How a redisgned Beetle became the iconic sports car

The people's sports car Part II

The 356 was a reasonable success by the standards of the time. Porsche continually developed and improved the car, resulting in the 356A, the 356B and the 356C. Creative naming aside, the car was a fine sports car at the time. While it was never blisteringly quick, the stiff lightweight chassis ensured sure-footed handling and the low power output made it reasonable easy to potter along the country roads at high speeds. There were no speed limits at the time, remember. And with the air cooled flat four boxing away at the rear, the newer models were capable of over 120mph.

 

While the car started out pushing 40 German horses through its rear wheels, the Carrera models put down almost thrice the power. The technology was updated with time, and the design evolved in the way only Porsche manages. Porsche realised by the early '60s that the bloated and boosted Beetle was nearing its end, and the 356C SC with Porsche's latest Pushrod engine was launched, the last model of the 356.

 

Starting in 1959, Porsche started work on a brand new car, their second car ever. Just like their first car, it would be powered by a horizontally opposed engine hanging out of the back. Just like their first attempt, it would be air cooled, and would drive the rear wheels. The car they were working on was essentially a thoroughly improved and reworked version of the 356. It shared few, if any, parts and the design was also a step in the new direction. For four years, Porsche perfected their brand new car, the 901. Only to have Peugeot complain about its name.

 

In the German Auto Show at Frankfurt in 1963, Porsche unveiled the 901. If you are not like me, and you don't know the whole of Porsche history better than your family members, you're probably wondering why you've not heard of the 901. You always thought it was the 911. Infact you're sure its the 911. You saw a yellow one on the road yesterday. True, it is the 911, but that's because Peugeot apparently held the rights to all car names with three digits, and the middle one being a '0'. So Porsche was forced to change the 901 to 911 only after 80-odd copies of the car were made for testing.

 

1963, the Porsche 901 is born. Porsche's identity was created.
Picture property of encarsglobe.com

 

The original 911 platform served Porsche well into the '70s. As usual, it was continually upgraded; more power, better brakes stronger suspension. This Darwinian approach to improvement resulted in two of the most popular and revolutionary cars ever created. The lesser known of the two is the 1973 911 Carrera RS 2.7, unless you're bedroom is full of Porsche badges and 911 X-Ray posters. In which case you probably know very well that this was the birth of Porsche's 911 based lightened and track-tuned sports cars. Incredibly fast, light and absolutely lethal in its driving manners, the Carrera RS was a hard-core street racer; unforgiving, loud and aggressive.

Not content with the Carrera RS, Porsche wanted even more power from the flat six, without enlarging the engine block. It wanted to keep up with the Ferraris, Maseratis and Lamborghinis of the era, while retaining the mass produced price tag. The solution was adding forced induction, and the 911 Turbo was born. Sporting a "Whale-tail" spoiler, a widened track, uprated brakes and suspension and an outdated 4-speed gearbox, the 1975 911 Turbo, codenamed 930, became the fastest mass produced car in the world. Its 3.0l flat six produced 260 hp with its new breathing apparatus, and propelled the 911 to a dizzying speed of 152 mph. The Ford Focus ST has a higher top speed now, but in 1975, it was a German mass produced car, with its engine in the wrong place and a tea tray sticking out of the back trumping the Italian exotica from the Stallion and the Bull.