The Genesis
of the Speedster
And in the beginning Dr Ferdinand
Porsche created the 356.........
It was his 356th design, a rear
engined sports car with a streamlined design by Erwin Komeda
and incorporated Porsche modified and assembled VW engine, gearbox,
independent suspension and state-of-the-art mechanical brakes.
Fastback coupe and cabriolet bodies were supplied by Karroserie
Reutter, with the initial convertibles coming from Beutler os
Switzerland. And thus the legend began.
The Speedster
Concept
In 1950 Max Hoffman, an American
importer marketed the 356 in the USA with some success, although
British sports cars offered severe competition both in price
and performance - the 356 cost $300 more than the Jaguar XK120.
After a radical rethink, Max believed ther was a big market for
a stripped down roadster witli minimal weather protection, without
the comfortable trimmings of the coupe and cabriolet and at a
price to compete with the Triumphs and Healeys - under $3,000
to be specific. Max put these points to Ferry Porsche over lunch
one day and the concept of the Speedster was born.
A racing bathtub
Introduced in September 1954
and listed at $2,995, the new car created a following that has
continued unabated. The little car was simply a cheap version
of the cabriolet. Engineers from Porsche and body builder Reutter
took the luxurious drophead, gutted the interior and replaced
the bulky top with lightweight canvas. Small side screens slipped
easily into tops of the doors as a replacemetn for the roll-up
windows and the cut down windscreen was so elegantly sculpted,
it looked like the product of a californian hot-rod shop. With
the top up, the car was ugly, but when stored away it made the
Speedster look like a racing bathtub.
Stripped for
weight reduction
Inside the car was more cause
for rejoicing; Reutter had stripped it to practically nothing,
settling for simple vinyl door panels without armrests and a
ribbed rubber floor mat. A completely new dash Incorporated only
a speedometer, rev counter and an oil temperature gauge housed
in an attractive Italianesque pod. There was no glove box. The
lightweight bucket seals looked as if they came from a 550 Spyder
racing car (which they probably did), they had two long vertical
slots, supposedly to shed weight as well as to increase air circulation.
VW based chassis
The chassis for the new Speedster
had all the oddities dear to Porsche enthusiasts. In front was
a carbon copy of the VW's trailing arm cum torsion bar suspension.
This wasn't surprising since Professor Porsche had designed the
VW and was obsessed with creating a VW based sports car since
the 1930s. In the rear was another clone; a swing axle suspension
controlled by torsion bars and trailing arms. Under most conditions
this provided excellent road holding, but for the less experienced,
with the engine stuck out behind the rear axle, it was possible
to find yourself swapping ends when lifting off the accelerator
in a tight corner.
An instant
hit
The Speedster was an instant
hit. This new Porsche was quick, extremely agile with light controls,
yet solidly built and well finished in the Teutonic tradition.
With Ihe abscence of the typical Porsche creature comforts, the
car appealed to the masses. Nearly five thousand of them were
built, most went to the USA. The car was still very much a Porsche,
which meant it looked different, had non-traditional suspension,
and an engine sitting where the boot belonged. It had the right
price, was built better than its English competitors and matched
their performance.
High performance
Comparing road tests bteween
a 1500 Speedster and the venerable Triumph TR2, acceleration
times were not that competitive - 0 to 60 in 12.2 seconds and
a standing quarter mile in 18.1 seconds, versus 13.9 and 19.2
for the Speedster. The 1500S Speedster with its more powerful
engine took the honours with a 10.3 second 0-60 time and a 17.4
second quarter mile.
Unique handling
But there was something more
to the Speedster than mere straight-line speed. You could go
into a corner at higher speed and exit even faster with far less
effort than any British sports car. There was that special Porsche
feel that inspired greater confidence. Once you learned how to
handle the rear engine/swing axle pendulum effect, the Speedster
was a great car to drive.
The GT Speedster
Porsche then built a Speedster
that would beat the pants off almost any car, including the Jaguar.
In 1958 they ordered 31 GT Speedster bodies with aluminium doors,
front and rear bonnet and boot lids and installed the race bred
four overhead cam Carerra engine into 24 of them for racing.
The other 7 received the normal pushrod engines.
The end of
the line
In the Autumn of 1958, in preparation
for the 1959 model year, the factory announced that the Speedster
as we knew it, was kaput, dropped from the line. Many of the
originals still remain, mostly in the drier, sunnier areas of
the USA. The demand for this wonderful car is such that several
manufacturers offer replica parts often based on VW chasses of
the same era. The same love and attention goes into recreating
these replicas as restoring original cars and ther are probably
several thousand replicas currently on the road in addition to
over a thousand original cars.
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