Porsche 356: Generations, Option Codes & Prices

The 356 was Porsche’s first production car, with a rear-mounted, air-cooled flat-four. The wiki follows it through four versions, from the pre-A cars imported from 1950 to the 356 C sold in the US until 1965.

Each generation below has its own page listing every US-market trim, the factory option codes offered, which trims could order them, the model years they appeared in and, where a period document supports it, what they cost. The Porsche 356 is one of the models added after the 911 and is still being filled in; the methodology page explains what each figure rests on.

Porsche 356 generations

• 
  Pre-A1950–1955

  The first Porsche production cars, from the Gmünd-built coupés to the 1955 Speedster.

  4 trims · 11 options
  Photo: Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
• 
  A1956–1959

  The 356 A, with a curved one-piece windscreen, 1.6-litre engines and the four-cam Carrera.

  11 trims · 61 options
  Photo: Calreyn88, CC BY 4.0
• 
  B1960–1963

  The 356 B of 1960 to 1963, with raised bumpers and headlamps and two successive body revisions.

  14 trims · 63 options
  Photo: Alexandre Prévot from Nancy, France, CC BY-SA 2.0
• 
  C1964–1965

  The last 356, sold in the US for 1964 and 1965, with four-wheel disc brakes as standard.

  6 trims · 59 options
  Photo: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0

How the Porsche 356 generations differ

The early cars, now called pre-A, had a windscreen in two pieces and later a single bent pane. Max Hoffman, the New York importer who brought them to the US, asked for two models for his market: the America Roadster and the Speedster, a simplified open car with a low, removable windscreen.

The 356 A of 1956 had a curved one-piece windscreen and 1.6-litre engines, and added the four-cam Carrera. The Convertible D replaced the Speedster for 1959.

The 356 B of 1960 raised the bumpers and headlamps. A roadster and a hardtop coupé were offered alongside the coupé and cabriolet, as was the 2.0-litre Carrera 2.

The 356 C, sold for 1964 and 1965, was the last of the line and had disc brakes on all four wheels. It was replaced by the 911 and the four-cylinder 912.

Trims and base prices by generation

Every US-market trim of each generation, with the lowest and highest base price documented for any trim in any model year, before options and destination charges.

The costliest options in each generation

The highest US price documented for each option, in the model year it was quoted. Prices are as listed at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

At a glance