356 VIP - Very Important Porsches

[Wendax]

Two weeks ago I visited the exhibition "356 VIP - Very Important Porsches" at the Prototyp Museum in Hamburg. Some very outstanding cars could be seen there which I want to present here. Enjoy the pictures, even if some suffer from the No Flashs Allowed rule there.

[Wendax]

The first car on exhibition was the oldest Porsche production car still in existence, only the mid-engined 356 prototype is older. This one is a Beutler convertible with chassis number 3, one of six Beutler Cabriolets built. Beutler didn't follow the Porsche directions on how to body the car closely and chose to create sculptured rear wings.

[Wendax]

The next oldest was a 356 Coupé built in Gmünd, chassis number 21.

[Wendax]

Next one, only four chassis numbers away (#25), was the only existing Keibl convertible. Notice the pillarless windshield similar to the Vutotal ones.

[Wendax]

Still in the process of restoration is the oldest existing Porsche 356 produced in Germany. It is chassis 5006, bodied by Reutter. The German coupes can be recognized by their revised sleeker and lower design. This car also has the first German-built Porsche engine installed. What it looked like when it was recovered two years ago, can be seen below.

[Wendax]

One of only 243 Gläser bodied Porsche 356 convertibles is this 356/1300 from 1951.

[Wendax]

Only available in the USA was the 356 America Roadster, bodied by Gläser in 1952/1953. Just 17 of them were built.

[Wendax]

A luxurious version for export only was this 1953 1500 Super USA de Luxe convertible.

[Wendax]

One of only 27 GT Speedsters with ten extra horsepowers compared to the stock 1500 Carreras was this 1957 Porsche 356 A 1500 Carrera GT Speedster.

[Wendax]

Franco Scaglione designed this 1960 Porsche 356 B 1600 Carrera GTL Abarth, of which only 21 were built.

[Djetset]

Very Important Porsches? Do such things exisit?!!  

Sorry, as a non-Porsche fan, I just couldn't resist!  I am only joking though, and thanks for sharing the photos, which are genuinely very interesting as it's always good to see unusual cars (even if they are Porsches) .

[Wendax]

In 1963, two lightweight coupes based on the 356 B 2000 GS-GT were built by Wendler. They are known as Dreikantschaber (triangular scraper) because of their silhouette. Notice the 356 rear lights used as front indicators.

[Wendax]

Quite famous were the 356 police convertibles used by the Autobahn police, like this 1964 356 C 1600 SC. Did you know that the ten last Porsche 356 built were manufactured for the Dutch police in 1966 after the official production ended?

[Wendax]

The fastest road 356 was the 356 C 2000 GS Carrera 2, like this 1964 coupe.

[Wendax]

Not part of this exhibition, but part of the museum collection and exhibited one storey above is the predecessor of all Porsches, the Berlin-Rom-Wagen from 1938.