SLIDESHOW
Seven great Porsches that aren’t 911s
The 911 is 60 this autumn, and Porsche marks 75 years in business this year as well, because on 8 June 1948 its ‘Gmünd’ Roadster was certified for road use. From this small acorn grew one of the world’s most successful manufacturers of desirable cars. As we’ll be celebrating the 911 later this year, we’re going to mark Porsche’s 75th birthday with a look at some other of its most notable cars.
TOM EVANS
356 1948
The ‘Gmünd’ Roadster was originally hand-built in aluminium and was remarkably light as a result: just 585kg. Although it packed only a 35bhp 1.1-litre Beetle engine, it could crack 84mph. Just 50 were built in the company’s first two years in Austria until, in 1950, the firm moved to Stuttgart, and serial production begun, this time using steel as the model morphed into the 356. It gained 186kg as a result, along with beefier engines to compensate. It was clear the embryonic firm had a hit on its hands, and the car was continually improved and further engine upgrades arrived. When production ended in 1966, 76,313 examples of the 356 had been built, power was up to 95bhp, and enough cash had been generated to make the 911, the car that helped the firm attain legendary status. The final 10 356s were built for the Dutch motorway police (pictured).