Makes › Porsche › 356 › 356 A Carrera 1500 GS Speedster · Rare specification · 1955–1959 Extremely Rare
Porsche
356 A Carrera 1500 GS Speedster
Speedster body with the four-cam Fuhrmann Carrera engine.
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 148 Built
- Years
- 1955–1959
- Engine
- 1,498 cc / 1.5 LFactory: 1,498 cc
- Power
- 82 kW / 112 PSFactory: 110 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 201 km/hFactory: 125 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Ernst Fuhrmann (Type 547 four-cam engine)
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The Carrera Speedster combines the open, lightweight 356 Speedster body with the four-cam racing engine that Ernst Fuhrmann developed for the 550 Spyder. Catalogues describe it as the sportiest form of the Speedster and as a car mostly bought for competition, particularly in North America through Max Hoffman. Bonhams gives only 151 built between 1955 and 1959, which makes it one of the rarest production 356 variants.
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 A Carrera 1500 GS Speedster (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
Porsche 356 A Carrera 1500 GS Speedster (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
Porsche 356 A Carrera 1500 GS Speedster (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0
_(52873839044).jpg){kind=link}
_(53778058706).jpg){kind=link}
_(53778266238).jpg){kind=link}
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factory package productionAll Carrera Speedsters completed (factory data compiled by Olaf Lang); Gooding gives 151 | 1481,2Strongest evidence | Factory production | Disputed |
Sources differ: RM Sotheby's, citing factory data compiled by Olaf Lang, says 148 (RM Sotheby's Monaco 2024); the Gooding catalogue text, quoted by Stuttcars, says 151 (Stuttcars).
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Porsche showed the 356 Carrera at the 1955 Frankfurt Motor Show. Its engine, the Type 547/1 four-cam flat-four, had been in development since 1952, and Ernst Fuhrmann was tasked with finding how much power a Porsche flat-four could give. The changes included twin ignition, two twin-throat carburettors, dry-sump lubrication and double overhead camshafts. The car was named after the Carrera Panamericana, where Porsche had won its class.
The Carrera was available as a coupé, a convertible and the Speedster. RM Sotheby's says that from 1957 the Speedster was offered in a "de luxe" GS form or as a lightweight GT competition version. Auction-catalogue examples were typically delivered through Max Hoffman in New York, and the factory Kardex records the specification of each car, for instance chassis 83492, delivered new on 26 June 1957.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard 356 A Carrera 1500 GS Speedster.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Type 547/13 Independently researchedGooding lot is a GS/GT specification Speedster. |
| Layout | Not yet verified |
| Displacement | 1,498 cc / 1.5 LFactory: 1,498 cc3 Independently researched |
| Bore | 85 mmFactory: 85 mm4 Independently researchedType 547/1 bore and stroke from the Carrera GT page. |
| Stroke | 66 mmFactory: 66 mm4 Independently researched |
| Compression ratio | 9:14 Independently researchedFigure listed for the Type 547/1 on the Carrera GT page. |
| Valvetrain | Double overhead camshafts (four-cam)3 Independently researched |
| Fuel system | Two Solex 40 PII-4 carburettors3 Independently researched |
| Power | 82 kW / 112 PSFactory: 110 hp · converted3 Independently researchedStated by the auction house as BHP; no rating standard given. |
| Power at | 6,200 rpm3 Independently researched |
| Torque | 118 NmFactory: 87 lb-ft · converted5 Independently researched |
| Torque at | 5,200 rpm5 Independently researched |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Manual transaxle3 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | 43 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Independent, torsion bars with shock absorbers3 Independently researchedSource states the same layout for all four wheels. |
| Rear suspension | Independent, torsion bars with shock absorbers3 Independently researchedSource states the same layout for all four wheels. |
| Brakes | Four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes3 Independently researched |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 201 km/hFactory: 125 mph · converted5 Independently researchedHeader figure for the Carrera GS generally; the text quotes 200 km/h (124.3 mph). |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| 0–60 mph | 11.5 s5 Independently researchedText of the same page says about 11.25 s. |
| Fuel tank | 80 LFactory: 80 L6 Independently researchedGS/GT specification only. |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Identification starts with the factory Kardex and Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, which record chassis, engine and gearbox numbers. Engines are a weak guide because the complex four-cam units were often swapped: catalogued cars carry a later Type 692/1 replacement engine or a Type 547/2 that was normally used in 550A racing cars. One Bonhams car shows the GS/GT ambiguity: its certificate lists GT specification with mile-calibrated instruments, but the cataloguer judged from its May 1956 build date that it was probably built as a GS.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
RM Sotheby's Monaco 2024 – 1955 Porsche 356 A Carrera 1500 GS Speedster by Reutter Level B
- 148 All Carrera Speedsters completed (factory data compiled by Olaf Lang); Gooding gives 151
-
2
FOR SALE: 1957 Porsche 356A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster Level B Stuttcars (text from Gooding & Company) · 2024-02-19
- 151 One of Only 151 Carrera Speedsters Built
-
3
1957 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster (lot 134) Level C Gooding & Company
- 1,498 CC Type 547/1 Air-Cooled DOHC Flat 4-Cylinder Engine (Technical Specs)
- 1,498 CC Type 547/1 (Technical Specs)
- DOHC Flat 4-Cylinder Engine (Technical Specs)
- Two Solex 40 PII-4 Carburetors (Technical Specs)
- 110 BHP at 6,200 RPM (Technical Specs)
- 4-Speed Manual Transaxle (Technical Specs)
- 4-Wheel Fully Independent Torsion-Bar Suspension (Technical Specs)
- 4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes (Technical Specs)
-
4
Porsche 356 A 1500 GS Carrera GT (1957 - 1958) Level B Stuttcars · 2010-02-02
- bore 85 mm
- stroke 66 mm
- compression 9:1
-
5
Porsche 356 A 1500 Carrera GS (1956 - 1958) Level B Stuttcars · 2016-01-08
- Torque 87 ft lbs @ 5200 rpm
- Top Speed 125 mph
- 0 - 60 mph 11.5 seconds
-
6
FOR SALE: 1957 Porsche 356A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster Level B Stuttcars (text from Gooding & Company) · 2024-02-19
- extended-range, 80-liter fuel tank
Keep exploring
More from Porsche
-
Porsche · 1948
356 "No. 1" Roadster (Sport 356/1)
1 Built
-
Porsche · 1986–1987
961
1 Built
-
Porsche · 1984
953 (911 4x4 Paris–Dakar)
3 Built
-
Porsche · 1939–1940
Type 64 (60K10) "Berlin–Rome"
3 Built
More from Germany
-
Opel
GT Roadster (2007) (2007-2009)
Production not yet verified
-
BMW
XM Label Red
Production not yet verified
-
Carlsson
C25 (2010)
25 Built
-
Adler
2,5 Liter (1937-1940)
Production not yet verified
73 other makes from GermanyAC SchnitzerAdlerAgria-WerkeAlbertAlpinaAMGAMOAmphicarApolloArtegaAudiAuto UnionAutomobili PininfarinaBayerische AutowerkeBenzBenz & Cie.BitterBMWBohseBoldmenBorgwardBovensiepenBrabusBrennaborBrütschCarlssonChampionDaimler-Motoren-GesellschaftDKWFMR (Messerschmitt)FuldamobilGepardGlasGoggomobilGoliathGumpertGutbrodHanomagHeinkelHorchAll makes →