24h Le Mans
24 HOURS CENTENARY – MAKES, MARQUES and IMPRINTS ⎮ The 356 was not only the first car to bear the name of Ferdinand Porsche, but also the German marque's first to compete at Le Mans. Here is a look back at the history of this sporty coupe that launched Porsche's outstanding track record at the race.
For the design of the 356, Ferry Porsche updated a concept his father Ferdinand had already imagined prior to World War II: the "people's car," released as the iconic Volkswagen Beetle after the war, and from which the 356 borrowed most of its mechanical features.
The basic engine architecture was identical, with an air-cooled turbine placed between two rows of cylinders. The design of the 356 began in 1945 and the first version saw the light of day three years later. Named the 356 as a nod to the 356th project carried out by Ferdinand Porsche's design office, the car owed its shape to Erwin Komenda. The initial model underwent some notable modifications before heading into production: first a convertible, it became a coupe, and its engine, originally central, was installed cantilevered behind the axle of the rear wheels.
In October 1950, the marque showcased the 356 at the Paris Motor Show, with the Grand Palais inadvertently hosting an informal discussion that would forever associate the Porsche name with Le Mans.
After driving to Paris at the wheel of a 356, Ferdinand Porsche shared a fateful encounter with 24 Hours race director Charles Faroux, a great proponent of Porsche's after World War II. Faroux immediately understood the 356's potential relative to Le Mans. After some discussion – and certain mathematical operations carried out by Ferdinand himself with a slide rule – the race director agreed to allow the 356 to enter the 1951 24 Hours.
Sadly, the Porsche founder passed away in late January 1951. But his son, Ferry, pursued the entry, and so on 23 June, Porsche took the start in its very first 24 Hours. The #46 Porsche 356 was shared by Auguste Veuillet (a Porsche importer in France) and Le Mans local Edmond Mouche. They won their class and finished 20th overall, following the feat the next year with a second win and 11th place overall.
Various versions of the 356 (356A, 356 Carrera, 356A Speedster and 356B Carrera) were seen at the 24 Hours from 1951 to 1963, culminating in five class victories. Fifteen years after the car's first appearance in the race, the Porsche 911 made its debut at Le Mans in 1966, another highly successful chapter in Porsche's history, still being written in 2022, on the eve of the 24 Hours of Le Mans centenary.
PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: the first Porsche at the 24 Hours immediately clinched two class wins in 1951 (#46) and 1952 (#50); the last version seen at Le Mans was a factory 356 B 2000 GS GT fielded in 1963 and driven by Gerald Koch and Carel Godin de Beaufort (forced to retire).
