‘In other words, their rootsy beginnings and thereby strong foundations as a company.

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‘The Porsche 356 sports car was first produced from 1948 to 1949 by Austrian company Porsche Konstruktionen GesmbH, and then by German company Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH. It was Porsche’s first production automobile. Earlier cars designed by the Austrian company included the Cisitalia Grand Prix race car, the Volkswagen Beetle, and Auto Union Grand Prix cars.

‘At Beverly Hills Car Club we presently have a much sought-after 1952 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500S Reuter Cabriolet in a gorgeous color combination of Strawberry Red with a sand beige interior.The vehicle comes equipped with a 4-speed manual transmission, 1953 Flat 4 Cylinder 1500 engine, dual carburetors, Telefunken radio, soft top, bent-windshield, steel wheels, and chrome hub caps. Also included is a copy of the Certificate of Authenticity and Kardex. This is an excellent opportunity to acquire such a rare and hard-to-find early low production air-cooled 356 Porsche that is mechanically sound.

‘The chassis was a completely new design, as was the 356’s body, designed by Porsche employee Erwin Komenda. At the same time, certain mechanical components, including the engine case and some suspension components, were based on and initially sourced from Volkswagen.

‘Ferry Porsche described the thinking behind the development of the 356 in an interview with the editor of Panorama magazine in September 1972. ‘…I had always driven very speedy cars. I had an Alfa Romeo, also a BMW, and others. ….By the end of the war, I had a Volkswagen Cabriolet with a supercharged engine, and that was the basic idea. I saw that if you had enough power in a small car, it is nicer to drive than if you have a big car which is also overpowered. And it is more fun. On this basic idea, we started the first Porsche prototype. To make the car lighter, to have an engine with more horsepower…that was the first two-seater that we built.’

‘The early 356s were aluminum-bodied and built by hand. Then Porsche struck a deal with the tiny Reutter company to build steel bodies for the 356.

‘And the class win at the 1951 Le Mans race moved up the reputation of the rear-engined, rear-wheel-driven car.

‘In March of 1952 Porsche worked in conjunction with Reuter to simplify production of the 356 and made several changes including a one-piece, bent windscreen and more significant bumpers which suited the American market.

‘1952 cars also featured ventilated disc wheels and optional trim rings that were common on export models. The car also got fully integrated front and rear aprons that extended below the bumpers. The bumpers themselves were enlarged with large guards and featured rubber strips. Small changes in the interior included a new 6000 rpm tach which replaced the clock, smaller gauge bezels, and relocated turn switch from the dashboard to the steering column.

‘The 1500 was Porsche’s newest engine which was quickly fitted with 40 PIBC Solex carburetors to produce 60 bhp at 5000 rpm in 1952. These retained the Hirth roller-bearing crankshafts which gave Porsche enough clearance to enlarge their engine to 1500cc.

‘Exactly as Ferry Porsche had dreamed would be the car he set out to manufacture. As he said, ‘I saw that if you had enough power in a small car, it is nicer to drive than if you have a big car which is also overpowered. And it is more fun.’

-Alex Manos, Owner