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The Porsche 356 Timeline
 by: Wayne Treister

The Porsche 356 was a sports car buffs dream. The 356 was the brain child of Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche. The body style was the work of Erwin Komenda and the mechanical came off the VW Beetle the design of Ferdinand Porsche Sr.

When it first hit the market it was available as a roadster, cabriolet, and coupe and over the years it saw many changes both in power and style. You might be surprised to discover that the 356 Porsche was actually Porsche's first production automobile and one has to admit it was a great pick!

This timeline is a bit rough around the edges but it will give you and idea of how the 356 evolved from start to finish.

1948:

Just after the war Porsche located to Austria so that they could be closer to parts suppliers. Ferry Porsche was the designer of the 356. He was the son of Dr Ing Ferdinand Porsche who was the founder of Porsche. The original car used a tubular chassis with an 1100cc engine so it was both light and quick. The gearbox was designed by Frolich and Komenda designed the body of the 356.

The original 001 raced at the Innsbruck city race and it won in the 1100cc class on its very first run. Not surprising! The original 001 sits in the Factory Museum.

1949:

The first 356 Cabriolet is built with alloy aluminum.

1950:

The factory moves to Zuffenhausen and begins producing the 356 where they will stay until 1965 producing around 80,000 cars.

1951:

Innovation continues to impress the world with the 356 Cabriolet and the new split windshield. The 1.3 liter was chrome plated with aluminum cylinders and the very first synchromesh transmission came to be. The 356-002 wins hands down at the LeMans in the 1100cc class.

At the age of 75 Dr. Ing Ferdinand Porsche Sr. died at the age of 75. By this time 1400 people worked under the direction of Ferry Porsche.

1952:

The 1488 cc 70 HP super engine is introduced.

1953:

A deal is made with New York's Max Hoffman which allowed for the introduction of the 356 in the United States. It wasn't long before Hoffman became the US importer for Porsche making arrangements for the Porsche line to be carried around the country. This was also the era where split windshields became bent windshields.

1954:

Hoffman convinces Porsche that they can gain more market share by producing a stripped down version of the 356 for less money specifically designed for the west coast where fair weather and amateur racing go hand in hand. And so the Speedster is born and an instant success with more than 4000 sold in just 5 years.

1955:

The 1600 motor makes it to production. The 1500 GS Carrera motor which is being developed for the race track suddenly finds its way into the 356 line. The A line is introduced which has several small changes to the body style.

1956:

The 10,000th 356 comes off the assembly line and it is celebrated at the factory.

1957:

More improvements saw the T2 prototype with the new transmission. The 644 replaced the 519 with a much better shifter, dual nose mounts, and much better synchros.

1958:

The Carrera engine continued to see improvements that produced higher horsepower. The Convertible came to market replacing the Speedster and it was much taller and luxurious than its predecessor.

1959:

The last Speedster is released and the 1300 engine is also dropped.

1960:

The 356B is given the Super 90 motor. The 90 has a counterweighted crank, Solex P40-II Carburetor, and sodium filled valves.

1961:

The hardtop is introduced and is instantly a hit and is fondly nicknamed the "Notchback". Over 1700 of these cars sold in less than two years.

1962:

Porsche is talking with Reutter about the purchase of the coach maker. The factory launches Christophorus which is a Porsche lifestyle magazine.

1963:

356C is brought to market with the 95 HP SC engine. It has 4 wheel disc brakes, and it is available with an optional 12 volt electric system.

1964:

The 356 production has moved over the 10,000 a year number.

1965

The final Cabriolets come off the assembly line.

After several evolutions the 356 came to be retired in 1965 but today the car still remains sought after and it is common to find them selling for over $175,000. Back in the 1950s you could buy that car new for $4000.

The 356 also made it big in the movies staring in Top Gun, 48 Hrs and Another 48 Hrs. And Janis Joplin has a psychedelically painted 356C. The 356 underwent many changes over the years some mechanical while others cosmetic but what remained consistent was its charm, style, sportiness, and speed. Still today this is a car that gets noticed.

About The Author

Wayne Treister has been owned and ridden Porsches for 15 years. Visit his Porsche site at http://www.porschesworld.com to learn more about the different models.

Who says that modern technology and a customer focused outlook can't improve the services such as a doctor provides to his patients? This story about a Doctor 2.0 sent to me via my e-mailed Springwise trends update, is a refreshing take on the traditional profession of medicine. Here's a Doc moving with the times.

Dr Jay Parkinson is a general practitioner serving an area in Brooklyn, New York City. He consults with his patients via e-mail, video chat or IM and heaven help us, he makes house calls to both home or office!! He runs no consulting rooms, has no paramedical staff. His is a virtual surgery.

This young 31 year old carries his diagnostic kit in his bag. Included in the range of goodies are an iPhone and Apple MacBook, Of course he also has the more traditional toys that doctors use such as stethoscope, blood pressure monitor, otoscope, opthalmoscope and many more gadgets to enable him to work towards an intelligent diagnosis.

In order to re-assure his patient base on such a touchy subject as fees, he charges a flat rate per annum which provides for certain services. For these, plus additional services, rates are spelt out on his website for those with or without health insurance.

But that's not all that distinguishes this professional from others. He has a website, which allows one to read up about him and his services, make appointments and keep up to date by following his blog. The content of his blog is a great mix of some personal sharing as well as analysis of current health care issues.

His patients are preferably residents of the area between the ages of 18 and 39. He states his objectives as a focus on practising preventive medicine to ensure his 'clients' live life to its fullest. And, according to his website, he also feels that health care should be accessible, affordable and personal.

This twenty-first century health care professional maintains that modern health care does not deliver to any of these objectives which seem to most patients what health care should be all about. In his small way, he would like to offer a system that works for his patients.

Wow. What a blast of fresh air. Here is a fresh and relevant marketing approach. The question he has asked is 'what would my patients like' rather than accepting the generally prevailing modus operandi, of how can my patients fit into my day.

When I think of how much time I have wasted sitting in doctor's rooms, and I'm not even the sick type, I want to applaud this young Doc. Imagine the ordeal for ill patients that have to go regularly and who have to wait for hours in uncomfortable conditions, reading twelve month old magazines and putting up with screaming infants or coughing and spluttering co-sufferers.

This kind of customer focused offering could spread to other professions such as tax consultants, personal accountants, psychiatrists etc. I have already seen mobile personal fitness training services advertised. What else could be adapted to customer focused services one could ask. Just about anything it seems, if this medical doctor can do it, so could other professionals one might be inclined to think.

Anja Merret lives in Brighton, UK, having moved across from South Africa just over a year ago.

She now looks after the business interests of her daughter who is a Flash Developer and Accessibility expert. She started a blog at the beginning of the year under the heading of chatting to my generation. Although she is chatting to the baby boomer generation, she sometimes feels that all generations have the same issues to face, they just don't have hearing aids or walking sticks!

One of her pet peeves is the war in Iraq and in fact anything that causes innocent people to get hurt. But she also loves tech stuff, although only as an amateur. She considers herself a Silver Surfer Gadget Geek. She is even considering queuing for an iPhone in the UK later on in the year. But her daughter has offered, so she will only be taking hot food to the Brighton Geeks waiting in line.

Her musings may be found on http://www.anjamerret.com Her observations on personal power and self-development may be found on http://www.pinkblocks.com