MOTOR CARS | 307Although Ferdinand Porsche had established his automotive design
consultancy in the early 1930s, his name would not appear on a
car until 1949. When it did, it graced one of the all-time great sports
cars: the Porsche 356. Having commenced manufacture with a short
run of aluminium-bodied cars built at Gm
nd, Porsche began volume
production of the steel-bodied 356 coupt at its old base in Stuttgart,
at first in premises shared with coachbuilders Reutter and then (from
1955) in its original factory at Zuffenhausen.
The work of Ferry Porsche, the 356 was based on the Volkswagen
designed by his father, and like the immortal ‘Beetle’ employed a
platform-type chassis with rear-mounted air-cooled engine and all-
independent torsion bar suspension. Regularly revised and updated,
Porsche’s landmark sports car would remain in production well into
the 911 era, the final examples being built in 1965.
Cabriolets had been manufactured right from the start of 356
production, but the first open Porsche to make a significant impact
was the Speedster, introduced in 1954 following the successful
reception in the USA of a batch of 15 special roadsters. With its sales
declining, the Speedster was dropped in 1958 and replaced by the
more civilised Convertible D, which differed principally by virtue of its
larger windscreen and winding side windows, the latter replacing the
Speedster’s side screens. Overall, the new car was 3½ inches taller.
All in all, the 356A Convertible D was a somewhat more practical
car than the Speedster, boasting a more protective windscreen,
proper side windows and more comfortable seats while retaining
the original’s beautiful body lines and downward sloping waistline
beloved of Type 356 enthusiasts.With its preferred coachbuilder Reutter struggling to keep up with
the ever increasing demand, Porsche sub-contracted cabriolet body
construction to a number of different coachbuilders, Convertible D
production being undertaken by Drauz of Heilbronn, hence the ‘D’
suffix. When the restyled Porsche 356B arrived in September 1959,
convertible production transferred to d’Ieteren of Brussels. The 356A
Convertible D model is one the rarest of Porsche 356 models, with
only 1,331 made between August 1958 and September 1959. It is
ironic that those 356 models that were the least expensive ‘back
in the day’ - the Roadster, Speedster and Convertible D - are now
some of the most costly.A matching numbers example, this very rare and highly sought-after
Porsche 356 Convertible D has just been through Border Reivers’
workshop for some fine detailing. The car comes with invoices
relating to the aforementioned work; a history file dating back to
1965 containing detailed service records from the early 1970s to the
mid-1980s; a V5 registration document; and Porsche Cars GB Ltd
Certificate of Authenticity (which still refers to it as a Speedster). This
stunning Porsche is in excellent all round condition.
£160,000 - 180,000
€200,000 - 230,000