1931 to 1947 – The beginnings of the Porsche Company
The foundation of the Porsche Company by Ferdinand Porsche in 1931 and early projects including the Auto Union racing car and the ‘Peoples Car’ or Volkswagen. World War 2 and and Ferry Porsche’s increasing involvement in the company … more
1948 to 1953 – Ferry Porsche and the development of the 356
Ferry’s plans for a lightweight compact sportscar were put on hold because of the war but Porsche No 1 appeared in 1948 followed by a production prototype 356/2. Around 50 hand made cars were produced in Gmund and as orders flowed in, production moved to Reutters in Stuttgart … more
1954 – The 356 Speedster is born
The high quality and performance of the 356 range of made it successful both in Europe in the USA although it was thought very expensive. The US importer convinced the factory that a stripped down car with a low curved windscreen and a lightweight hood selling for under $3,000 would be a great success … more
1955 – The 356A (T1) Speedster introduced in September
The Pre-A Speedster was a sales success in the USA and in September 1955, the 356A (T1) Speedster was introduced with chassis improvements, a new 1600cc engine and a new Type 644 gearbox. There were also changes to the wheels, steering box and suspension … more
1957 – 356A (T2) Speedster introduced from September
The 356A (T2) Speedster was introduced in September 1957 and continued until the Speedster was replaced by the Convertible D in 1958/59. The exhaust exited through the rear bumper guards for better ground clearance and a new transmission was used … more
The racing success of the Speedsters is solidly based on the development of the Carerra engines by Dr Ernst Fuhrmann. There are five categories of Carrera Speedsters – one Pre-A and four 356A – and two 4-overhead-cam engines – Type 547 and Type 692 … more
1958 – End of 356 Speedster production – replaced by Convertible D
The Convertible D replaced the Speedster in August 1958 although a few Carrera Speedsters were produced in 1959. The D was a heavier, more comfortable Cabriolet with larger seats, roll-up windows, a taller windscreen and more substantial hood … more
1989 – 911 Carrera 3.2 Speedster introduced
The first official 911 Speedster was introduced by Porsche at the Frankfurt Motor show in October 1987 but had been preceded by several prototypes and projects principally under the control of designer and Technical Director, Helmuth Bott … more
1992 – 911 Carrera 2 Speedster (964) introduced
Launched in October 1992 as a 1993 model, the 964 Carrera 2 based Porsche Speedster was available either in standard or lightweight trim called “clubsport”. Most were standard bodies but later some 20 Turbo look “widebody” examples were produced … more
1995/1998 – 993 Speedster
Porsche never officially released a 993 Speedster, but one was built for Butzi Porsche’s 60th birthday and later another wide-body, silver Speedster was rebuilt by the factory from a cabriolet for Jerry Seinfeld. More 993 Speedsters have been ‘created’ since then … more
2010 – new 911 Speedster (997) introduced
First seen at the Paris Motor show in 2019 the new Speedster went on sale in January 2010 at £144,000 in the UK. Only 356 of these wide bodied 408bhp classics were made featuring rear wheel drive, the PDK gearbox and a low raked windscreen … more
2020 – new 991 Speedster introduced
The concept was launched in 2018 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Porsche marque. This was the last variant of the 991 to be produced with only 1948 units sold in honour of the year in which the first 356 appeared … more
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