PORSCHE

356 A

In late 1955, with numerous small but significant changes, the 356 A was introduced. Its internal factory designation, "Type 1", gave rise to its nickname "T1" among enthusiasts. In the US 1,200 early 356s had been badged as the "Continental" and then a further 156 from autumn 1955 to January 1956 as an even rarer T1 "European" variant after which it reverted to its numerical 356 designation. In early 1957 a second revision of the 356 A was produced, known as Type 2 (or T2). Production of the Speedster peaked at 1,171 cars in 1957 and then started to decline. The four-cam "Carrera" engine, initially available only in the spyder race cars, became an available option starting with the 356 A. Within the last 25 years, replicas of the 356 A have become very popular. Most typical engine was a 1,582 cc (1.6 L; 96.5 cu in) 4-cylinder boxer air-cooled naturally aspirated pushrod OHV 2 valves per cylinder valvetrain, with dual downdraft Zenith carburetors, producing 60 PS (59 hp; 44 kW) @ 4500 rpm and a maximum torque of 110 N⋅m (81 lb⋅ft; 11 kg⋅m) @ 2800 rpm