Porsche 356 & Porsche Special Editions

Porsche 356: 75th Anniversary relates the full story of Porsche’s original sports car from the first Gmund coupe to today’s beloved collector car.

Ferdinand Porsche was a brilliant engineer who, prior to World War II, had been involved in a variety of significant automotive engineering developments including the first hybrid drive  vehicles. From the early 1900s, Porsche was developing racing cars including the Mercedes SSK and the mighty Auto Union Grand Prix. During this period, Porsche also developed the groundbreaking Volkswagen, which would prove critical to his postwar, namesake automobile manufacturer.

The Typ 356 was developed by Ferdinand’s son “Ferry” Porsche and introduced in 1948. Though the rear-engine layout was based on the Volkswagen, most similarities ended there. The 356 had a unique chassis, higher performing engine, and a handsome wind-cheating body. Little known outside Germany initially, by the early 1950s the 356s were lauded for their excellent handling, build quality, and growing volume of competition successes. 

Porsche’s 356 evolved over its 17-year life through four distinct series: pre-A, A, B, and C, with coupes, cabriolets, Speedsters, Hardtops, and Roadsters among the many body variations. Equipped with the “Carrera” 4-cam engine, the 356 was a force in sports car racing. Dedicated competition models were developed beginning in 1953, and the Rennsport Spyders dominated road racing, endurance, and hill climb events for over a decade.

The 356 story includes a cast of fascinating characters, from those engineers who designed the cars, to race drivers who built the “giant-killer” mystique, to owners like James Dean and Janis Joplin who fell in love with the little bathtub-shaped sports cars. From titled European gentlemen in the 1950s to movie stars like Paul Newman and Steve McQueen in the 1960s, the first Porsches attracted enthusiasts and racers alike. Today, the car has an even wider following among collectors including Porsche fans like Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno. “356 Fascination” continues with ongoing restoration efforts, vintage racing, and an “Outlaw” movement, all enhanced by large-scale events that celebrate the car’s history.

Porsche 356 75th Anniversary tells the in-depth story and is a must-have book for anyone that loves Porsche and sports car history.

Porsche is a world-renowned brand that is known best for producing highly sought-after sports cars, exotic cars and more recently for high-performance sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and high-tech luxury electric cars. Additionally, Porsche is a world-dominating sports car racing brand with factory-built-andbacked motorsport activities dating to the early 1950s, having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright more than any other carmaker, dominating sports car racing, endurance racing, and championship-level rallying around the world.

Enthusiasts at all levels generally recognize and can identify on sight Porsche’s most iconic and mainstay models, such as the original 356 models of the 1950s and early 1960s, the seminal 911 first shown in 1963 and still in production nearly seven decades later, and perhaps the mid-engine 914. Each of these model platforms contain many subsets of special-edition versions built to higher levels of style, performance, luxury, or rarity. These include a variety of anniversary editions, commemorating certain landmarks in the marque’s history.

Lumping all Porsches into the “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all” category is to miss the design, details, and performance of many great cars. These cars range from relatively straightforward color and trim combinations to limited-edition, high-performance machines, including several generations of modern 911-based Speedsters, Turbos, slant-nose Flachbaus, select RS and ClubSport models, special 356s, factory and independent concepts, and design studies. The unique work of low-volume production houses, such as Germany’s RUF, and high-end restoration and custom build shops, such as Singer Vehicle Design, Guntherwerks, and others, are also found here. This book contains a veritable Smorgasbord of interesting, rare, and unique special Porsches from around the world.

• While there have been plenty of books published about Porsche over the years, none have focused on the special editions.

• This book is filled with wonderful photography from the Porsche archives.

• Written by Porsche expert and enthusiast Matt Stone.

About the Author

Matt Stone is a freelance journalist, author, broadcaster, and former editor of Motor Trend Classic magazine. He has been a professional automotive journalist/photographer since 1990. Stone has a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona with a major in business, and minors in journalism and marketing. He has authored and photographed several automotive books and is a former member of the Speed/Fox Sports television network’s Barrett-Jackson auction broadcast team. Matt is also a judge at various Concours d’Elegance and a member of the LeMay-America’s Car Museum Steering Committee. He serves his profession as a past officer and board of directors member, keynote address committee chairman, and past president of the Motor Press Guild trade association.