Porsche's first mid-engine car... the 356

"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich) 11/11/2019 at 16:26 • Filed to: None

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Yes... you read that right. Porsche’s first mid-engine car was the 356... and here it is:

Specifically, this is Porsche 356 #1... built in Gmünd , Austria in 1948.

It’s also the first car with the Porsche brand name.

And the 1131cc H4 was good for about 35HP.

This is literally a one-off build.

All the others that came after had the engine behind the rear axle.

Have a look at the rear of these 356 “pre-A” examples and see how it compares. Here is a 1954 model:

And a 1952 model:

And 356 #2 that was built in 1948:

superdave847 > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/11/2019 at 18:52

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Great post about a little known  history. Those are beautiful.

The 912 and 718 are part of an incredible heritage of flat fours.