Porsche
356/2 Gmünd Cabriolet

Why it matters

The 356/2 Cabriolet is the open version of the first series-built Porsche, made by hand in Gmünd, Austria, before the company moved to Stuttgart. Only eight were built, against 44 coupés, making it the rarest form of the Gmünd 356.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Porsche 356/2 Gmünd Cabriolet (Wikimedia Commons: Porsche 356/2 Gmünd Cabriolet in the Porsche-Museum (2009))
  Photo: Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Porsche 356/2 Gmünd Cabriolet (Wikimedia Commons: Porsche 356/2 Gmünd Cabriolet in the Porsche-Museum (2009))
  Photo: Detectandpreserve · CC BY-SA 3.0
• Porsche 356/2 Gmünd Cabriolet (Wikimedia Commons: Porsche 356/2 Gmünd Cabriolet in the Porsche-Museum (2009))
  Photo: Detectandpreserve · CC BY-SA 3.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

After the mid-engined No. 1 Roadster, Porsche moved the engine to the rear for the 356/2 and built the cars on a steel box-section frame in Gmünd from winter 1948/49 until production in Austria ended in 1950. The aluminium bodies were hammer-formed by small specialist firms. Cabriolet bodies came from Keibl and Kastenhofer in Vienna and from Beutler in Thun, Switzerland. Eight cabriolets were completed.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The Gmünd 356/2 Cabriolet is the open version of the first Porsche series cars, built on a steel box frame with the four-cylinder boxer engine moved behind the rear axle (the one-off No. 1 Roadster was mid-engined). Porsche names three suppliers of cabriolet bodies: Keibl, Kastenhofer and Beutler in Thun, Switzerland, so bodies were individually hand-made by coachbuilders and not a uniform shell. Only eight cabriolets were built between winter 1948/49 and the end of Austrian production in 1950, against 44 coupés.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Porsche 356/2 "Gmünd" Cabriolet (1948 - 1951) - The Ultimate Guide Level B Stuttcars · 2014-12-31

   • Of the 52 cars made in Gmünd, only eight were built up as cabriolets.

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Made in Austria – the history of the Porsche 356 Level A Porsche Newsroom · 2019-11-06

   • 44 Coupés and eight Cabriolet models of the 356/2 were built
   • the engine was moved to the rear
   • output increased to 40 PS (356/2 generally)
   • a steel box frame as the chassis
   • Cabriolet bodies were supplied by Keibl and Kastenhofer

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   Made in Austria – Porsche Newsroom Level A

   • 8 356/2 Cabriolets built in Gmünd

   Accessed 2026-11-11
4. 4
   Porsche 356/2 Gmünd Cabriolet - Specifications & Performance Level B Stuttcars · 2021-05-20

   • Type 369 Flat-4
   • 1086 cc / 66.27 in³
   • compression 6.5:1
   • valvetrain Pushrod OHV
   • Dual Solex 26 VFJ Downdraft
   • 40 bhp @ 4200 rpm
   • 52 ft lbs @ 3300 rpm
   • driven wheels RWD
   • VW Parallel Trailing Arms, Tubular Dampers
   • VW Leading Arms w/Torsion Bars
   • steering VW Worm & Nut
   • 613 kg / 1350 lbs
   • ~141.59 kph / 88 mph
   • 50 litres or 13.20 gal.

   Accessed 2026-11-12
5. 5
   Guide: Porsche 356/2 Gmund - a Historical & Technical Appraisal Level B Supercar Nostalgia · 2020-03-23

   • four-speed non-synchromesh Volkswagen gearbox
   • hydraulic system supplied by Lockheed; drums 230mm
   • shortened by 50mm to 2100mm

   Accessed 2026-11-12