Porsche 356
1948–1965 · Porsche 356 — Sports Car, Flat-4, designed by Erwin Komenda.
The Story
Every Porsche traces back to here. The 356 was the company’s first production car — Ferry Porsche’s lightweight, rear-engine sports car, bodied by Erwin Komenda. The first ~50 were hand-built in aluminium at Gmünd, Austria, in 1948; production then moved to Zuffenhausen in 1950 and switched to steel, and by the time it ended in 1965 — months after the 911 had launched — roughly 76,000 had been built. It made its name punching above its weight: small, light, beautifully made, quick because it was efficient rather than powerful. The 356 didn’t just launch a model; it founded a marque.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Sports Car class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Erwin Komenda
Komenda was Porsche’s Austrian body-engineering chief and one of the most consequential body designers of the 20th century — he shaped both the streamlined VW Beetle and Porsche’s first sports cars. He led the firm’s bodywork from the 356 through the early 911.
Studio Motors POV
The cornerstone — there is no Porsche story without the 356. A clean, honest 356 (a Speedster if you can stretch, an SC coupe if value matters) is the most charming way into the marque’s history.
The Engine
356 flat-four (Type 616)
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About 356
Worth Knowing About the 356
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- 1) The very first Porsche — the '356/1' prototype — was MID-engined; every production 356 put the engine out back. 2) The Gmünd cars were aluminium and hand-formed; the Stuttgart steel cars are far more numerous (and the alloy Gmünd cars are now multi-million-dollar grails). 3) The four-cam 'Carrera' engine (1954) was a clean-sheet racing design — the seed of the Fuhrmann 4-cam that later powered the 550 and 904.
5 Fast Facts
- • 76,313 built, 1948–1965 (356 7,627 / A 21,045 / B 30,963 / C 16,678). • The first ~50 were hand-built aluminium cars at Gmünd, Austria. • Rear-engine air-cooled flat-four; the 356 C 'SC' made 95 hp. • Roughly half of all 356s built are thought to survive. • Speedsters and 4-cam Carreras are the grails (six/seven figures).
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
Janis Joplin — her psychedelic hand-painted 1965 356 C Cabriolet, her daily driver, sold at RM Sotheby’s New York for $1,760,000 in 2015 (then the most expensive 356 ever). Steve McQueen also famously owned a 356 Speedster. [RM Sotheby’s]
Studio Buyer’s Brief
Rust is the enemy — check floors, longitudinals, battery boxes and the front trunk. Speedsters (low-screen, raw) command the premium; the 356 SC is the top pushrod; the 4-cam Carreras are a different (and far pricier) world. Gmünd aluminium cars are blue-chip. Originality, matching numbers and honest history matter most; a well-restored steel coupe is the usable, value entry point.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Porsche 356
- Class
- Sports Car
- Production years
- 1948–1965
- Units built
- ~76,000 total (356 7,627 / A 21,045 / B 30,963 / C 16,678)
- Variants
- 356, 356 A / B / C; Coupe, Cabriolet, Speedster; 356 Carrera (4-cam)
- Engine layout
- Rear
- Engine
- Flat-4
- Engine family
- 356 flat-four (Type 616)
- Displacement
- 1.6L / 1582 cc
- Power
- 95 hp
- Torque
- 91 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- s
- Top speed
- 115 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 102 hp/tonne · 21.7 lb/hp
- Transmission
- 4-speed manual
- Drivetrain
- RWD (rear-engine) · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 2059 lb
Questions
356 FAQ
What engine does the Porsche 356 SC use?
The 356 SC (1964-1965 model years, part of the 356 C run), the final and most-developed 356, uses a 1.6-litre air-cooled pushrod flat-four producing 95 hp via twin carburettors. The SC was most commonly offered as a coupe or cabriolet; roadster was not a standard 356 C/SC body style.
What is the historical significance of the Porsche 356?
The 356 was the first Porsche production automobile, built from 1948 to 1965. Ferry Porsche designed it around Volkswagen Beetle components — the rear-mounted air-cooled flat-four and platform — before Porsche developed its own engines and body tooling through successive A, B, and C series. Approximately 76,000 were built, establishing the company’s identity as a maker of lightweight, driver-focused sports cars.
What is a Porsche 356 worth today?
Standard 356 SC coupes trade in the $60,000-$130,000 range depending on condition and specification. The 356 Speedster, with its low windshield and roadster body, commands significantly more — clean examples regularly exceeding $200,000. The four-cam Carrera variants are the most valuable, with exceptional examples entering six and seven figures. RM Sotheby’s and Gooding handle 356 consignments regularly.
What is the difference between a 356 Speedster and a 356 coupe?
The 356 Speedster (1954-1958) was a stripped, low-windshield open roadster designed for the American sports-car racing market at a lower price point than the coupe. It offered minimal weather protection and a more focused driving experience. Today the Speedster is the most desirable and valuable 356 body style, commanding substantial premiums over coupes and cabriolets of equivalent specification.
Can I source a Porsche 356 through Studio Motors?
Yes. Each acquisition involves full chassis number verification, matching-numbers confirmation, and documented restoration history where applicable.
The Porsche Lineup
Explore every Porsche
356 ’48
911 (Original) ’64904 Carrera GTS ’64914 ’69
911 Carrera RS 2.7 ’72911 (G-Series) ’74911 Carrera RS 3.0 ’74911 Turbo (930) ’75924 ’76928 ’77
911 Turbo (964) ’90911 Carrera RS (964) ’91968 ’92911 (993) ’94911 Carrera RS (993) ’95911 Turbo (993) ’95911 GT2 (993) ’95Boxster (986) ’96911 (996) ’97911 GT3 (996) ’99
911 Turbo (996) ’00911 GT2 (996) ’01Cayenne (955) ’02911 (997) ’04Boxster / Cayman (987) ’04Carrera GT ’04911 Turbo (997) ’06911 GT3 (997) ’06911 GT3 RS (997) ’06911 GT2 (997) ’07911 Sport Classic (997) ’09Panamera (970) ’09
911 GT2 RS (997) ’10911 Speedster (997) ’10Cayenne (958) ’10911 (991.1) ’11Boxster / Cayman (981) ’12911 Turbo (991) ’13911 GT3 (991) ’13918 Spyder ’13Macan (95B) ’14911 GT3 RS (991) ’15Cayman GT4 / Boxster Spyder (981) ’15911 (991.2) ’16911 R (991) ’16718 Cayman / Boxster (982) ’16911 GT2 RS (991) ’17Panamera (971) ’17Cayenne (9Y0) ’17911 Speedster (991) ’19911 (992.1) ’19718 Cayman GT4 / Spyder (982) ’19Taycan ’19
911 Turbo (992) ’20911 GT3 (992) ’21Cayenne Turbo GT (9Y0) ’21911 Dakar (992) ’22911 GT3 RS (992) ’22911 Sport Classic (992) ’22718 Cayman GT4 RS / Spyder RS (982) ’22911 S/T (992) ’23911 (992.2) ’24911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid (992.2) ’24Panamera (972) ’24Macan Electric ’24
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