1957 Porsche 356A T1 'Improved' Coupe

Porsche’s remarkable 356 put the Zuffenhausen company firmly on the automotive map in the 1950s. Dr Ferdinand’s original design - a somewhat basic sports car closely based on Volkswagen’s Beetle – evolved over time into a technically advanced, beautifully resolved machine during a production life spanning more than 15 years. The earliest Gmünd-built cars were somewhat underpowered and primitive in terms of equipment but the 356 matured into a sophisticated sports car by the late 1950s, with the 356A introduced at the 1955 Frankfurt Motor Show heralding the biggest changes yet. Gone was the so-called bent window (a legacy of the original split screen bodywork), replaced with a single curved piece of windscreen glass, along with a revised interior (including a decent heater), new suspension settings, a steering damper and 15-inch wheels and crossply tyres. Available with both 1300cc (Normal) and 1600cc (Super) engines, the 356A was both more powerful and more reliable than earlier models thanks to a new three-piece crankshaft and revised cooling system. In addition to the coupe and cabriolet models, the stripped-out Speedster continued to prove popular in North America. Hugely popular in America and at home, relatively few 356s were made for right hand drive markets like England and Australia, where taxes and import duties made them prohibitively expensive. Local distributor Norman Hamilton was patronised by a small band of well-heeled customers and the 356A was a rare sight on the roads of Sydney or Melbourne in the 1950s, with several appearing at Bathurst and elsewhere.