Continental, Speedster, & Spyder!
A Porsche Factory Sales Binder for 1955!
Charlie White & Thomas Seydoux
Continental |
Speedster |
Spyder |
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Below are images of all of the pages in a mid-1950's Porsche Factory Sales Binder. The binder is for model year 1955 and highlights the Porsche Continental, Speedster and Spyder. These three iconic Porsche models are covered in some detail in the pictures and technical information included in this sales binder. It is a 4 ring maroon Euro sized binder with the various images shown below in plastic sheet protectors. The text in this binder is in English and was likely used in an early Porsche dealerships in the United States. The binder is the kind of sales tool usually kept at a salesman's or sales manager's desk to show to potential customers. In this binder, only the "new" Continental, Speedster, and Spyder models are included. This item recently appeared for auction on Ebay and was acquired by Thomas Seydoux, a well known Swiss collector of Porsche Literature and Memoriabilia. Thomas and this author have worked together to create this website.
Some of the images below are shown in larger size in order to preserve and show detail!
Binder Cover |
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Binder cover above is shown in reduced form as there is not much
detail.
| Inside first page |
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| Page 1 |
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The following two pages included in the binder apparently show building
scenes related to
PORSCHE.
| Page 2 |
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| Page 3 |
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| Page 4 |
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A factory scene showing workers operating a spot welding maching. |
Porsche Continental!
The Porsche "Continental" as a 356
Porsche model apparently only appeared in
1955! A dispute with Ford Motor Company who had the rights to
the name "Continental" in the United States forced Porsche after 1955 to
drop the Continental model designation. Various sources say the the "Continental"
script on the side of the front fenders of Coupes and Cabriolets was only
used on cars sent for sale to the USA.
All of the pictures of the Continentals
in this factory binder, as shown below, do not have the Continental
script. According to what is
written on the page below, the Continental was also designed for the "roads
of Europe"!
| Page 5 |
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| Page 6 This image has been cropped and enlarged to show detail. |
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| Page 7 |
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| Ludwigsen
in "Excellence was Expected" said this about the Continental: "Just
as the "America" had been a semi-official series created chiefly for United States consumption, so too was it's successor, the "Continental". Coming into use in the United States early in 1955, the term "Continental" also referred to cars powered by the tamer 1500 engine. The Continental came closer than the America to full legitimacy, since it carried that name in script, on some cars, on the flanks of the front fenders." |
| Page 8 |
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| Page 9 This image has been cropped and enlarged to show detail. |
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According to most sources, Continentals were only equipped with the 1500
Engine. Interestingly, Porsche included a sheet of 1500
Super specifications in the "Continental" portion of this 1955
factory sales binder.
| Page 10 |
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Notice no Continental Script on the front fender! |
Notice Speedster image below is the same as above! |
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Factory Sales Sheet, M&M 58! |
| Page 11 |
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Prior Image Enlarged! |
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Notice the small PORSCHE script on the Radio cover! |
| Page 12 |
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Road & Track ad 1955. Notice no "Continental" Script on the front fender! |
| Page 13 |
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Another 1955 Hoffman ad. |
| Page 14 |
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| Page 15 This image has been cropped and enlarged to show detail. |
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| Page 16 |
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| Page 17 |
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Porsche
Speedster!
| Page 18 |
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Prior Image Enlarged! |
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| Page 19 |
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Text of Prior Image Enlarged |
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| Page 20 |
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Notice the Speedster image below right is the same as the above image! |
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Black & White Speedster Sales Folder, M&M 73! |
| Page 21 |
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Notice the early single Exhaust Pipe! |
| Page 22 |
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| Page 23 |
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| Page 24 |
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Notice the early Speedster script on the front fender! |
| Page 25 |
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Notice the Speedster image below is the same as the above image! |
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Inside pages of Black & White Speedster Sales Folder, M&M 73! |
| Page 26 |
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| Page 27 |
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| Page 28 |
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| Page 29 |
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Notice the picture above is the same in the sales brochure below! |
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Another early Hoffman ad using the same picture as Page 29! |
Porsche
Spyder!
| Page 30 |
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| Page 31 This image has been cropped and enlarged to show detail. |
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| Page 32 |
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Notice Spyder image below is the same as above! |
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Factory Sales Sheet, M&M 62! |
| Page 33 |
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Drawing by Eric Strenger, who designed many Porsche brochures! |
| Page 34 |
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Prior Image Enlarged! |
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| Page 35 |
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| Page 36 |
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| Page 37 |
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| Page 38 |
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| Page 39 |
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Notice Spyder image below is the same as above! |
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| Page 40 |
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Porsche Racing
1954!
| Page 41 |
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| Page 42 |
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| Page 43 |
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Click
here and go directly to
DerWhite's 356 Porsche Literature
Website!
"DerWhite's
356
Porsche
Sales
& Technical
Literature......the
Book!"
Size 8.5 x 11 inches, Hardbound, 356 Pages, All Color!
Click
here for more details about
DerWhite's
New Book!
Research and website creation by:
Charlie
White
Scottsdale, Arizona 85258
USA
derwhite@aol.com
This website would not have been
possible without the imput and inspiration
of
Thomas Seydoux of Geneva, Switzerland!
This website presents in its entirety the images found in
a Porsche Factory Sales Binder for 1955,
featuring the CONTINENTAL,
SPEEDSTER, and SPYDER
models!
Comments, corrections and additional information welcomed!
The images in this website are COPYRIGHTED and may not
be used for any purpose without the prior written
permission of the authors of this website.
Copyright@2010 DerWhite Productions,
Phoenix, Arizona,
USA
Website first posted
10/30/10
