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Porsche 356SL
Porsche 356SL
Overview
ManufacturerPorsche
Also calledPorsche Typ 514
Production
  • 1951–1953: ~11 produced
AssemblyStuttgart, Germany
DesignerFerry Porsche, Erwin Komenda
Body and chassis
ClassSports car
Body style2-door Coupe
LayoutRear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout
RelatedPorsche 356/2
Powertrain
Engine
  • 1086 cc Type 369
  • 1488 cc Type 502
  • 1488 cc Type 527
  • 1488 cc Type 528
  • 1091 cc Type 533
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,100 mm (82.7 in)
Length3,880 mm (152.8 in)
Width1,666 mm (65.6 in)
Height1,300 mm (51.2 in)
Chronology
SuccessorPorsche 550

The Porsche type 514, also known as the 356SL ("Sport Leicht") is a purpose-built race car based on the 356/2. It was initially designed for participating in the 1951 Le Mans 24-hour race. The French Porsche distributor Auguste Veuillet suggested participating in the race during a meeting at the Paris Salon motor show in October 1950.[1] Porsche determined that they had a chance of winning the 1100cc class G with a modified version of the aluminum 356/2 cars and the type 396 1086cc engine. The Porsche 356 cars produced at that time at the Reutter factory in Stuttgart featured a steel body and Volkswagen style floor pan which was heavier and less rigid than the box-section chassis with aluminum body of the 356/2 cars.[1] 63 chassis have been produced in total in Gmünd, Austria out of which about 50 cars have been fully assembled and finished in Austria, one or two were used for testing purposes or repairing damaged cars and the remaining 11 chassis with unfinished bodies were shipped to Stuttgart and used for the factory and customer racing cars based on the type 514 design.

Construction and assembly

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The chassis consists of welded steel box sections with a 2100mm wheelbase and independent suspension made up from transverse torsion bars and trailing arms with swing axles at the rear. The 356/2 body was made of aluminum with steel doors.[2] Type 514 modifications to the 356/2 body consisted of items like aluminum panels underneath for improved aerodynamics, enlarged 78-litre fuel tank with quick release filler cap and leather bonnet straps.[1] Furthermore, the cars had some specific features for the Le Mans race like extra headlights, aluminum shrouds around the wheels and a 3th wiper that were not used in every event. The type 369 air cooled flat four-cylinder engine was modified with a camshaft designed by Ernst Fuhrmann and a lighter flywheel, increasing the horsepower to 46 bhp. The displacement of 1086cc with a 7:1 compression ratio, the Solex 32 PBI carburettors and Fichtel & Sachs clutch was the same as the engine used in the 356/2 and the first models of the 356 produced in Stuttgart. The gear ratios of the four-speed Volkswagen gearbox were modified as well.

Final assembly was performed at either Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter & Co or Dannenhauer & Strauss.[3] The 356SL cars show some inconsistencies in numbering because bodies and chassis have been combined whole or in part after crashes and exported car chassis have been renumbered to the 300x/A range.[4] This allowed for the re-use of original chassis numbers which prevented the need for new registration and customs paperwork. For instance, chassis number 356/2-055 has been re-used at least twice. The cars have been modified significantly during the fist few years to be able to meet sporting regulations and keep them competitive, for instance in 1952 two cars received a higher roof for Italian regulations and in 1953 a more streamlined lower body was introduced.[1] Various engine types were used in the cars depending on the class they were competing in and following the engine developments at Porsche.

History

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Porsche 356SL

The 356SL cars have been produced and modified over a period of 3 years. In 1951 one prototype for testing purposes and four racing cars were built in for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and other racing events. Le Mans regulations required the cars to be available for sale to customers so two cars where prepared in the same year for private entry into various races making them the first dedicated customer racing cars from Porsche. Several cars where crashed and the parts used to repair the other cars.[5] At the end of the 1951 season the remaining 3 racing cars have been exported to Max Hoffman in the USA and all three cars still exists in private collections. In 1952 another four cars were built for the 1952 racing season[1] and in 1953 one car was rebuilt for the Le Mans race. By that time all remaining chassis and bodies from the Gmund period were used and the focus of the Porsche factory team and its customers had shifted to the new Porsche 550 spyder.

Detailed history of each chassis

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356/2-053 This was one of the first 356SL prototypes. It was damaged at the Le Mans race track when driven by racing team manager Paul von Guillaume, he was trying to avoid a bicycle and crashed.[5] This happened during a gearbox and final driver ratio test before the 1951 race.

356/2-054 Porsche documentation[6] indicates that this is one of the four cars prepared for the 1951 Le Mans race with the 1086cc engine. It was the entry with starting number 47 and crashed two nights before the race during practice in the pouring rain while driven by Rudolph Sauerwein.[5] The car has been repaired with parts from chassis 063 and exported to the US in November 1951. It was sold by Max Hoffman to Fritz Koster. The car was entered in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana race with starting number 199 driven by Joaquin Castillo de la Fuente and also raced in the 1954 edition of the Carrera Panamericana driven by Jacqueline Evans de López but did not finish in both attempts. The car is still in Mexico and waiting to be restored.

356/2-055 Based on Porsche documentation[6] available in the company archive this is one of the four SL cars prepared for the 1951 racing season. Final assembly had been outsourced to Dannenhauer with the new 1488cc engine installed in the car. It was first used in the 1951 Rome-Liege-Rome race with starting number 33 and license plate W24-3475 and after that for setting the Montlhéry speed records on 02/10/1951.[5] It set eleven world speed and endurance records on the Montlhéry circuit near Paris, averaging 94.66 mph for 72 hours. The record setting car was shown at the 1951 Paris Auto show and exported to Max Hoffman in the U.S. in November 1951 with the new chassis number 3003/A. It was sold by Hoffman to Trego Imported Motors, Hoopeston, IL.[7] The car raced extensively and was generally driven by Karl Brocken. It has since been restored and is part of the Miles Collier collection at the Revs institute in Naples, Florida.[8]

356/2-056(063) 356SL in the Peterson Museum Los Angeles May 2024

356/2-056 is one of the four type 514 cars prepared for the 1951 Le Mans race.[6] Final assembly was performed at Reutter. The history of this particular car is extensively documented[6] and well deserved because it is the 1951 Le Mans class G winner (20th overall) with entry number #46. Based on recent photograph taken during the latest restoration, the chassis number was re-stamped to 356/2-063. This likely occurred just prior to the race when the original 063 car was crashed by a mechanic in a head-on collision on the Autobahn. This car was exported to U.S. November 1951 with chassis number 3002/A. Sold by Hoffman to John von Neumann (owner of Competition Motors in California). The car was modified into Roadster configuration mid 1952. Since then the car has been restored by Emory Motorsport into the 1951 Le Mans condition.

356/2-057 This car has been built in 1951 for a private customer and contains some SL features. It was raced in the U.S.A. The car has been restored and is part of a private collection.

356/2-058 Chassis 058 was part of the 4 cars prepared for the 1952 racing season. After the crash of 356/2-060 at the Bol d'Or in Montlhéry on June 8, 1952, a new car was needed with a high roof to be able to participate in Italian races.[1] Chassis number 058 was modified and participated in the 1952 Coppa Inter-Europa at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza with license plate W83-4079.[1] Later it was seen at Porsche with two other cars when they were preparing for Le Mans 1953.

Porsche 356SL 356/2-059, Restored state at the Porsche Museum Stuttgart in 2022

356/2-059 Coupe configured as SL at the rented Reutter facility in Zuffenhausen for the 1952 racing season. The chassis number was immediately changed to 055 so the license plate W24-3475 could be re-used. During the 1952 Mille Miglia it was used as a support car. After that it has had a long racing career starting at the 1952 Le Mans. In 1953 the car was modified with a lower and more aerodynamic roof which can still be seen in the Porsche museum Stuttgart where it is wearing chassis data plate 356/2-055. The location of the plate covers the stamped chassis number. This is the only 356/2 known to have had the 4-cam engine installed by the factory.

356/2-060 was built for the 1952 racing season and was fitted with a higher roof to meet the Italian regulations. It first appeared in the 1952 Mille Miglia,[9] in which it was driven by Giovanni Lurani and Konstantin Berkheim. They finished the race in 46th place overall and first in the GT class under 1500cc with a total time of 14h53m03". Unfortunately, this car finished its racing career just a month later when it was crashed by André Le Jamtel on the second lap of the Bol d'Or at the Montlhéry race track on June 8, 1952. The car was damaged beyond repair.

356/2-061 This coupe was configured as a SL in Zuffenhausen in 1951 with chassis number 3004/A and was ordered by D'Ieteren Belgium on September 19, 1951.[10] After appearing in the 1952 Brussels Auto Show it was sold to Max Thirion and raced extensively by his daughter Gilberte Thirion. It was the winner of the 1952 Liège-Rome-Liège Rally with starting number 81 and had a long and well documented racing career after that. It was the only 356/2 known to have had been modified to a mid-engine configuration. The car is in Belgium and being restored to its 1952 condition by its current owner.[11]

356/2-062 This car is part of the 4 cars configured as an SL in Zuffenhausen for the 1952 racing season. It finished 11th overall and first in class up to 1100cc in Le Mans 1952 with starting number 50 and licence plate W83-4080. In the 1953 Le Mans race it started with number 46 and did not finish. Later in 1953 it competed at Silverstone (starting number 6) with the drivers Auguste Veuillet and Edmond Mouche before it was transported to Mexico for the 1953 Carrera Panamericana driven by Guillermo Suhr Contreras and Oscar Alfonso (Number 153). Before the race the car had an accident during practice but was repaired and was able to start the race. 356/2-062 never finished the 1953 Carrera Panamericana and was lost in Guatamala, never to be seen again.

356/2-063 According to Porsche documentation,[6] this is one of the four cars prepared for the 1951 Le Mans race. Final assembly was performed at Reutter. In June 1951 the car was raced by G.F. Roeloffzen at Zandvoort. On the way back to Stuttgart the car was crashed on the Bruchsal-Karlsruche Autobahn near Stuttgart.[5] Parts of the wreck have been used for repairing the 1951 Le Mans entry with starting number 47, (356/2-054) and the chassis is assumed to be destroyed.

356/2-05? In 1953 a rebuilt car with chassis number 055 was prepared for Le Mans. It was assembled with body number 806/40, which was initially destined for chassis number 051. The roof was changed to a more streamlined low roof with aluminum trim around the windscreen. This car still exists in a private collection in the USA with the last digit of the chassis number ground off and replaced with a 5. It could be one of the crashed chassis like 356/2-053 but is more likely chassis number 356/2-051[10] as the crashed cars show significant damage to the body and chassis. The car has two chassis numbers as it also features the smaller style chassis plate which was introduced in March 1953 with number 356/2-058, so this is also not an original Gmund period chassis number plate. This chassis number allowed it to race with the W83-4079 license plate. The car participated in the 1953 Le Mans race with starting number 49, the Liège-Rome-Liège with starting number 50 and was later seen with its distinctive aluminum trim around the windshield and the low roof at the 12Hrs of Sebring in 1955 with starting number 69.

Racing history

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The table below gives an overview of the racing history of the Porsche 356SL cars. The original chassis number is listed for each event with the chassis number carried during the event between brackets.

Year Event Date Chassis Engine Starting number Driver Result
1951 Zandvoort 09/06/1951 356/2-063 1086cc 10 G.F. Roeloffzen Crashed on way back to Stuttgart
24 Hours of Le Mans 23/06/1951 356/2-056(063) 1086cc 46 Auguste Veuillet / Edmond Mouche 20th overall, winner under 1100cc class
21/06/1951 356/2-054 1086cc 47 Rudolf Sauerwein / Robert Brunet Crashed during practice
Liège–Rome–Liège 15/08/1951 356/2-056(063) 1086cc 16 Huschke von Hanstein / Petermax Muller Tenth overall and second in the 1100cc class[5]
356/2-055 1488cc 33 Paul von Guilleaume / Heinrich von der Muhle Third overall and first in the 1500cc class[5]
Monthlery 07/10/1951 356/2-056(063) 96
1952 Rallye Paris – Saint-Raphaël Féminin 27/02/1952 356/2-061(3004) 72 Gilberte Thirion / Max Thirion
Vero Beach 12 Hours 08/03/1952 356/2-054(3001) 41 Fritz Koster 16th overall and 6th in class
356/2-055(3003) 57 Karl Brocken 7th overall and first in class
12h Sebring 15/03/1952 356/2-054(3001) 31 Fritz Koster DNS
Wolverthem 16/03/1952 356/2-061(3004) Gilberte Thirion 3th overall[12]
Palm Springs 23/03/1952 356/2-056(3002) John von Neumann
Rallye International Lyon-Charbonnieres 28/03/1952 356/2-061(3004) Gilberte Thirion / Max Thirion Retired
Rallye Soleil-Cannes 06/04/1952 356/2-061(3004) 207 Gilberte Thirion / Max Thirion 5th overall
Pebble Beach 20/04/1952 356/2-056(3002) 1500cc 40 John von Neumann 21st overall
356/2-055(3003) Karl Brocken DNF
Mille Miglia 04/05/1952 356/2-060 1500cc 327 Giovanni Lurani and Count Philipp Constantin von Berckheim 46th overall and first under 1.5-litre GT car[5]
Grand Prix de Bordeaux 04/05/1952 356/2-062 1500cc 92 Auguste Veuillet Winner in class
Golden Gate 05/05/1952 356/2-056(3002) 1500cc 11
12h Cassablanca 16/05/1952 356/2-061(3004) Gilberte Thirion / Germaine Rouault DNF (gearbox)
Bridgerhampton Road Races 24/05/1952 356/2-054(3001) 43 Fritz Koster 3th overall 1500cc behind Max Hoffman in a Glockler
356/2-055(3003) 56 Karl Brocken DNF
Golden Gate 31/05/1952 356/2-056(3002) 11 John von Neumann 16th
Bol D'or 08/06/1952 156/2-060(063) 2 André Le Jamtel Crashed
24 Hours of Le Mans 14/06/1952 356/2-059(055) 1488cc 47 Auguste Lachaize / Eugene Martin disqualified during the 19th hour because the engine was left running during a pit stop
356/2-062 1086cc 50 Auguste Veuillet / Edmond Mouche 11th overall, winner under 1100cc class
356/2-058 1086cc 51 Huschke von Hanstein / Petermax Muller DNF (gearbox)
Tour de France 19/06/1952 356/2-061(3004) 62 Paul von Guillaume
Rallye International des Alpes 11/07/1952 356/2-061(3004) 136 Gilberte Thirion / Max Thirion retired
Torrey Pines 20/07/1952 356/2-056(3002) 11 John von Neumann Winner under 1500cc class
Liège–Rome–Liège 13/08/1952 356/2-059(055) 4 Pierre Stasee / Hermand
356/2-062 22 Gianni Lurani & Wilhelm Hild
356/2-058 30 Huschke von Hanstein / Petermax Muller 10th overall and 7th under 1500cc class
356/2-061(3004) 81 Helmut Polensky / Walter Schluter Winner overall
Thompson Raceway 17/08/1952 356/2-054(3001) Fritz Koster Winner in under 1500cc class
Stella Alpina Rally 28/08/1952 356/2-052 194 Otto Mathé
Allentown, Pennsylvania 03/09/1952 356/2-054(3001) 53 Fritz Koster 4th overall
Coppa Inter Europa 07/09/1952 356/2-058 34 Giovanni Lurani 1st in under 1500cc class
Elkhard Lake 07/09/1952 356/2-056(3002) 11 John von Neumann 3th overall
356/2-055(3003) 117 Karl Brocken 2nd overall
Tour de France Automobile 16/09/1952 356/2-061(3004) 62 Gilberte Thirion / Ingeborg Polensky Excluded
Watkins Glen 20/09/1952 356/2-054(3001) 76 Fritz Koster 6th overall
Tour de Belgique 25/10/1952 356/2-061(3004) 165 Gilberte Thirion / Max Thirion 5th in class III
4h Turner 26/10/1952 356/2-055(3003) 74 Ed Trego DNF
Madera Airport 09/11/1952 356/2-056(3002) John von Neumann Overall winner
Torrey Pines 14/12/1952 356/2-056(3002) John von Neumann Overall winner
1953 Rallye Paris - Saint-Raphaël Féminin 18/02/1953 356/2-061(3004) 66 Gilberte Thirion Accident
Rallye Sestriere 26/02/1952 352/2-062 72 Bracco Giovanni / Fritz 'Huschke' von Hanstein
Palm Springs Road Races 22/03/1953 356/2-056(3002) 11 John von Neumann Overall Winner
Josie von Neumann 3th overall
Internationale Tulpenrallye 26/04/1953 356/2-061(3004) Gilberte Thirion / Ingeborg Polensky Retired
International Trophy Silverstone 09/05/1953 356/2-062 6
24 Hours of Le Mans 12/06/1953 356/2-062 1091cc 46 Gonzague Olivier / Eugene Martin DNF (Engine failure)
356/2-051(058) 1091cc 49 Auguste Veuillet / Petermax Muller DNF (Engine failure)
Bridgerhampton 23/05/1953 356/2-054(3001) 89 Al Koster
Stockton 28/06/1953 356/2-056(3002) John von Neumann
Rallye des Alpes 10/07/1953 356/2-061(3004) 309 Gilberte Thirion / Renaud Lise 44th overall, 3th ladies, 6th in under 1600cc
Chino 19/07/1953 356/2-056(3002) John von Neumann 2nd overall
Liège–Rome–Liège 19/08/1953 356/2-051(058) 50 Müller / Schellhaas 13th overall
356/2-059(055) 84
356/2-062
Belgrado 10/09/1953 356/2-062 Fritz 'Huschke' von Hanstein
Tour de France Automobile 13/09/1953 356/2-061(3004) 27 Gilberte Thirion / Ingeborg Polensky Retired
Madera Airport 20/09/1953 356/2-056(3002) 11 John von Neumann 2nd overall
Rallye Internacional de Lisboa, Estoril 13/10/1953 356/2-059(055) 15 Helmut Polensky / Walter Schluter 3th overall
2.5h Reno 18/10/1953 356/2-056(3002) 11 John von Neumann 7th overall
Tour de Belgique 24/10/1953 356/2-061(3004) Gilberte Thirion / Gonzague Olivier Overall Winner
Internationale Rallye du Maroc 02/11/1953 356/2-061(3004) 308 Gilberte Thirion / Renaud Lise 8th overall
March AFB 08/11/1953 356/2-056(3002) John von Neumann 3th overall
Carrera Panamericana 19/11/1953 356/2-062 153 Guillermo Suhr Contreras / Oscar Alfonso
356/2-054(3001) 199 Joaquin Castillo de la Fuente
1954 Randonnée des Routes Blanches 13/02/1954 356/2-061(3004) 38 Gilberte Thirion / Washer Nadège 6th overall
Rallye Paris - Saint-Raphaël Féminin 03/03/1954 356/2-061(3004) 96 Gilberte Thirion 3th overall
12 Heures de Huy 04/04/1954 356/2-061(3004) Gilberte Thirion Overall Winner
Rallye Soleil-Cannes 10/04/1954 356/2-061(3004) Gilberte Thirion / Washer Nadège 4th overall
Andrews AFB 02/05/1954 356/2-054(3001) Al Koster
Lockbourne AFB 08/08/1954 356/2-055(3003) 112 Lloyd Barton
Liège–Rome–Liège 18/08/1954 356/2-059(055) 1500cc 86 Helmut Polensky / Herbet Linge Winner
Tour de France Automobile 12/09/1954 356/2-061(3004) 229 Gilberte Thirion / Ingeborg Polensky 5th overall and 2nd in class S
Tour de Belgique 23/10/1954 356/2-061(3004) 39 Gilberte Thirion / Ingeborg Polensky 9th overall, 3th in class III
Carrera Panamericana 13/11/1954 356/2-054(3001) 100 Jacqueline Evans de López DNF (Gearbox)
Rallye du Maroc 13/12/1954 356/2-061(3004) 214 Gilberte Thirion / Renaud Lise 23th overall
1955 12Hrs Sebring 13/03/1955 356/2-051(058) 1488cc 69 Guy Atkins / Traver McKenna 34th overall
Lawrenceville Airport 19/06/1955 356/2-055(3003) 111 Warren Steele 3th overall
Liège–Rome–Liège 15/08/1955 356/2-059(055) 128 Helmut Polensky / Herbert Linge retired
Coppa Inter Europa 11/09/1955 356/2-059(055) 6 Richard von Frankenberg
1957 Road America 07/09/1957 356/2-057 23 Carl Schmidt

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Ludvigsen, Karl E. (2012). Porsche: origin of the species. Cambridge, MA: Bentley. ISBN 978-0-8376-1331-4.
  2. ^ Tyer, Ben. "Guide: Porsche 356 SL (Type 514)". Supercar Nostalgia. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  3. ^ Maltby, Gordon (2023). Porsche 356: 75th anniversary. Beverly, MA, USA: Motorbooks. ISBN 978-0-7603-7737-6.
  4. ^ Carney, Phil (January 2011). "The Aluminium 356 Cars". 356Registry. 34 (5): 14–18.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Frankenberg, Richard Alexander von, Freiherr (1965). Porsche: the man and his cars, (1st ed.). Motoraces Book Club. p. 132. ISBN 0-85429-090-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b c d e Wagenblatt, Bill (February 2023). 46 : The Birth Of Porsche Motorsport. Dalton Watson Fine Books. ISBN 9781956309010.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ^ Carney, Phil (January 2010). "Porsche Pioneers in America - The Imported Motor Car Co". 356Registry. 33 (5): 14–18.
  8. ^ Lamm, John. "1951 Porsche 356SL Gmünd Coupe". revs institute. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  9. ^ Carney, Phil (March 2012). "Porsche at the Mille Miglia". 356Registry. 35 (6): 20.
  10. ^ a b Mertens, Jaques (2009). The Last Eleven - The First Porsche Factory Race Cars. Toad Hall Motorbooks. ISBN 9781616236236.
  11. ^ Mertens, Jaques (21 January 2011). "www.porsche356sl.com". Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  12. ^ Carney, Phill (November 2009). "The Last 11". 356Registry. 33 (4): 17.