Miguel Sánchez
PHOTOS VW AEROCOUPE-PORSCHE TYPE64: RM SOTHEBY'S / PHOTOS PORSCHE 356 CABRIO 1951 SPLIT-WINDOW: CLASSICCARS
Talking about the relationship between Volkswagen and Porsche is nothing new. In fact many say with some sarcasm that "911s are powered beetles". Obviously that is an irritating exaggeration, but it is not without truth. In the end Ferdinand Porsche was the key man for the birth of the Kdf Wagen -name of the Beetle before the Nazis went to the dump of History-, using it as the basis for the founding of his own company in 1948.
Between the approximately 10 years that go from one thing to another the Porsche family experimented with how to make the Beetle a sports car. We all know that the fruit of that was 356, but before that there were some tests. The most representative of all is known as Type64. A vehicle that we could well qualify as "missing link".
And, Are we facing the first Porsche? Well the truth is that the first manufactured was a 356. However the Type64 represents the first sporty evolution of the Beetle. A bridge between the popular utility and the strong sports development that was made of it with the 356. If it is not the first Porsche ... At least we are sure that it is the prologue. And it's pretty pretty.
2 chassis and three mechanics were manufactured -for the greater glory of the brand's cumbersome genealogies-, only this unit surviving the onslaught of 80 years of history. Is he VW Aerocoupe-Porsche Type64 chassis 38/41 mechanical 38/43. It will be auctioned next August in Monterey, anticipating that it will exceed 12 million.
TYPE 64. GOING TO A OWN BRAND
In 1939 there was no bun oven in Germany. At the gates of World War II, the Nazi regime concentrated its industry on war manufacturing. But nevertheless Ferdinand Porsche was obsessed with the sporty development of the KdF-Wagen. Immersed in the competition programs, For this he conceived to build several models for the Berlin-Rome race in 1939. Although it was not held due to the start of the War, the Type64 was already irreversible.
East It was based on the Beetle chassis, taking its four-cylinder, 983cc mechanics from 32 to 50 hp. thanks to double carburation, a higher compression ratio and larger valves. In addition, the weight was lightened until only 540 kilos thanks to the aluminum body manufactured by Reutte - predecessor of the current Recaro-. All of this catapulted the Type64 to a top speed of 153 km / h. To start with a KdF-Wagen… The first Porsche already showed signs of good sporting character.
TWO CHASSIS NUMBERS, THREE DIFFERENT UNITS
The first unit ended up in the hands of Bodo Lafferent - SS lieutenant colonel and director of VW in 1938 - who stamped it months later. After the accident, and Using the damaged chassis, the third unit was built in 1940 equipping it with a new engine with the same specifications as the first. Precisely this Type64 # 3 that concerns us, which was used by the Porsche family until in 1949 it was sold to the Austrian driver Otto Matte. He held it until 1995.
As a posh data, the first restoration of the car should be noted, which was made by Battista himself "pinin”Farina in 1947. From there, he experienced a succession of paintings, going from black to metallic until he was in the blue we see today. A chromatic madness that adds even more confusion when checking the history of the only surviving Type64.
Given the history of the first chassis and the units 1 and 3 to which it is linked… The question is obvious, what happened to the Type64 number 2? Well the Porsche family kept it in a garage in Austria during the war, but at the end of the war he was discovered by a group of American soldiers wanting to party. They sawed off the roof, used it as a leisure car and ended up blowing up the engine. It ended up being used as scrap metal in a junkyard and we don't know if it corresponds to the car in the video at the end of this article.
BEYOND THE TYPE64: A 356 1951 CABRIO IN PERFECT CONDITION
The Type64 number 3 is a unique piece of tremendous value. Anyway, you have already seen that it can really be considered the first Porsche so… Imagine. In any case, do not think that their offspring are undervalued. What you have in the photos is a 356 cabrio from 1951. A first-generation copy but with the mechanical advance implemented in that year, when the 356's displacement increased from 1100 to 1300 cc.
This makes the power increase from 36 to 44CV. Nothing fancy but ... These cars are valued for what they are and not for what they perform. This one in particular was exported to Argentina, where it spent 30 years and then roamed from hand to hand in Europe and the United States. It is in a truly enviable state.
In short, the first Porsche are not a mass of excessive power. But that does not mean that they stop being top-of-the-line classics. In the end they are the beginning of one of the best sports brands of all time.
