To quote the brochure: “The knowledge gained from the manufacture of racing cars, and the invaluable experience accumulated over many years have all been incorporated in this successful design. Constant improvements to detail have been made on the Porsche car, and in its present form it may be considered to have reached a state of perfection. No changes have been made in the external shape of the vehicle, since this was aerodynamically the best solution, and its undated elegant form has become a symbol of technical beauty in our age”.
1955 Porsche 356 A
The 356 A was available with a 1300, 1300 S, 1600 or 1600 S engine.
Specification Porsche 356 A 1600 S
Engine Air-cooled, horizontally opposed 4-cyl, 1582 cc
The 356 models are readily identifiable by their split (1948 to 1952) or bent (centre-creased / Knickscheibe) (1953 to 1955) windscreens. In late 1955 the 356 A appeared, with a curved windscreen.
These are the first series, built from 1948 to 1952 with a split windscreen and very low bumpers. These cars were built in Gmünd in Austria until 1951 when Porsche moved back to Stuttgart, Germany.
1949 Porsche 3561953 Porsche 356
When Ferry Porsche developed the first Roadster prototype to create an alloy coupé in 1948, it was a successful move. In contrast to the Porsche Number 1, the engine was now moved behind the rear axle, as with the VW, to create space for two small emergency seats. Around 50 examples of the 356 aluminium coupé were produced between 1949 and 1951 in the Austrian town of Gmünd, and then provisional production lines were set up in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.
The Peugeot 403 was designed by Pininfarina and was much roomier than the 203. The engine, a 1468 cc unit, produced 58 hp. It was available as a saloon, a cabriolet (the car Lieutenant Columbo drives in the TV series) and as a ‘break’.
During the war Peugeot had been planning a new ‘post-war’ model, and were able to introduce the new 203 in the Autumn of 1947. It was a sensationally modern car with a streamlined unitary body and a new four-cylinder 1300 cc engine. Although it would continue to be manufactured for many years longer, its replacement already appeared in 1955: the Peugeot 403.
