1956 Porsche 356 “Pre-A” 1600 Speedster
A lightweight roadster with a distinctive low wraparound windscreen arrived in 1954 as Porsche’s answer to affordable British sports cars.
Max Hoffman convinced the factory that American buyers wanted an entry-level model, while California distributor John Von Neumann provided additional inspiration through his chopped Gmünd coupe racer.
The resulting Speedster emphasized sporting intent through its smaller retractable hood, reduced door waistline, horizontal trim strip at handle level, and twin bucket seats.
At $2,995, the design undercut other 356 variants while remaining the lightest version, allowing near-100-mph performance under favorable conditions.
The original 1.5-liter horizontally opposed four was replaced on late Pre-A cars by a 1.6-liter, 60-horsepower engine, even as the rest of the 356 range transitioned to the new 356A series in late 1955.
In 1956 testing, Road & Track magazine stated, “A more comfortable sports car for long, high-speed journeys would be very hard to find and certainly no other car achieves the combination of comfort, performance and fuel economy of the Porsche Continental Speedster or Coupé.”
Total Speedster production reached approximately 4,145 units between 1954 and 1958, with late Pre-A examples fitted with the 1,600cc engine representing a short-lived and desirable transitional specification before full 356A Speedster production followed.
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