusing on practical, inexpensive cars after the war. But other aficionados of the automobile shared the same dream as well. This ambition to build a mid-engined roadster weighing slightly more than 1,290 lb with a 35-bhp power unit and a top speed of 135 km/h or 84 mph was finally homologated on the 8th of June 1948 by the State Government of Carinthia and was given the chassis number 356-001. Erwin Komenda, the Director of Body Development at Porsche, was responsible for designing and constructing the aluminium body whilst the flat-four power unit, along with the gearbox, suspension, springs and steering, all came from Volkswagen. With the new car's popularity a small production series was initiated when Ferry Porsche and the Managing Director of Volkswagenwerk, Rupprecht von Senger, agreed to use their distribution network. In return for all of these parts, they received a licence fee from Volkswagen for every Beetle that was built. The production of the first "regular" Porsche Type 356/2 coupés and cabriolets started in Gmünd in the second half of 1948 and the foundation was set for Porsche KG to manufacturer sports cars. As Ferry Porsche stated on the occasion of his 75th birthday: "I can readily admit that the initiative came through Cisitalia", meaning this was what led to the beginnings of the Porsche 356.

Own a piece of automotive history with our Porsche 356 No 1 1948 merchandise. Our posters, mouse pads, t-shirts, and calendars are perfect for any classic car enthusiast. Get yours now before we're sold out!