Newsletter Marreyt Classic Cars August 2021 - Early Porsche 356 cabriolet pre-A and A
Quite an accomplishment when Ferry Porsche, son of founder Ferdinand Porsche, designed in 1948 the sporty 356 model based on the Volkswagen Beetle created by his father as a popular people mover car.
In an era when many other automotive manufacturers were employing larger engines to gain performance, Ferry Porsche concentrated on aerodynamics, balance and lightness to achieve the same goals.
Also the power output of the 4 cilinder aircooled boxer engine was significantly improved. Cilindercapacity was raised to 1600 cc and power doubled to 60 HP, 75 HP for the Super version and finally 90 HP for the SC specification.
The success came thanks to a love story between Porsche and America and is inseparably linked to the name of Max Hoffman. The enthusiasm of the New York car dealer for Porsche sports cars allied with pure sales genius formed the basis for the rapid rise of the brand in the USA.
During the first talks with Hoffman at the Paris Motor Show in autumn 1950, Ferry Porsche mentioned he hoped to sell about 5 Porsche cars a year in the USA…
In 1951, Hoffman imported 32 models of the 356 and then 283 units in the following year. By 1955, the number of deliveries had increased to 1,514 units, more than 50 per cent of total sales.
“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” was the slogan of American car salesmen, for whom racing successes were a decisive sales argument. As the number of victories increased, the motor sports scene in the USA became more and more enthusiastic for the versatile 356.
Marreyt Classic Cars presents:
Marreyt Classics is proud to exhibit at our Knokke Experience Room two early Porsche 356 Cabriolet.
1 - The sought after pre-A Cabriolet “Knickscheibe” from 1953.
2 - An early 356A T1 Cabriolet manufactured in 1956.
Marreyt Classic Cars strongly believes in preserving as much as possible our classic cars heritage in a strictly authentic condition, but admits to be charmed by the psychedelic decorated variant created in time by rockstar Janis Joplin on her Porsche 356 Cabriolet.
Come and admire these charming early Porsche 356 Cabriolets in our Knokke Experience Room.
At the hight of summer wouldn’t it be a good idea to plan a trip to the Belgian seaside and pay us a visit at our Marreyt Experience Room in the hart of Knokke Zoute to admire these charming early Porsche 356 Cabriolets?
