Classic Cars: 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1 Roaster

No. 1 and the Beginning of an Automobile Powerhouse

CarshowClassic.com tells the story.

The 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1 can be considered as the start of what turned out to be one of the greatest car manufacturers in the world. Although this 1948 prototype isn’t perfect, it helped Porsche pave the way towards a more spectacular future.

Even a legend has to start somewhere. Indeed, this is exactly what the 1948 Porsche-356 No. 1 is—the beginning of the legacy that is Porsche.

The 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1 is the very first car produced by Porsche and Ferdinand-Porsche, the son of the company’s founder. There was only one 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1 ever-produced, which only made the value of this concept car quite high—quite high, in fact, that-it is a museum piece, displayed at the newly opened Porsche Museum.

In any case, the 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1 has an aluminum roadster body, designed by-Erwin Komenda. The production of the design was quite fast—it only took him one month. Komenda-was a noted designer for VW Bettle and Porsche, and he was responsible for the Porsche 550 Spyder-and the Porsche type 356. Before his death, he even worked on Porsche’s most prized car-designs—the Porsche 911. After the design was completed, it was first tested for the road in-June. The 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1 is a two-door sports car with a mid-engine design.

That the 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1 has a mid-engine design is very telling, even those days. Back then, most cars are rear-engined; mid-engine designs are usually reserved for racing cars, since designers think the mid-engine design is not very safe for the usual driving. Does this mean that the 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1-was intended for competition rather than consumer use? Perhaps not—the 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1-was derived from the Volkswagen design, which usually employs the mid-engine and rear-engine car designs. Both Komenda and Porsche worked for Volkswagen way before the company began-producing cars.

The 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1 became the prototype for the Porsche 356, which was the-very first production model of Porsche. There are some notable differences in the design; the 1948-Porsche 356 No. 1 is a roadster; the very first Porsche 356 is a two-door couple, followed by a two-door convertible. Still, the production model of the 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1 did not immediately-create stir from the buying public. It was already in the late 50s when the 356 became renowned for-its quality, handling, and aerodynamics—characteristics that will be key features of the-succeeding Porsche creations. Also, because of these characteristics, the 356 became a common racing-and sports car, although Porsche would get racing renown much later with a different-model.

Indeed, the 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1 started it for Porsche. By the time the 356-ceased production in 1965, more than 70,000 units were already produced. And not only that; the-successor of the 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1 and the Porsche 356 became the most renowned sports car-ever—the Porsche 911. This only proves that without the 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1, the much-acclaimed Porsche 911 will not exist as well.

Looking at the 1948 Porsche 356 No. 1, it is easy to see how far Porsche has-changed and improved.