Why not bring back the 356?
by Wallace Wyss –
I was going through my knee deep files the other day and came across a couple pictures of very early Porsches–I’m talking pre-A. One was a picture of one of the first aluminum bodied ones that raced at LeMans (a model I also made a painting of…).
It occurred to me that there might be a market for bringing back the 356 body shape. After all it was pretty aerodynamic for its time. I think just a little work under the car (with little fins to direct air exiting from under the car) would make it safe at say 150 mph. Now the question is would it have a piston engine or be an EV? I dunno. I don’t know where the market is.
But I think the last water cooled new beetle was a financial success, and when I see one, I smile because it showed that even a pre-war design could be brought back more than half a century later and be successfully marketed.
The Porsche 356 Coupe is a classic design that didn’t change its basic shape from ’49 through ’65. Only the details and window and windshield shapes were changed.
I look at Jaguar and shake my head that almost all the models are canceled. And look at the rich legacy they had– the XK120, E-type, S-type and on and on. How could the Brits have dropped the ball so far as to not build on their legacy?
You look at other fields–say popular music–there’s still modern musicians re-doing old tunes their way. And not having Frank Sinatra be able to sing it hurts but I gotta love some of the new singers that get it right with their own interpretation.
I think a new 356 would create a new Porsche cult and it’s these cults built around certain models that make up their varied fan base in many countries.
The only fly in the ointment is what do modern day designers there think of the idea? They might be insulted that their new design was rejected in favor of one that’s over 70 years old. But what the hey? Do you want your employer to thrive or not? The car business is about coming up with something people want. The management can’t let the designers rule the show–their whims might be too far out for the audience. I’m betting there is a group of consumers that likes the curvy turtle-shaped bodywork of the ’50s and ’60s. nicht wahr?
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss owned a Porsche 356 Convertible D and sold it before he realized how prized they are…alas. His 356 portrait done at Monterey is available as a canvas giclee print from malibucarart@gmail.com
Porsche 356 Art by Wallace Wyss
Not me.
Wallace,
Porsche WILL make a 356 continuation/recreation for you in Stuttgart if you have the funds. Last month, an interior designer friend of mine was flown by his client by private jet to Stuttgart with his client and 2 higher ups from Porsche of North America, and he had to pick out the interiors and exterior color for a replica 1952 Porsche 356 recreated by the Porsche factory itself. I am not allowed to mention too many details. However, this same client has 25 Porsches in a warehouse, employs a full-time mechanic, and, yet, does not even have a driver’s license and does not drive them. He just collects them. It is amazing what you can do if you have a lot of money.
Glenn in Brooklyn, NY.
Ferrari will do roughly the same thing. For this American movie producer Jim Glickenhaus they made a car called a Ferrari 4/5 and it encapsulated the styling cues of the P3 andP4. But then he wanted to order more and sell them and they said “no” because they wanted only a customer not a dealer. So then he had his own race car designed from scratch bearing his name and actually had them raced.
Just no split windshield….
The BMW Mini, Nissan Z and a few others were successful in this category of old style with modern mechanicals.
If you’re going there, don’t forget the PT Cruiser and Chevy HHR. Although I don’t know whether I would use “successful” to describe them.
And who can forget the Volvo PV544 version of a ’46 Ford?
Wallace,
Ah, yes, Mr. James Glickenhaus – his name pops up in automotive circles and profiles quite frequently. Not only does he possess one of those “Hail, Mary” ultimate car collections, he also markets and sells his own cars under his own brand, probably, as you say, because Ferrari wouldn’t let him become a dealer.
“Glickenhaus is the owner and managing member of Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, the automobile company that Glickenhaus started. Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus currently makes 5 types of cars, the SCG 003, SCG 004, SCG Boot, SCG 006, and the SCG 007. The race-oriented 003 takes design cues from Formula One racecars, designed to race with the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in mind. The 004 is another, toned-down supercar, more fit for driving on the street. The Boot is built for racing at the Baja 1000. The 006 is the car that takes design cues from the cars of the early to mid-20th century. The 007 is Glickenhaus’s entry for Le Mans Hypercar.”
Glenn in Brooklyn, NY.
Maybe The Glilck (did I make that up?) can sell the Baja boot, his version, to the military.
I think since we are in so many deserts we need a desert rat kinda car.Light er\ough to be carried by helicopter.Ironically I met him when I was a car show and his Ford GT Mk. IV was so shiny inside I thought it was a replica nd he followed me around trying to convince me it was real.
Jaguar should have decided long ago to resurrect their entire portfolio from the 50/60’s .