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Porsche 356 1500 - economical king of the highway (ZQ)

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Created on June 12, 1954

Reading time 14min

Written by:

H. U. Wieselmann

Photos:

Rasy Ran - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

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Archiv Porsche AG

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Archiv

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Rasy Ran - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

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Archiv Porsche AG

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Archiv

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - nur 2,1 Meter lang war der Radstand

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - der komfortable König der Landstrasse

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - ein frühes Coupé mit Knickscheibe

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - als Luftwiderstandsbeiwert nannte man damals 0,28

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - mit 1,66 Meter überdurchschnittlich breit für damalige Verhältnisse

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - noch mit den kleinen runden Rückleuchten

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - 3,95 Meter lang

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - auch als "Dame" über 160 km/h schnell

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - die frühen 356 waren an funktioneller Eleganz fast nicht zu übertreffen

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - alles im Griff am Fahrerarbeitsplatz

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - das grosse Lenkrad erlaubt den uneingeschränkten Blick auf die Instrumente

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - unverkleidetes Blech an der Armaturentrafel

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - grosszügiges Interieur

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - grosser Schalthebel, der für den Gangwechsel im synchronisierten Getriebe zuständig war

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - Sonnenblenden

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - umklappbare Rücksitze - entweder für zwei kleine Kinder ...

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - umklappbare Rücksitze - oder für zusätzliches Gepäck

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - Blick in den Kofferraum, ausser für den Tank und das Reserverad war da aber nicht allzuviel Platz

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - Chassis-Plakette

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - der Vierzylinder-Boxer ist luftgekühlt

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - die Plakette des Karosseriebauer Reutter

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - mit Porsche-Schriftzug und Stossstangenhörner

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - Stossstangenhörner auch hinten

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Die neue Halle von Porsche im Jahr 1953 - links die Büroräume, dahinter die Montage der Motoren, in der Mitte die Fertigung der Wagen, rechts die Endfertigung und Abnahme inkl. Bereitstellung

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Porsche 356 1500 (1953) - bei Probefahrten anfangs der Fünfzigerjahre

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Porsche 356 Coupé (1954) - elegant und zweckorientiert, ohne Firlefanz

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Porsche Typ 356 (1952) - mit dem berühmten Knick in der Frontscheibe

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Porsche Typ 356 (1952) - als Cabriolet für den amerikanischen Markt und als Coupé, wie es in Deutschland ausgeliefert wurde

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Porsche 356 (1951) - auf Erprobungsfahrten auf der Solitude-Rennstrecke

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Porsche 356 Super (1952) - Fürst Paul Alfons von Metternich links und der brasilianische Beifahrer de Teffé

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Porsche 356 (1951) - das robuste Chassis des Porsche 356 - halb selbsttragender Rahmenkörper genannt

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Porsche 356 (1953) - die strömungsgünstige Form zeigt sich auch von oben

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Porsche 356 (1953) - immer mehr Leistung holen die Porsche-Ingenieure aus dem Boxermotor

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Summary

In the early 1950s, the Porsche 356 was the car to beat - there was hardly any domestic competition. With a drag coefficient of 0.29 and a cross-sectional area of 1.62 square meters, it ran at over 160 km/h with just 55 hp, outpacing almost all other cars on the autobahn. It was a time when car testers still knew their stuff and could even afford the more expensive items in their descriptions, in this case a Porsche. And they still liked to test drive it again and again, if only to measure progress. This vehicle report dates from 1954 and is illustrated with historical and modern pictures showing the car in its former and present glory.

This article contains the following chapters

Remaining personal despite growth
Uniquely economical king of the highway
Unique, but not revolutionary
Sophisticated technology
Difficult to compare
Comfortable and improved in detail
The sophisticated "lady"
The sporty "Super" for the connoisseurs
High level of safety and special driving technique
A car for connoisseurs
Technical data
Further information

Estimated reading time: 14min

Preview (beginning of the article)

This report appeared in the summer of 1954 in issue 12/1954 of "auto motor und sport": This time, we have definitely escaped the (at least financial) danger to which the authors of our two previous Porsche tests (issues 16/51 and 15/52) fell victim by buying such a car. We already have one. The other, however, which can best be derived from the Latin phrase "Difficile est satiram non scribere", in this case: not to sing a song of praise, is to be met manfully. What has become of the small makeshift factory since then, where they designed, built and braked engines and assembled cars in barracks! Originally, the private company, which was mainly engaged in construction work for third parties, intended to build a maximum of 150 or 200 Porsche cars in total over time for a limited circle of enthusiasts. And today, when the list of international Porsche successes of the previous year alone takes up 9 printed pages, a modern factory stands where only two years ago there was Sturzacker, the 5000th car has long since been delivered, there is a gatekeeper with a barrier that only goes up after a visitor's pass has been filled in ...

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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