VEHICLE SPOTLIGHT | 1949 PORSCHE 356 GMÜND COUPE

1949 PORSCHE 356 GMÜND COUPE

ENGINE: 1.1-liter flat-4
TOP SPEED: 87 mph
HORSEPOWER: 40

Following the prototype 356/1, Porsche completed the first 356/2 production cars (approximately 44 coupes and eight cabriolets) at its facility in Gmünd, Austria, before relocating the company to Germany. The tubular steel frame and mid-mounted engine of the 356/1 were replaced in the production cars with a unitary steel tub and a rear-mounted engine, resulting in a shorter body with a longer rear overhang. Deliveries of the Gmünd-built 356/2s began in 1949, and two examples were shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March of that year. 

COURTESY OF AUTOMUSEUM PROTOTYP HAMBURG