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172 BARRETT-JACKSON EXPERIENCE WINTER 2024THE ‘PRE-A’ 1955 PORSCHE 356 SPEEDSTER CONTINUES TO IMPRESSSLEEK AND SPEEDYAs the first production model ever to bear the Porsche name, the Type 356 swiftly evolved immediately after the first prototypes emerged in 1948 from a converted sawmill in Gmünd, Austria. Today, the foundational 356-series cars and their many variants are rightly regarded as the beginning of an automotive dynasty that continues uninterrupted today with a victorious, often dominant, competition record at the pinnacle of international motorsports. Road-car sales were as crucial to Porsche’s earliest fortunes as racing success, and significant demand existed for open versions of Porsche’s increasingly refined 356 coupes. An early reply came in the form of Porsche’s early and relatively costly 356 America roadster, bodied by Erich Heuer’s Gläser Karosserie. However, New York’s legendary European-car importer Max Hoffman saw sufficient demand in America for a sharper-edged, no-frills Porsche convertible at a lower price point. Stuttgart’s Reutter Karosserie revised the America’s original bodywork and designed a curvaceous, highwaisted “bathtub” body style for the new 356 model, dubbed the Speedster. Retaining the prior America’s Type 540 internal designation, the sleeker Reutter-built 356 Speedster debuted in 1954 and went on to become one of Porsche’s most celebrated designs. Equipped with a removable cut-down windscreen and simple yet supportive bucket seats, plus a lowprofile soft-top and rudimentary side curtains for weather protection, the lightweight Speedster delivered noticeably sharper performance, braking and handling. Instruments consisted only of a speedometer and temperature gauge, with a tachometer and heater optional to keep the price down to just $2,995 when the Speedster made its New York debut.The Speedster was a rather successful niche model for Porsche from launch, with some 200 built initially and over 1,000 produced for 1955, with their Volkswagenbased, yet effective mechanical components yielding the retrospective “Pre-A” designation used by Porsche enthusiasts. Late in 1955, the 356 and 356 Speedster received its first major revision to 356A standard, with engine displacement growing to 1,600 cubic centimeters