356 World: 1955 Continental

Early 356's had some serious deficiencies. They were slow, expensive, and to many 1950s Americans, were inexplicably plain-looking. "How is it possible", they wondered, "for such a simple-looking little car to cost so much?" Remember that the money spent on a 356 could've bought one of Detroit's finest luxury sedans. (A statement true to this day, I might add!)

The 356's good qualities were also readily apparent to anyone who drove it, but getting a prospective buyer to see past the intimidating sticker price was sometimes the biggest challenge. In response to this, visionary American Porsche importer Max Hoffman argued for changes to the 356 that would make it faster, less expensive, and more stylish. He also felt strongly that Americans would respond better to a car having a name, not a numerical type-designation.

Porsche steadily addressed Hoffman's marketing suggestions throughout the early 50s. Production was streamlined--the 1100 and 1300cc models were dropped from the US market, leaving only the 1500cc models. There were fewer standard paint choices, and upholstery and trim offerings were simplified. These faster, less-expensive cars sold as fast as the factory could crank them out. Hoffman's understanding of American tastes appeared to be right on the money.

For the 1955 model year, Porsche fulfilled Hoffman's insistence for a model name. These cars, the last of the first-generation 356s, were to be known collectively as the Porsche "Continental", a name thought to imply European sophistication and style. Although few mechanical changes were made for 1955, the new cars bore a distinctive gold-plated "Continental" script on the front fenders.

American customers seemed to accept this marketing touch, because 1955 was a banner year for Porsche. The recent addition of the Porsche Speedster, another of Hoffman's wish-list items, certainly helped develop the record sales now being seen in the US. Porsche management was very pleased with its marketing efforts so far.

The Ford Motor Company, however, saw things quite differently. The model name "Continental" was a registered Ford trademark, and they had every intention of using it on the soon-to-be-reintroduced Continental Mark II, slated for a 1956 release. Ford primly informed Porsche management that the name "Continental" was Ford property, and that use of the model name should cease by the end of the year. These were actually quite generous terms, seen in the light of today's litigious business world. Had Porsche been seen as a bigger threat to the Detroit giant, changes might have been more sweeping.

The unusable "Continental" script was briefly replaced in 1956 with the name "European", but this did not last very long at all. Today the Porsche Continental seems like an almost-humorous mistake on the part of the Porsche marketing department.

However, looking back objectively, the attempt to provide the model 356 with a "proper" name must be viewed as a serious effort by the young company to gain acceptance in a difficult market. Porsche needn't have worried though, soon its cars would be sold all over the world, and it was the strength and quality of the product, not merely a flashy name, that would make it all possible.

Early Porsches seemed small, plain, and, well, a bit weird to chrome-obsessed American drivers of the 1950s. The 356 Continental (see script, front fender) set out to change all that. (Glenn Hill photo)

When tiny Porsche took on titanic Ford