Across The Finish Line

The Porsche 911 Speedster Concept is a fitting tribute to the 70th anniversary of the iconic carmaker

- Varun Godinho

HERE’S A TRUISM: If you’re a fan of Porsche, you’re a fan of the 911 too. But 911-worshipping petrol heads can hardly forget the car that came before it – the seminal 356.

The 356 is the car that started it all for the carmaker. Ferry Porsche, the son of Porsche founder Ferdinand, led the building of the 356 Roadster, which received its road permit on June 8, 1948.

The 356 wasn’t an instant hit. But, the moment it won the 1951 Le Mans three years later everyone wanted a Porsche. The success on the track egged the company to further hone its track skills and focus on the concept of building the ultimate sportscar.

The following year, that pursuit led Porsche’s team across the Atlantic in America to build a Speedster version of the 356 – meant to be a pure racing car.

The 356 1500 America Roadster made its debut in 1952 with a handcrafted aluminium body. The engineers eliminated 70kg offthe existing coupe variant. With just a 70hp engine, it could go all the way up to 175kph. The Speedster demonstrated that Porsche could achieve the unthinkable in engineering sportscars.

The 356 was all the rage through the 50s, with 76,000 produced, but after the 911 made its debut in1963 Porsche decided to discontinue its predecessor two years later.