Porsche Classic Cars

The Volkswagen-based first Porsche that proved a small, light, well-balanced car could out-handle far more powerful rivals.

Designed by Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche using Volkswagen Beetle mechanicals as a starting point, the 356 was the car that launched Porsche as an automaker in its own right. Light weight and careful aerodynamics let modest horsepower translate into real performance and — more importantly — handling that built the reputation everything from the 911 onward has traded on since.

The rear-engined icon that defined Porsche — and the sports car benchmark every rival gets measured against.

Replacing the 356 in 1964, the 911 kept Porsche's unconventional rear-engine layout and turned it into a virtue rather than a compromise, delivering handling that rewarded skill and punished carelessness in equal measure. Five decades of continuous development have followed, but the early air-cooled cars — from the original long-hood 2.0-liter through the G-body cars of the 1970s and 80s — remain the purest expression of the concept and the most collected 911s today.