1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500 Supercharged Cabriolet, Coachwork by Reutter

1,488cc Pepco Supercharged OHV Air-Cooled Flat 4-Cylinder Engine
Single Modified Holley Carburetors
Approximately 75bhp at 5,000rpm
4-Speed Manual Transaxle
4-Wheel Independent Suspension
4-Wheel Drum Brakes

*One of just 394 Pre-A Cabriolets built in 1953
*Clean and timeless design finished in the original livery
*Supercharged in period
*Featured in the March 1958 issue of Porsche Panorama

THE PORSCHE 356

Although Ferdinand Porsche had established his automotive design consultancy in the early 1930s, his name would not appear on a car until 1949. When it did, it graced one of the all-time great sports cars: the Porsche 356. Having commenced manufacture with a short run of aluminum-bodied cars built at Gmünd, Porsche began volume production of the steel-bodied 356 coupés at its old base in Stuttgart, at first in a location shared with coachbuilders Reutter and then, from 1955, in its original factory at Zuffenhausen.

The work of Ferry Porsche, the 356 was based on the Volkswagen designed by his father. Like the immortal 'Beetle', the 356 employed a platform-type chassis with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine and torsion bar all-independent suspension, yet somehow contrived to offer a level of performance that belied the basic layout's humble origins. Regularly revised and updated, Porsche's landmark sports car would remain in production well into the 911 era, the final examples being built in 1965.

In 1951, an aluminum-bodied works car finished first in the 1,100cc class at the Le Mans 24-Hour Race and 20th overall, thus beginning the marque's long and illustrious association with La Sarthe. Constant development saw the 356's engine progressively enlarge, with 1.3-liter and 1.5-liter units first becoming available in 1951. In 1952 the original split windscreen was replaced by a one-piece, and a Porsche synchromesh gearbox was adopted. 1955 marked the arrival of the revised 356A, the newcomer being readily distinguished by its curved windscreen and 15" (down from 16") wheels.

Cabriolets had been manufactured right from the start of 356 production, but Porsche went on to make a significant impact with the Speedster, which was introduced in 1954 following the successful reception in the US of a batch of fifteen special roadsters. Porsche sub-contracted Cabriolet body manufacture to a number of different coachbuilders, Reutter undertaking the bulk of production with significant contributions from Karmann of Osnabrück, Drauz of Heilbronn, and d'Ieteren of Brussels.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

While Porsche refrained from forced induction until it came out with the 930 Turbo in 1975, nothing barred enterprising and adventurous owners from modifying their cars to go faster with blowers. This lovely 356 Pre-A Cabriolet is a perfect example of such work, a supercharged in period sleeper detailed extensively in the pages of the Porsche Club of America magazine Porsche Panorama in March 1958.

Rumors of an unusually quick 356 brought the editors of Panorama out to Poland, Ohio to meet "The Sleeper and its Keeper" in the dead of winter in February of 1958. Their long journey from central Pennsylvania rewarded them when they met 58-year-old Harry Mershimer, the "Keeper" and creator of this "Sleeper". A machine shop superintendent by trade, Mr. Mershimer was dyed-in the wool enthusiast who plied the streets of Youngstown and its surrounds?as well as road tripping to Colorado and beyond?in his supercharged MG Roadster. The lack of weather protection led his wife to encourage him to go to a local sportscar dealer in 1953 where he found this 356 Pre-A 1500 Normal Cabriolet. The roll-up windows sealed the deal for Mrs. Mershimer who was tired of the MG's side curtains.

Once the Porsche got home, the centrifugal Pepco supercharger from the MG was made to fit as neatly onto the 356's flat four that it appeared to be almost stock. Internally, the heads were ported and liquid honed, the exhaust valves were enlarged to 3/16" and replaced with domed cobalt chrome units (all of the valves, including the stock intakes, were ground down with diamond dust). Outside, the intake manifold was replaced with custom made unit made from billet aluminum and weighing a mere 19 ounces?fabricated entirely by Mr. Mershimer from a 15.5-pound solid block of aluminum?with a pair of intake pipes that made gentle radius bends into the manifold with solid nickel adapters. The Pepco blower sits just underneath the engine cover latch. Trial and error resulted in the choice of a modified Holley carburetor from a Ford Six?but the a Solex setup with which the car would have originally been fitted is included.

A VDO supercharger pressure gauge mounted in the center of the dash, along with the 'SUPERCHARGED' badge just below the aperture of the engine cover speak to the fact this is no ordinary 356. The folks at Panorama found it little Pepco capable of making 5 psi at 5,000rpm. When reviewing the car in 1958 it had 93,000 miles on it, with 65,000 of them enjoyed after the instillation of the blower and without incident. Mr. Mershimer reported 0-60mph times of about 8 seconds ? quick enough to dust just about anything he'd be likely to come across.

Little is known about the car until it reappeared decades later, having been restored in the mid-1990s. Acquired by the current owner shortly after its restoration, it completely a faultless run of the 1999 California Mille?and more recently repeated the feat at the 2015 California Mille. Well maintained end enjoyed by a single owner for two decades now, it is ready to move to its next owner. Complete with an original copy of Porsche Panorama magazine on which it is featured on the cover along with its original Solex carburetor and intake, it will no doubt continue to put smiles on the faces of those who see the blower and gaping mouths on those who see it fly by with the supercharger whining at full crank!