Buyers Guide

Short Description
The 356 Porsche - a guide to. authenticity by Brett Johnson. Beeman. Jorgensen, ISBN 0 929758 08 0 … Four-speed manual,. rear-wheel drive. Suspension …

Website: www.octane-magazine.com | Filesize: 355kb

Content
You may not realise it, but you want a
356 - you really do. Get behind the wheel
of a decent one and you’ll want one so
bad that it’ll hurt; buy a bad one and it’ll
be an even more painful experience.
Ever since its launch in 1950, the 356
has been accused of being no more than a
poshed-up Volkswagen. While early 356s
featured some Beetle parts and the same
basic layout, the Porsche was an all-new
model with a very different construction
- plus superior aerodynamics and a far
better power-to-weight ratio. That’s why,
although early 356s have relatively little
power or torque, they accelerate quicker
and top out higher than you’d think.
It’s not just about speed though: while
the 356 has a reputation for being tricky
to drive in a hurry, the reality is that the
rear-mounted engine and torsion bar
suspension allow you to hustle the car
along much faster than most of its
contemporaries. Such agility and frugality
are why the 356 has always been so
highly sought after - although they’ve
always been an expensive car, too; in
1953 you’d have paid a 50 percent
premium for…