In the 1940s most automobiles were essentially gigantic hunks of
metal. Drivers were enclosed in tons of steel as they lumbered down the
road, until Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche changed the game through creating
the car of his dreams. Ferry and his tribe of German engineers launched a
mission that has continued for over 75 years–of developing nimble
lightweight cars dynamic enough for racing, but also reliable enough for
everyday use.
After World War II ended–as demand for cars surged–Ferry started
production of the Porsche 356 in the wooden sheds of a former sawmill in
Gmünde, Austria. Beginning in the winter of 1947, with limited resources,
his team built forty-nine air-cooled 356s by hand. They were lightweight
roadsters with aluminum bodies and 4-cylinder air-cooled engines mounted
in the rear. Yet they were much more than the sum of those parts.
It was one of history’s great examples of a tribe and a product
becoming closely intertwined through highly focused work under austere
conditions. Previously Porsche had been known more for building tanks and
tractors. The 356 was the first car to bear the Porsche name, and it also laid
down the design language and philosophy for all future Porsches.
From the start it was all about the driver and the feeling of driving
the car. The engineering was superb, the handling light and nimble. The car
had everything a driver needed, but nothing extra. It was simple, elegant,
and reliable. The Porsche 356’s success on the racetrack, particularly in
endurance races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, positioned Porsche as a
dominant force in international motor sport.
In 1950 production moved to Stuttgart, Germany, where Porsche
expanded significantly and established its new headquarters. The 356
quickly gained popularity due to its combination of sporting performance,
lightweight construction, elegant design, and durability. And, its versatility
rapidly transformed Porsche into one of the world’s great sports car brands.
As Ferry Porsche said, “I was looking for the sports car of my
dreams, and I couldn’t find it. So, I built it.”