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On the road in the first Porsche (356-001)

Name: Porsche 356-001 1948
Brand: Porsche

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Created on August 1, 1976

Text:

Jerry Sloniger

Photos:

Porsche AG (Archiv)

Emanuel Zifreund

Markus Leser, Porsche

Porsche AG / Porsche Schweiz AG

Porsche Soundnacht 2018

Werk

Porsche AG

Archiv

Porsche AG (Archiv)

Emanuel Zifreund

Markus Leser, Porsche

Porsche AG / Porsche Schweiz AG

Porsche Soundnacht 2018

Werk

Porsche AG

Archiv

17 2

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Porsche 356 (1948) - early variant with mid-engine

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Porsche 356 "No. 1" Roadster (photographed around 1950)

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Porsche 356 Roadster prototype (1948) - test drive with 356-001 in 1976

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Porsche 356 Roadster in the garage - Porsche Sound Night 2018

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Porsche 356 Roadster - Drive - Porsche Sound Night 2018

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Walter Röhrl presents the Porsche 356 Roadster - Porsche Soundnacht 2018

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Porsche 356 Roadster - Warm-up - Porsche Sound Night 2018

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Porsche 356-001 (1948) - the first Porsche No. 1 with Neel Jani at the wheel on the former track of the Swiss Grand Prix in Bremgarten

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Porsche 356 Roadster on the track - Porsche Soundnacht 2018

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Porsche 356 No. 1 (1948) - at the sound test

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Summary

The first Porsche sports car did not have the engine behind the rear axle, but in front of it. This mid-engined roadster was never built in series, but it has survived. Jerry Sloniger was able to test drive it almost 40 years ago, when the car in its original form was available for a few test kilometers. This driving report summarizes his impressions at the time and describes the first Porsche, illustrated with many historical pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Problem-free production
First breakdown
Changeable fate
Original or not?
The driving experience
Technical data of the Porsche 356-001

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

How did the first Porsche to bear its builder's name on the front end come about? Perhaps the story has been somewhat mystified over the course of a quarter of a century - but what is certain is that in 1947 Ferry Porsche was not satisfied with driving comfort in former military buckets and attempted to put a light, sporty vehicle on wheels based on the Volkswagen developed by his father and himself. What was later presented for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show as an automobile named Porsche was a closed GT coupé - the open prototype initially remained the only car of its kind. It was a true roadster with a mid-engine, whereas later, as is well known, the engine was moved to the rear in order to gain a little more space in the cockpit. When you take the car with chassis number 356-001 for a few test laps, you realize what thirty years of automotive engineering progress means...

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