1948 PORSCHE WAIBEL CUSTOM SPORTS CABRIOLET PROTOTYPE

Possibly mentioned on here before, but here's a link to what claims to be the 1st Cabriolet and it was built on a VW chassis.

http://tinyurl.com/4tl2v2

1948 Porsche Prototype Custom Sports Cabriolet Chassis #: 1-085552 - Engine #: 115914 1949 Geneva Show Car! This car was built in Zurich by Hans Waibel, who in 1988 declared that he had show prepared two Porsche coupes at the request of Ferry Porsche and Louise Piech for display at the Vienna Industrial Exhibition. Waibel was approached by a client, Rupprecht von Senger and asked to build a similar car, which was created taking a VW chassis 27cccm longer than the Porsche 356 chassis that arrived in Switzerland on October 18, 1948, removing the body and fitting a Porsche light alloy cabriolet body and Porsche engine. The tunnel backbone of the VW platform was fitted with an electric fan which channeled air from, a Morris Minor grille to cool the hot-running Porsche engine this being the first Porsche

never thought i'd say this, but that thing is ugly as hell.

i respect it and love to own it, but it is hella ugly.

I have to agree with you, Paul. Nice execution of a flawed concept.

By what was the styles in 1948, I kinda like it.

if it had different rear skirts, i would call it p.i.m.p.

Another interesting concept was the Porsche 754. Now a museum piece it was designed to be a replacement for the 356. Kinda like their Edsel I guess. A true four seater vs. a 2 + 2.

"Various studies for a successor to the Porsche 356 emerged as early as 1957, among them the 754. The body was designed by F.A. Porsche and was based on a two-door four-seater. Only in 1962 after several test drives was the project of a true four-seater Porsche abandoned in favor of the 2+2 concept. The design line was, however, revisited again in the 901 (later 911). The prototype is now in the Porsche Museum".

A quick Google found some pictures of the 754. A little too Citronish for me.

http://tinyurl.com/49sfu3

http://tinyurl.com/4pzdxt

The two-seater 356 "No 1" mid-engined sports car was presented to the world on 8 June 1948 and homologated by the State Authorities in Carinthia. The next step was the rear-engined Porsche 356, production of which amounted to some 78,000 units up to the year 1965. Never before in the history of motoring had a sports car achieved sales success of this kind. The decision to build a new Porsche sports car was taken back in 1959. As already mentioned, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche was given the assignment to present the new design, a prototype, the 754 T7, being built after completion of a few 1:5 models. This was a four-seater offering two adults - limited - space on the rear semi-bucket seats. Even though Ferry Porsche ultimately thumbed-down the four-seater project, the 754 T7 nevertheless left behind an indelible mark, the car bearing out a number of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche's ideas later to see the light of day in the 901/911. Particularly the front end with the long, almost upright wings at each side and the low-slung front lid characterise the 911 to this very day. So experts are not wrong in calling the 754 T7 the first 911.

Troy

I dunno, I kinda like it. Of course I also like the 356 notchback, and we all know how successful that was.