Porsche Picture of the Day !!

[will hung]

I had similar thoughts while looking at the car, but I don't think it's ceramic coating - looked more like a light coat of rattle can VHT muffler paint or something similar.

Thanks for looking.

That makes more sense than Ceramic coating. Seeing as how ceramic coating the intercooler would keep the heat from the charge air in the intercooler, defeating its purpose. I was just wondering, since heat insulation was a pretty big concern in that area seeing the gold sheet across the floor. I never saw gold sheet insulation in a 956/962 before. Is that common?

[achisholm]

What a wonderful series of revealing photos for this 962! I have always been impressed with the fact that a "world beater" race car like this, with all of it's complexity, starts with an ignition key.

[Jens]

The size of the diffuser just blows me away. Downforce must have been huge. The first time they ran at Lime Rock I watched them (from the outfield) come down under the bridge and onto the front straight. Faster than anything I'd ever seen up too that point through that section. Astonishing performance!

[John Z Goriup]

Day twohundred fortytwo

After the successful run of the 356 Speedster, which was introduced in '55 and was sold through the '58 model year, Porsche felt they had exhausted the commercial possibilities of the minimalist 356 concept, and introduced the 356 Convertible D as a replacement.

The D stands for DRAUZ, a small German coach builder from Heilbrunn who was given the commission to build the new car. As it transpired, 1330 Convertible D were built during the two calendar years of '59 & '60, but the vast majority were sold and titled as '59 models only.

To use today's auto industry jargon, the Speedster was a "decontented" 356, available only as an open car with an extremely short list of standard equipment & available options, all intended to get the price below the $ 3,000 threshold, since in America, Porsches biggest market by far, a new 356 Cabriolet was more dear than a new Cadillac. To provide a more "up-market" and luxurious open car to its clients who still clamored for something more sporty, lighter and yet less expensive than the standard 356 Cabriolet, the D Roadster was introduced.

Compared to the Speedster, the D had a larger, taller windshield with a stronger frame made of chrome-plated brass, roll-up glass side windows, rear cowling that contained and partially concealed the permanent, more substantial folding top ( as opposed to the removable "ragtop" of the Speedster ) with a standard vinyl 1/2 Tanneau cover, more comfortable Coupe seats were made standard for driver and passenger, and the doors were equipped with pockets.

Power was provided by the standard 1600cc pushrod engine, coupled to the standard transmission. 2 four-cam Carrera Ds were produced towards the end of the model run in response to special client requests.

The D has become quite a rare car, and efforts to catalogue the surviving specimens apparently indicate that fully one half of all the Ds produced seem to have been destroyed, scrapped and / or parted out.

The photos of todays beautifully restored, pristine black subject were taken at this years rainy Dana Point 356 Concours. The information was provided by the enthusiastic and knowledgable owner.

[Edwin Ek]

Great write up, but D's were made in 1958 and 1959, for the model year 1959. Cars made in late 1959 were the first Roadsters.

[davep]

I had two of these cars. It was interesting that so many came to Canada. There was two reasons for that: first was the fact that our cousins south of the border, did not like them as much as they did the now discontinued Speedster, so it was a tough sell. The second reason was that VW Canada started importing Porsche for retail sale for the first time, and the pent up demand plus the pipeline needed satisfying. I don't know how many Porsche's VW Canada imported before the 1959 models, but most would have been destined for track use. As Edwin says, I believe these were only 1959 models, and the 1960 cars were the B body Roadster. However, Porsche would build almost anything, for a price. 1959 Speedsters, yup. 1966 Cabriolets, yup.

[Jens]

Ah yes, lovely car, the Speedster D. My Speedster B (1960 1600 Super Roadster) sold to the Bay Area some years ago never to be heard from again. Of all the convertibles in all the world, that is the soft top that I will always want in my stable. I sorely regret letting it go. Lovely car. [sigh]

[Macroni]

Happy Birthday John!

Thanks for your tremendous service and this soon to be iconic thread!

[gulf908]

JZ,
Thanks for the speil on these not well known 365s that were a transitional model from the A to the B.
Even more interesting is the bench seat.
I have only ever seen one and have a contemporary road test pic of a second seat but they are all different in the pleating.
Did the owner mention this little rarity ?

Cheers,
Dennis.

[Jens]

Yes, Happy Birthday John.