3 replies to this topic

[HistoryBuff]

I was reading an article by Tom Cotter ("Cobra in the Barn" etc.) about a Carrera 2 and he said  something to the effect of:

 

 The road Carreras often had steel bodies and gas heaters. Rarer was the Carrera GT , with only 14 built, which had a steel body except for the doors, hood, and trunk (engine) lid of aluminum, Speedster style aluminum bucket seats. Only the windscreen was glass, the side windows and back window were plexiglass,  and there were no rear seats. There were no bumper over-riders and no heater.

Yet I have seen 356 cars with the lettering GS/GT on the back. Is it possible for a 356 to have GT and GS equipment simultaneously? And was the GT the one which did not come with a gas heater but the GS did?

 

Thanks for any insight,

 

[richardspringett]

Hi

 

Dr Brett Johnson`s two book - Porsche 356 A Pictorial Guide and A Restorer`s Guide, answer some of your questions....but you probably need to read, the very detailed book, in it`s entirety to fully understand things. For example, "The Carrera lid was not described as aluminium, although they were on late GTs" and "Fitted standard in Garrera GS models and optional in other models was the Eberspacher gasoline heater....."

 

I can vouch for Porsche fan`s knowledge and enthusiasm; when I briefly owned a Carrera 2 cabriolet I was frequently berated for having the wrong bolts securing the air cleaners...

 

I suggest posting on a dedicated Porsche site.... 

 

Richard

[D-Type]

In addition to varying the detailed spec during the production run, did Porsche possibly provide different specs for different markets back then?

[Allan Lupton]

In addition to varying the detailed spec during the production run, did Porsche possibly provide different specs for different markets back then?

Could be a situation similar to that in the UK where there was a steel shortage and the car manufacturers got steel if they built for export.

Sheet aluminium and its alloys, although normally less available than steel, had been produced in such volume for war-time aircraft production that there was still a lot about. Hence the number of quite ordinary cars of the 1940s which had aluminium alloy bodies.