# Porsche 356: generations, option codes and prices

- Web page: https://www.retroconfigurator.com/wiki/356

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.

## Generations

| Generation | US model years | Trims | Options | Markdown | JSON |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Porsche 356 C | 1964–1965 | 6 | 59 | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/wiki/356_c.md | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/data/agent/generations/356_c.json |
| Porsche 356 B | 1960–1963 | 14 | 63 | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/wiki/356_b.md | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/data/agent/generations/356_b.json |
| Porsche 356 A | 1956–1959 | 11 | 61 | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/wiki/356_a.md | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/data/agent/generations/356_a.json |
| Porsche 356 | 1950–1955 | 4 | 11 | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/wiki/356_pre_a.md | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/data/agent/generations/356_pre_a.json |

## How the 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.

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Contains information from RetroConfigurator (retroconfigurator.com), made available under the Open Database License (ODbL). License: https://www.retroconfigurator.com/data-license

Historical figures compiled from public sources, provided as-is without warranty and not for purchase or valuation decisions. RetroConfigurator is an independent project, not affiliated with Porsche AG.