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SIG Boxster Special Interest Group at PCAUCR.org Menu Home PCAUCR Log In Register 356-001 begins the story On June 8, 1948, Porsche completed the first car to bear its name, the 356-001 prototype. With it Ferry Porsche sketched a dream that ultimately would be realized with the Boxster, unveiled as a concept car 45 years later. Mid-engined, seating two, light weight – these were the basics of the car Ferry and long-time engineering associate Karl Rabe began planning in 1947. Admittedly the Volkswagen-Porsche 914 of 1971 was a closer approximation to that vision than our Boxster, because both were powered by Volkswagen engines chosen for their low cost. But the Boxster stands as the more fully realized, 21 st century expression of Ferry Porsche’s vision. What shaped that vision? Start with Piero Dusio, who had made a fortune outfitting the Italian army during WW2. In February, 1947, Dusio’s Cisitalia (Compagnia Industriale Sportive Italia) engaged the Porsche engineering bureau to design a world-beating formula race car. So rich was this contract, it financed both Ferdinand Porsche’s release from prison in France and Porsche’s move from engineering consultancy to auto production. When Ferry and Rabe visited the Cisitalia works in Turin, Italy, on the race car project, they saw what Dusio was already achieving by combining tube frame chassis and Fiat motors and suspension parts. The Italian’s concept of elegant coachwork enclosing inexpensive components was exactly what they had in mind for their own car, but far closer to realization. As Karl Ludvigsen tells the story in his landmark history, PORSCHE: Excellence was Expected, project Type 356 officially began on July 11 th , 1947, for a two-roadster based on Volkswagen parts. Drawings of the frame and body were completed on July 17 th . The wheelbase was anticipated to be 82.7 inches, the dry weight 1,220 pounds. As with the Boxster almost half a century later, the finished product would be larger: 84.6 inches and 1,330 pounds. The prototype ran under its own power for the first time in March, 1948. Hand-built in Gmund, Austria where the Porsches had located during WW2 to escape the bombing of Stuttgart, Friedrich Weber had hammered the body panels into shape in only two months following Erwin Komenda’s design drawings. In the last week of May, 1948, 356-001 began extensive testing on public roads with Ferry Porsche deeply involved. In fact he was at the wheel when 001’s rear suspension failure ended one endurance run up the Grossglockner Pass. Why June 8 became acknowledged as the date marking the car’s creation is unclear. Ferry Porsche, in the book he wrote with Gunther Molter, Cars Are My Life, stated 356-001 was completed June 8 th – so it may have been as simple as the boss signing off on the project. The public debut followed almost a month later. In the last week of June 356-001 was driven from Gmund to Bern, Switzerland, where a car dealer had arranged for prominent journalists to drive the new Porsche prior to the Swiss Grand Prix, July 4. The journalists gave 001-356 rave reviews. But Ferry decided against putting it into production. He judged its tube-frame construction too expensive and anticipated a coupe would have wider appeal. Again, Piero Dusio’s influence may have been in play. The stunning Cisitalia 202 GT coupe unveiled at the 1947 Paris Auto Show, the 202 GT, had been a sensation. Erwin Komenda’s 356 coupe, then under development several steps behind 356-001, rivaled the Cisitalia 202 GT but could be manufactured at much lower cost. Events proved Porsche correct. The Cisitalia 202 GT failed despite its classic beauty because its tiny Fiat engine couldn’t justify its high price. Of a planned production run of 500, only 170 were made between 1947 and 1952. Whereas, the Porsche’s 356 coupe’s sales were in ascendancy over its first five years. Porsche might have manufactured the roadster as well as the coupe, but reaking even took precedence. A production 356-001 would have sold in lower numbers, likely at a loss, even as its mid-engine and tubular frame reinforced Porsche’s reputation for advanced engineering – as the 550 race car, the direct inspiration for our Boxster, would beginning in 1953. Author Dan Proudfoot Posted on June 8, 2020 September 17, 2023 1 Comment on 356-001 begins the story P U R E P O R S C H E Site Contents – as you scroll down (1) About our SIG (2) Time for a drive – our first gathering (3) Boxster creation story (4) 356-001 as The Beginning (5) Our Finnish connection (6) Our cars (7) Our experiences About our SIG . . .the best yet to come Our site evolves in response to our special interests. First and foremost: a meeting place for the most enthusiastic Boxster enthusiasts in the Upper Canada Region. We’re the stars of this show, so an owners’ directory will anchor ever-changing content pertinent to the 986/987/718. Scroll to the bottom for a look. This site should get us talking. What else should a SIG facilitate? Should we try meeting for coffee, organizing drives, getting together at lapping days or races, rallying at a pub to get through winter? Email your thoughts and we’ll see where this Pure Porsche SIG takes us. Always remember: our Boxster is the essence of Ferry Porsche’s initial vision of sports car perfection. TIME FOR A DRIVE (AT LONG LAST) Time for lunch at Springridge Farm By Peter Bleakney Living in Oakville, I’ve found some pretty decent roads just north of this area, so when Boxster SIG head honcho (guru, organizer, commander in chief, all-knowing grand poobah) Dan Proudfoot approached me about mapping out a route for a possible summer run, it set the wheels in motion. I came up with a 75-km route that consisted of scenic winding and mostly tree-lined roads that wended their way from Oakville to the town of Kildbride, up to Campbellville, down a snake-like stretch of Appleby (see note at end of story for elaboration) and eventually arriving at our lunch stop at Springridge Farms. Dan put out the call and we had over 30 Boxster-istis responding. The ‘launch’ was the morning of August 18 at a Tim Hortons just north of the QEW – and 13 cars showed up, including a posse from London rounded up by Christina Mandri. Mandri owns this 2013, sells new Porsches The gods of top-down motoring were smiling that day. Considering what a baking hot and humid summer we had been having, this Tuesday blessed us with relatively cool air along with a slight haze which cut down on those UV rays. What a site this convoy was, spanning from the 986 to the current 718, with a couple of 911’s thrown in! Or, as Dan called them, future Boxster owners.” Part way through the trip I swapped cars with fellow 2001 Boxster S owner Craigg Ballance. With both cars having about 130,000 on the clock, interesting to feel the differences between the two. After our bucolic tour that included many turns, lotsa gear changes and more than a few cows (witnessed, not hit) we rolled into Springridge Farms’s big parking lot for some snacks and conversation. The route ended up being a big hit with all participants. Success! It’s a great destination for fresh produce, amazing baked goods, preserves, yummy sandwiches, folksy knickknacks. There was one sign – the one in the picture near the beginning of this story – I was pretty sure someone would have snatched up! Okay, they spelled Porsche wrong, but nobody’s perfect! ABOUT THAT SNAKE-LIKE STRETCH . . . Horst Kroll, multi-winner in his Porsche We descended down the road competitors raced up in the Rattle Snake Hill Climb, a major event for sports car enthusiasts beginning in 1950. One big difference: It was gravel back in the day. As we made our way down, Ted Youngs spotted the very place he picnicked 60 years ago watching the cars making their runs And the fellow with whom Ted caught rides to BEMC meetings after moving to Toronto, Ian Sword, was fastest in his Aston Martin DB2 in 1955. Porsches were dominant 1960-64,...