1954 Porsche 356/1500 Speedster
As a response by North American importer Max Hoffmann, Porsche built the 356 Speedster as a cheaper and more sporting alternative to the Coupe and Cabriolet. As a result, Porsche removed all the luxuries from the car in an attempt to offer the car cheaper than $3000 USD.
In 1954, Porsche production shifted from the Reutter facilities back to their new building called Werk II. There they had the room to produce Hoffmann’s Speedster. After producing a single prototype from a cabriolet body, Porsche finalized the Speedster specification with no radio, an integrated dash, bucket seats, a curved glass windscreen and a simple folding top.
Specs & Performance
| submitted by | Richard Owen |
| type | Series Production Car |
| built at | Stuttgart, Germany |
| body stylist | Erwin Komenda |
| price $ | $ 2,995 |
| engine | Type 546 Air Cooled Flat-4 |
| position | Rear, Longituinal |
| aspiration | Natural |
| valvetrain | Pushrod OHV |
| fuel feed | Dual Solex 26 VFJ Downdraft |
| compression | 7.00:1 |
| body / frame | Steel Body over Steel Tub Chassus |
| driven wheels | RWD |
| wheel type | Steel Discs |
| front tires | 5.00-16 |
| rear tires | 5.00-16 |
| steering | VW Worm & Nut |
| f suspension | VW Parallel Trailing Arms, Tubular Dampers |
| r suspension | VW Leading Arms w/Torsion Bars, Hydraulic Lever-Arm Shock Absorbers |
| curb weight | 794 kg / 1750 lbs |
| wheelbase | 2101 mm / 82.7 in |
| front track | 1290 mm / 50.8 in |
| rear track | 1250 mm / 49.2 in |
| length | 3950 mm / 155.5 in |
| transmission | VW 4-Speed Manual |
| top speed | ~160 kph / 99.4 mph |
| 0 – 60 mph | ~13.9 seconds |
| 0 – 1/4 mile | ~19.2 seconds |
