The Porsche family started building cars in the 1930s, but it wasn't until after World War II that the father and son team—both named Ferdinand—built the first true Porsche.
It wasn't the 911, the car most closely associated with the famous brand. It was that car's predecessor, the 356.
Purists will say the prototype 356, a sleek mid-engine number with a tube chassis, called No. 1 was the first Porsche. But the lightweight, aerodynamic 356, introduced in 1948, was the marque's first production model. The first iteration offered just 40 horsepower from a rear-mounted engine grabbed from the VW Beetle (a car Porsche père helped design). In fact, the first 356 shared a great many parts with the Beetle. By the mid-50s, though, Porsche was producing its own engines, adding more power to go with the 356's nimble handling and gorgeous styling.
By the end of the decade, Porsche had built more than 10,000 coupes, cabriolets, and speedsters. All told, the company built about 76,000 356s. In 1964, it started selling the 911, an immediate success and a model that has become synonymous with the German brand.
The 911 may get all the love, but the 356 remains an amazing automobile and the focus of a special class for "Iconic Pre-1965 Porsches" at Quail, a high-end car show held alongside the annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance in Monterey. We photographed some of the best cars at the show.
