www.QV500.com - Porsche 356 C Part 2: 356 C Carrera

As had been the case with A and B-series variants, the 356 C could be specified with either a single or four camshaft engine. The exceedingly exotic Carrera's were reserved for the wealthiest customers and retailed at a far higher price than pushrod S and SC cars. With an outstanding competition heritage, Carrera's had been the machine of choice for many professional and amatuer racers since 1955. The name Carrera was used in homage to the epic Carrera Pan Americana road race played out during the forties and fifties on some of Mexico’s fastest and most dangerous roads. Unfortunately, by mid 1963 Porsche had abandoned making competition versions of the Carrera and consequently, the C-series four cams were strictly for street use. Nevertheless, old Carrera's were still regular winners in major events and continued to provide the 356 with valuable publicity (see left). Just 200 or so Carrera's were built during C production, these having been in Coupe and Cabriolet configurations, both of which ran the same 2-litre Typ 587/1 motors. Displacement was 1966cc thanks to a bore and stoke of 92 x 74mm respectively, compression having been set at 9.2:1 and a pair of twin choke Solex 40 PII-4 downdraught carburettors fitted.

Developing 130bhp at 6200rpm, it meant a top speed of 130mph was possible whilst 0-60 took barely nine seconds. As with single cam C's, the T-6 body was practically unaltered in its transition from B to C, the revised model even sharing the same exterior type scripting as the B-based Carrera. A number of details were unique to the four cam cars though, these including brass Carrera 2 scripts on the engine cover and a deep ventilated rear valance with dual exhausts. Whilst pushrod C's continued in production until September of 1965, the four cam was discontinued at the end of the 1964 model year (August ’64) after less than 200 had been completed.