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For its first car, Porsche used the VW engine and transaxle unit, but it was turned around so the engine was ahead of the rear axle as Porsche had used for its racing car designs.
The VW’s 1,131-cubic-centimetre, flat-four engine was modified with higher compression, new cylinder heads with larger valves and twin carburetors, raising horsepower to about 40. The car had a tubular chassis and was clothed in a simple but aerodynamic roadster body. Porsche Number One emerged from the Gmund sawmill in May, 1948.
In parallel with the 356 roadster, an aerodynamic fastback coupe with factory designation 356/2 was also developed. It had the engine in the same location as the VW’s, behind the rear axle. While this increased the car’s tendency to oversteer, it provided much more interior space.
A VW-type platform frame was used rather than the tube type of the 356 prototype, and components such as wheels, brakes, steering and shock absorbers also came from VW. This car was completed in July, 1948, and it would be the layout of the production Porsche 356 when it was introduced to the public at the Geneva auto show in March, 1949.
