The Porsche 356 has triggered debates around it being the first Porsche automobile to be produced.
Arguable, the Porsche 356 was the first real Porsche car created by Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche.
The 356 is of course a luxury sports car that was first produced in 1948.
What we know is it was Porsches first production automobile designed by the Austrian company Cisitalia Grand Prix race car, the Volkswagen Beetle, and Auto Union Grand Prix cars.
Porsche designed and built three Type 64 automobiles prior to World War II.
These vehicles were specifically designed for a 1939 Berlin to Rome race, however the race was cancelled.
By 19498 the mid-engine tubular chassis 356 prototype was built and named “No. 1”, presumably where the argument of the first Porsche ever built stems from.
As the first production model, the Porsche 356 borrowed parts from Volkswagen Beetle, with its lightweight and nimble-handling, rear engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door appearance.
The Porsche 356 prototype was a two-seater open roadster with a mid-mounted air-cooler flat 4 engine that produced 40 horsepower.
