automobile - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2013 - 70 Euro Cent

With the legendary Porsche 356 No. 1, the popular series "Cars" now finds its attractive continuation, the iconic sports car is without doubt one of the absolute classics of its genre. History: In the midst of the turmoil of the Second World War, when the Austro-German automobile designer and founder of Porsche in Stuttgart, Ferdinand Porsche, was ordered by Nazi government agencies in November 1944, the design office was moved to Carinthia, which was less threatened by bombing raids moved where the company then until 1950 in Gmünd under the name "Porsche-Konstruktionen Ges.mbH" firmierte. And here, in Gmünd, in 1948, the sporty-elegant roadster "Porsche 356 No. 1" was the first vehicle built under the name of Porsche (and with it the design basis for the later Porsche 356, the first production model of this manufacturer) , The basis of the aesthetic prototype was a self-made steel tubular frame including chassis of the well-known VW Beetle. On this platform, a self-designed body was assembled from manually over wooden molds driven aluminum sheets. Also, the air-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine with a displacement of 1131 cc and a power of originally 24.5 hp VW supplied from Wolfsburg. It was brought to an output of at least 35 hp at 4000 rpm before installation by means of "tuning" measures and achieved a maximum torque of 69 Nm at 2600 rpm. The machine was installed longitudinally in front of the rear axle - so the first Porsche was a true mid-engine sports car; he was braked over four drum brakes. Eleven months after the start of work on the first Porsche, the roadster received the individual approval for operation in June 1948 from the Carinthian State Building Directorate and started its maiden voyage on June 8, 1948 with the registration number "K 45-286" (see brand image). The 585 kg lightweight sports car reached a speed of up to 135 km / h, with a covered front passenger seat even 140 km / h. When Ferdinand Porsche judged the vehicle after his release from the French prison of war, he should have found the result to be absolutely satisfactory and literally said: "No screw would have done anything else." - Later the car was sold to a Zurich car dealer for 7,000 Swiss francs who sold it to the first Porsche customer for 7,500 francs. Porsche invested the proceeds in the construction of new sports and racing cars. In 1953, Porsche bought back the noble piece; Today it is, together with many other classics, in the Porsche Museum of Zuffenhausen, north of Stuttgart, and can be admired there.