As the Porsche lovers that we are, we all know that there's a special aura that surrounds driving or just looking at a Porsche 356 pass us by. But that aura turns into a triple whammy when that Porsche 356 happens to be painted in the legendary Auratium Green color and when it happens to also be a Cabrio with ivory interiors. The Porsche 356 was the first car ever produced by Porsche and one of the most iconic automobiles of all time. With its signature heavily curved body lines and the special curvature on its hood and trunk, the front of the car resembles a happy face with its oval headlights.
A lightweight, rear-engine and rear-wheel drive sports car, the Porsche 356 was only available for 17 years and discontinued in 1965 after cohabiting with the 911 for two years. With its production starting in Austria and then relocating to Zuffenhausen in Germany, the Porsche 356 is the most legendary German sports car for those in love with vintage Porsches. It is estimated that about 76,313 cars where produced with less than half of them still driving around. Therefore, this spectacular A-series 1958 auratium green Porsche 356 Cabriolet we have here, is perfect testament of that era. As a side note, between 1955 and 1959 only 21,045 356s were built.
Its signature 15-inch grill on the back is not only one of the unmistakable signature touches of the design of the 356 but also and important functional element to provide cooling for its Carrera four-cam engine. Powered by a 1600 cc 1.6 L Type 616/1 flat four engine with four-speed manual transmission, this Porsche 356 Cabriolet in auratium green is as much of a Porsche as it is a Volkswagen Beetle.
While the 356 was originally designed by Ferdinand Porsche, in order to differentiate the 356 from the VW Bettle that his father Ferdinand Porsche Sr. had designed, the engineers at Porsche Konstruktionen GesmbH designed new cylinder heads, camshaft, crankshaft, intake and exhaust manifolds and used dual carburetors on the engine of the 356 to give it more than double the power that the VW Beetle originally had at the time. While the first prototype of the Porsche 356 had a mid-engine layout —one of the basis for the design and release of the Boxster and the Cayman—, all 356s had a rear-mounted engine.
Rounding out the vintage look provided by its auratium green exterior, the ivory interior soothes the soul with chromed accents on the iconic three-dial dashboard where the tachometer takes the center stage just like the running seconds on a watch subdial.
A true icon and a legend in the world of automobiles, the Porsche 356 Cabriolet is a vehicle in a league of its own. Just like there are iconic watches that have no competition and can take the center stage, the 356 remains one of our all-time favorite Porsches and classic cars in the world.
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