Quote:
Originally Posted by ZBB
My dad had a couple 356s when I was a kid... a '56 Speedster and a '62 Roadster.
The Speedster was in decent shape -- don't know if it was still original when he had it (from '73 or '74 to about '81-'82), but he drove it here and there (probably 1-2 times per month).
He bought the Roadster at about the same time -- but it was in process of being restored (it ran, but the body was in primer, top and other various parts were in boxes, etc). He had had the restoration finished after my parents got divorced, and he kept it for a few years after that -- but he sold it some time between '86 and '88.
In some ways, they are glorified Beetles. But they also have more power (not a lot in HP terms, but 20-120% more, depending on year and engine size), lower center of gravity, less weight, etc.
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My dad had a 1962 356 B Coupe. The "glorified Beetle" statement is true in many regards, as is saying that today's 911 (whatever variant you want to pick) is a glorified modern Beetle. What both statements miss is the context of the era. Like ZBB points out, those differences were rather significant back in the day. Comparing a period 356 to a period Beetle, there's not a whole lot that's different. The modern 911 is also just an extension of the Beetle with 50some years additional development.