This year the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911 is being celebrated at concours d'elegance and other major events around the world. Unquestionably the iconic sports car deserves much praise for its design, its longevity, and its winning performance. Like everyone else I'm an admirer, yet my favorite Porsche remains the 911's predecessor, the 356.
My reasons are largely emotional, based on personal history. I first became involved with Porsche in 1959 when Dr. Hal Albrecht, sales promotion manager of Volkswagen Canada, loaned me a new 356A hardtop for a few hours. In those years Porsche was still too small to manage operations in this country and so VW had been appointed Canadian distributor.
That brief drive was a revelation but it got me into trouble when I opened the throttle on Toronto's Gardiner Expressway and passed a gentleman in an oversized and overdecorated Detroit sedan at a far greater speed than he thought was safe. He'd made a note of the plate number and somehow traced it back to Volkswagen Canada. Upon returning the car I answered Dr. Albrecht's questions by explaining that (a) I wasn't going as fast as my protaganist had claimed and (b) judging by the manner in which he'd shaken his fist at me the guy was pissed off at being overtaken by a little foreign sports car.
Dr. Hal Albrecht, who'd helped manage the Auto Union factory race team before the war, was one of the good guys. He smiled and told me to forget about the incident, then invited me to produce a short film for Ferry Porsche from shots taken by the family at various European race tracks. Not long after that I was offered, and accepted, a job as VW Canada's (and Porsche's) assistant public relations manager. That would lead to my meeting and socialising with Ferry Porsche, the company's competitions director Huschke von Hanstein, and several famous international race drivers including Olivier Gendebien and Jo Bonnier.
I bought a near-new 356B coupe that had been rolled in a field by its lady driver (unhurt) and written off by the insurance company. Since VW Canada had its own sales and service department, including a body repair shop, it was a relatively simple matter to have the car rebuilt at minimal cost. An experienced and successful race driver in modified sedans during the previous season, I was eager to keep racing; unfortunately I couldn't afford performance upgrades so I spent the 1961 season driving a stock 356B in the modified production class, usually finishing around mid-pack. There were, however, three races for unmodified cars and I managed to finish (in order) third, second, and first overall. I had one other claim to fame during that period, though it has been long forgotten: at Dr. Albrecht's insistence I formed the Porsche Club of Canada and became, by acclamation, its first president.
Eventually I sold the Porsche due to a growing family and the fact that we couldn't afford two cars. The Porsche 356B, believe it or not, had been both family and race car. You could do that in those days.
So now you know why I have such affection for the 356 and why I was delighted to learn that fellow automobile historian Richard Truesdell, founder and editorial director of Automotive Traveler magazine, had posted a number of colorful photographs taken at the Dana Point Porsche 356 show last Sunday. In fact I was equally pleased to discover that there actually was such a show, for I'd never heard of an exclusive 356 gathering. No doubt there are many in various countries but such news hadn't reached my ears. Hopefully there'll be another one within easier reach of my Vancouver Island home.
One of Richard's images can be seen up top and I've added a few below for your enjoyment. But I heartily recommend that if you admire Porsches, and especially the 356B, follow this link to his site. I guarantee a few moments of sheer pleasure. With a generous helping of nostalgia.
[Photos: Richard Truesdell]
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