The Beginning

The most revolutionary Porsche was the first, the immortal 356 No. 1 Roadster. We drive this automotive milestone.

PORSCHE’S START IN the sports car industry was very modest compared to the world famous manufacturer it would become. Engineer Ferdinand ‘Ferry’ Porsche – son of Volkswagen and Porsche founder, Ferdinand Sr – already had an idea for a sports car using Volkswagen parts before World War II, and developed the Type 64 model for a prominent new race from Berlin to Rome. The Type 64 had many details from Volkswagen’s Beetle, but also features that would end up on the first Porsche, the 356 No. 1 Roadster, and early production 356 models. The race was to take place in 1939, with the first 603km on newly built autobahns, but it was cancelled at the outbreak of war. Ferry’s Type 64 was not forgotten and at the end of the 1940s, Porsche really got going.