# Porsche 356: factory option codes and prices (1950–1955)

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

- Web page: https://www.retroconfigurator.com/wiki/356_pre_a
- Structured data (JSON): https://www.retroconfigurator.com/data/agent/generations/356_pre_a.json
- US model years: 1950–1955
- 4 trims, 11 options

## How to read this page

- Prices are US list prices in the dollars of that model year.
- "Not sourced" means the option was offered but no source for its price has been found. It does not mean free.
- A code of `none` means the factory code is not documented. Name the option instead of supplying a code.
- The same code can mean different things in different generations.
- "(assumed)" marks availability that is inferred: the option is documented in other model years of the same phase of the generation, or on the trim this one derives from, and is assumed here.

## Background

The 356 was Porsche’s first production car: a small rear-engined car with an air-cooled flat-four and engine and suspension components derived from the Volkswagen Beetle. The first cars were built by hand in Gmünd, Austria, with aluminium bodies, before production moved to Stuttgart in 1950 with steel bodies built by Reutter. “Pre-A” is collectors’ shorthand for the cars built before the 356 A of late 1955.

Early cars had a split windscreen of two flat panes, replaced in 1952 by a one-piece screen with a bend in the centre. The first two US cars, delivered in 1950, had 1.1-litre engines, and later US cars used a 1.5-litre engine in standard and Super tune. The bodies were the coupé and the cabriolet, with the aluminium-bodied America Roadster offered in 1952.

Porsche used no model years before the 356 A, so the years given here are calendar years of US sale, which began when the importer Max Hoffman took delivery of the first two cars. The Speedster, with a low, removable windscreen and a minimal folding top, was added for 1955 at Hoffman’s suggestion. For 1955 the coupé and cabriolet were sold in the US as the “Continental”, a name dropped after Ford objected.

## Trims

| Trim | Model years | Base price by year | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 356 Coupe | 1950–1955 | 1950: Not sourced; 1951: $3,800; 1952: $3,810; 1953: $3,395; 1954–1955: $3,445 | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/wiki/356_pre_a/356_coupe.md |
| 356 Cabriolet | 1953–1955 | 1953: $3,645; 1954–1955: $3,695 | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/wiki/356_pre_a/356_cabriolet.md |
| 356 America Roadster | 1952 | 1952: $4,600 | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/wiki/356_pre_a/356_america_roadster.md |
| 356 Speedster | 1955 | 1955: $2,995 | https://www.retroconfigurator.com/wiki/356_pre_a/356_speedster.md |

## Options

### Packages

| Code | Option | Trims | Years | US price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| none | Speedster comfort items: heater, tachometer and side curtains | 356 Speedster | 1955 | $81 |

### Performance & Sound

| Code | Option | Trims | Years | US price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| none | 1500 Super engine (70 hp), sold with radio, tachometer, special bumpers and seat adjuster | 356 Coupe, 356 Cabriolet | 1953–1954 | Not sourced |
| none | 1500 Super engine (70 hp); coupe and cabriolet Super prices include radio and wheel discs | All except 356 America Roadster | 1950–1955 (assumed for some) | Not sourced |
| none | Oil filter (Speedster) | 356 Speedster | 1955 | $16 |

### Lighting

| Code | Option | Trims | Years | US price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| none | Chrome headlight stone guards | All except 356 America Roadster | 1950–1955 (assumed for some) | $34 (not sourced for every trim and year) |

### Seats

| Code | Option | Trims | Years | US price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| none | Passenger seat headrest | All except 356 America Roadster | 1950–1955 (assumed for some) | $30 (not sourced for every trim and year) |

### Comfort & Assistance

| Code | Option | Trims | Years | US price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| none | Clock in glove compartment | All except 356 America Roadster | 1950–1955 (assumed for some) | $16 (not sourced for every trim and year) |

### Infotainment & Audio

| Code | Option | Trims | Years | US price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| none | Telefunken "Auto Super" radio (included with the 1500 Super coupe and cabriolet) | All except 356 America Roadster | 1950–1955 (assumed for some) | $125 (not sourced for every trim and year) |

### Interior Personalisation

| Code | Option | Trims | Years | US price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| none | Full leather interior (coupe) | 356 Coupe | 1950–1955 (assumed for some) | $140 (not sourced for every trim and year) |
| none | Fitted luggage set, three pieces (coupe) | 356 Coupe | 1950–1955 (assumed for some) | $130 (not sourced for every trim and year) |
| none | Fitted luggage set, two pieces (coupe) | 356 Coupe | 1950–1955 (assumed for some) | $115 (not sourced for every trim and year) |

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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.