Comparison of T-1 versus T-2 356 Body Styles

Very interesting stuff Gordon; a lot of it is pretty small details. Someone clarify something for me please; the way that's written, I got the impression that Speedsters were made well into the '60's. I thought Porsche finished production and replaced the Speedster with the Roadster D in 1958 or '59?

And on my pc when I click on your link I get a box that gives me a choice to save or run it. I click run and it pops up (well, it does take a few seconds...) Al

Gordon, FYI, I'm on a PC, and the link when clicked automatically goes to my download folder. Then I launch it from that folder.

Art

Thanks, Art - I think it's how I have this beast configured......

Al:  Speedsters ended in 1958-59, replaced by Convertible "D" and then Roadsters - both different.

It appears, from this and from the pages that Tom posted as well as stuff on the 356 Registry, that the Speedster was only sold in America, imported through Max Hoffman, starting in 1954 and ending in 1958 (although a few left-overs were sold as 1959 models).  

The two major shortfalls of the T-1&2 Speedster were it's seats and it's flimsy top, both of which were replaced on the Convertible D (built by Drauz, rather than by Reuters because Reuters was max'd out building coupes) with cabriolet seats, roll-up windows and a (more) decent top.  Other than doors with windows and a taller windshield, the body of a "D" is supposedly the same as the other T-2 cars.  

The Convertible "D" was a one-year-wonder and only 1330 were made in 1958, making them pretty rare, and carrying sales over into 1959, when they were tooling up for the "B" series, ending the T-2 and ending the speedster entirely after the "D" for the 356 B Roadster.

The "B" roadster was designated as a T-5, and later they added rear disk brakes to the T-6 to become a "C" model.  Usually, changes in designation (T-5 to T-6, say) had a bunch of little details changing, but you get the idea.  The 356 lasted until 1965 (I've heard that the last ten were cabriolets built as Police cars!) when it was replaced by the 911.

This is not a detailed summary by any means - for more detail, the 356 Registry is probably the best place to look.

That's all I know without going to look on the Registry.

That's right Gordon; thanks for setting me straight! Al

And yet another informative post by Gordon!  Thanks.

While this list is a good baseline for changes, there is a lot of info on the list that crosses over between years, earlier items that appear on later cars, and transitional cars that have many aspects of both T1 and T2.  It seems that the Speedsters were more prone to the mis-matches, but some crossover does appear in their other cars.  

You mean there is no "Pedigree"?????   

You trying to say anything goes and they're all mutts, Leon? That's funny!

Goes back to whatever floats your boat and makes YOU happy!

Outlaws, rebels, purists, it's all good!

Movie quote: "There is no spoon"

There is a good article in Feb. 2014's Panorama, on the 4 cam 356's. 

I'm pretty sure Carey is referring to the originals and not the replicas in his post and, yes, there is much, much more to learn about these little cars.

It's pretty fascinating, following the evolution of the originals.  They were all made by hand with all of the usual "hand-finessing" of metal into shape, and while they were built on a production line of sorts, they were still built by a small group of people who grabbed things from the "parts bins" as they built them.  The parts bin had different stuff from time to time, so there is a bit of variation from car to car (and sometimes from one side of the car to the other).

Some people seem to make a lifetime of following all of the nuances of these cars.  Not me.  That table was the result of a one-day comparison of a T-1 versus a T-2 and was very superficial in scope.  Still, it's kind of fascinating to learn of the differences.

Here are a couple of shots from the comparo:

Here's the interior of the '57 T-2:

And a shot of the elongated front side curtain front post socket on the '55 (to make the side curtains easier to get in and out).   We don't have this on Replicas.

Yes Danny,  I had my tongue firmly wedged in my cheek.....  Gordon,I do appreciate the data, but the "little Johnny syndrome" just could not let that pass.....