DerWhite's 356 Porsche
AFTERMARKET ACCESSORIES!

 Remember, back in the 50's & 60's when you bought your first 356 Porsche?
 

"Sports Car" & "356 Porsche" After-market Accessories!

When I bought my first 356 Porsche back in the mid-1960's, it soon became clear to me that there were some additional goodies that I felt I just could not live without! They were things that didn't come with the car like a set of high intensity driving lights and a chrome travel rack, and a free-flow exhaust system! It didn't take long to find what I was looking for, all I had to do was open up a readily available sports car magazine like Road & Track, Sports Car Graphic, or Car & Driver.  These car magazines had lots of ads for selling all kinds of aftermarket accessories, just what I was looking for!

For a lot of these companies, you could send away and get a nice catalog! Remember MG Mitten, Vilem B. Haan, AMCO and Fisher Products? These were some of the first big names in "Sports Car" accessories, most of whom started in the early to middle 1950's. Initially the companies offered aftermarket accessories primarily for MG's, Jaguars, Austin Healeys, Triumphs and Alfa Romeos, and later in the 1950's you started to see a lot of ads for first VW and later Porsche accessories. It's true that during the 1950's and 1960's, Porsche offered a substantial variety of "Factory Accessories". You can see a listing with pictures of those factory accessories at the following website, but what is covered here are "Aftermarket Accessories"!

Click here for 356 Porsche Factory Accessories!

 Early "Aftermarket" Accessory Dealers:

All of the above came from Road & Track October 1957

Early Amco ad October 1965	Early Wilco ad, Car & Driver, January 1967

Vilem B. Haan ad (356 Porsche) Road & Track July 1963

You will remember these accessory dealers if you were old enough to drive in the 50's and 60's, and even many years later, particularly if you had a sports car, maybe an MG, or Austin Healey, or even a 356 Porsche! You couldn't read a sports car magazine without seeing their ads. And they had a lot of cool stuff. I had an 59 MGA before I had a 356 Porsche, and for both cars, I couldn't wait to mount a set of driving lights. While in college, I used to drive the desert roads between Phoenix and Tucson, usually late at night, and usually flat out as fast as I could go. In those days there weren't many cars, or cops, on the road. Those driving lights could really light up the road!  At one point I had a Chevy V-8 powered Austin Healey, and that drive with that car was a real blast!

More Recent Aftermarket Accessory Ads!

In the late1960's the big aftermarket accessory dealers switched to full page, some times multi-page, all color ads in most of the sports car magazines of the time. Below are a couple of examples from the January 1967 Car and Driver magazine.

Both ads came from Car & Driver January 1967

Specialty Porsche Retailers:

As 356 Porsches became more popular in the middle to late 1950's, more and more aftermarket suppliers started offering accessories for 356 Porsches! Among the first were Jack McAfee Motors of Sherman Oaks, California and Competition Accessories of Iowa Falls, Iowa, both of which had early ads in Road & Track magazines. Jack McAfee Motors had an ad in the September 1954 issue of Road & Track, and Competition Accessories had a 2/3 page ad in the May 1955 issue.

This was the same magazine issue that carried the famous two page black and white ad by Hoffman-Porsche Car Corporation showing an early Speedster, and a "Continental" Coupe and Cabriolet! In this same issue of Road & Track, there was a separate two page article on the Porsche Speedster, a lot of early coverage for the relatively new 356 Porsche!
 

Hoffman-Porsche Car Corporation two page ad Road & Track May 1955.

While Jack McAfee Motors and Competition Accessories may not have been the first sellers of aftermarket accessories for 356 Porsches, they certainly was among of the early ones. Notice their ads below include stuff for 356 Porsches and VW's.
 

Road & Track September 1954	Road & Track May 1955

Ever see one of these early aftermarket seat recliners on an early Porsche?
 

It wasn't until the early to middle 1960's that you began to see the Porsche Specialty Retailers of aftermarket accessories. These guys offered primarily accessories for 356 Porsches. I'm sure you remember names like Exhaust Equipment Engineering, Porsche Stuff, and Performance Products! One of my first major aftermarket accessories was a free-flow exhaust system from Exhaust Equipment Engineering! Installed, it felt like it boosted the power by a good 10%, but then it might have been the louder noise made by the free-flow muffler that made me think I was going faster! It came with a detachable muffler which could be replaced by a straight pipe "Stinger". That "Stinger" was really cool and made a lot of noise and attracted a lot of attention at the airport slaloms! I still have an Exhaust Equipment Engineering decal on my toolbox! And I've purchased a lot of parts and accessories from Performance Products over the years!

Road & Track January 1968

Popular 356 Porsche Aftermarket Accessories:

^{Subjects Covered:  Exhaust Systems, Tires, Driving & Fog Lights, Wheels, Shift Knobs, Steering Wheels & Covers, Rear View Mirrors, Gauges, Fake Knockoffs, Nerf Bars, Travel Racks & Luggage Straps, Shocks, Rally Timers & Stop Watches, Headrests, Removable Hardtops, Air Conditioning, Miscellaneous Items, Other Stuff, Wierd Products, Interesting Reading!}
 

Exhaust Systems:

Custom exhaust systems were one of the first aftermarket accessories available for 356 Porsches and were a "hot" item sought after by many new owners of 356 Porsches. Looking back in time, here are some exhaust systems you could have had for your 356 Porsche:  Sebring, Abarth, Porsche Stuff, Exhaust Equipment Engineering, Bursch, Performance Products and many others! Some are still available today!

      
                           Road & Track March 1959, Sports Cars Illustrated June 1956, Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966                                 

Ad provided by Tim Herman

Performance Products Catalog 1966

Performance Products Catalog 1966


Performance Products Catalog 1966

 Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

 
Performance Products Catalog 1966, Performance Products Catalog 1983

Tires:

Tires have always been a major item when owning a sports car. If you bought a 356 Porsche new, you had a choice of some very good tires from the factory! If you bought your 356 used, tires were probably the first thing on your mind to replace! Important considerations for new tires were, of course, condition of the existing tires, and then perhaps the brand and type of the new tire, and appearance was also high on the list. Tires had to look cool! Right? One wouldn't buy clunky off brand tires for a 356 Porsche! Michelins, Dunlops, Continentals and Pirellis were big favorites! I recall really wanting a set of new Semperits, which were also popular in the 1960's! Whatever your preference or how you drove your car, there were lots of choices in tires! Remember?

    
All above Road & Track October 1957
 

Road & Track March 1959	Road & Track March 1963	Road & Track July 1964

 
Road & Track July 1964, Road & Track November 1966

                                                     
 
Pirelli Brochure early 1960's, Road & Track July 1961   

Christophorus Magazine early 1960's

Driving and Fog Lights:

Hella, Lucas, Marchal, Bosch, Cibie, Lumax, Raydyot, to name a few.....! Driving lights were also high on anyone's list of accessories to be added to their 356 Porsche. I had them on my first sports car which was a 1959 MGA, and later on my first 356 Porsche, a 61 Super Roadster. In both cases I had "Lucas "Flamethrowers"! As I recall, these lights had 90,000 candlepower and could really light up the road. When I lived in Germany I also had driving lights mounted on the front bumper of my 63 SC Cabriolet! These were in addition to the factory fog lights mounted under the front bumpers. There were also  body mounted factory fog lights that mounted on the front of the car above the bumper. Today there seems to be a big resurgence in the interest in vintage fog lights as the prices asked and paid seem to be going through the roof!

Car & Driver November 1963, Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966
                                   

Road & Track November 1966	Road & Track Nov. 1966	Early Christophorus Magazine

European Parts, Inc. Catalog 1967

  
                          Vilem B. Haan Catalog 1963, European Parts, Inc. Catalog 1967

European Parts, Inc. Catalog 1967

European Parts, Inc. Catalog 1967
 

Wheels:

Custom wheels became big sellers for sports cars for racing and the street, but not much was offered until about the mid-1960's. One of the first was American Racing Equipment's magnesium and aluminum wheels available for 356 Porsches. And when the 911/912's came out with 5.5 inch wheels, all the disc brake wheel guys switched out their 4.5's for 5.5's!

Road & Track Nov. 1966	Performance Products Catalog 1966

       
  Ad provided by Tim Herman, Road & Track November 1966, Road & Track November 1965        
 

Shift Knobs:

I love accessory shift knobs! This probably a carry-over from my high school days, when at various times I had a "skull" shift knob, and later an "8-ball" shift knob on my 49 Ford column shifter! On my first 356 Porsche, a 61 Roadster, I had the factory stock shift knob. Later I acquired a plain walnut shift knob. Always like the feeling of the wood shift knob! You could get all kinds of shift knobs for 356 Porsches back in the 50's and 60's! They were very commonly seen in magazine ads of sports car aftermarket accessory sellers. Today I have a 5-speed Amco walnut shift knob on my 65 356-C Coupe! Really throws the occassional passenger! "You have five speeds.....?"

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

 
European Parts, Inc. Catalog 1967

 
Both ads above from Road & Track December 1963

Steering Wheels & Covers:

I've never been a "Wood Wheel" fan, even though wood wheels are really popular these days! I always remember someone asked me "Whata you gonna due in a wreck when the wood wheel shatters into little wood splinters that end up in your chest?" Little extreme, I admit. I replaced the stock wheel and horn ring on my 65 356-C with a smaller diameter leather covered Momo wheel. I like the feel of the smaller wheel with a thicker diameter. I kept the original steering wheel and chrome horn ring for the next owner! As far as wood wheels go, various versions of the Darrington and Nardi wheels seem to be the most popular. And there are a lot of reproductions out there, which is not necessarily a bad thing! A lot of 356 Porsche owners have switched to wood steering wheels, which were also a factory option.

 
Road & Track October 1957  

   
                                                        Nardi Brochure mid-1965                                                           

  
Vilem B. Haan Catalog 1963

  
Performance Products Catalog 1966

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966
 

Rear View Mirrors:

Rear view mirrors started out as a safety item! People needed to know what was going on behind them when they were driving. Later, exterior rear view mirrors evolved in racing circles when streamlining everything became important. Look at the Talbot, Raydyot, and Grand Prix designs. Even the exterior rear view mirrors for the 356-C's were somewhat streamlined in design. Some people prefer the stock exterior rear view mirror designs, and others like the "racing" look of Talbot, Raydyot, and Grand Prix. There were lots of alternatives out there in the 50's and 60's! And many brands are still available today!

Performance Products Catalog 1966
 

Road & Track October 1957	Road & Track October 1957	Road & Track October 1957

Vilem B. Haan Catalog 1963

 
                  Performance Products Catalog 1983, Road & Track November 1961                            

  
               Performance Products Catalog 1966                  

Performance Products Catalog 1983
                                               

Gauges:

I really like gauges! I like to know what's going on with my 356-C! Of course, the speedometer, tachometer, gas gauge, and temperature gauge are essential gauges for any driving! "Idiot lights" were often available for everything else. "Back in the days" a separate ammeter gauge or temperature gauge was really "cool". And a separate oil pressure gauge was often used to replace the "idiot light". An inside/outside thermometer was also available either as a factory accessory or an aftermarket accessory! More often then not, these accessory gauges were suspended under the dash in special brackets. Being tall, I always had a problem with my knees hitting these suspended gauges, and I didn't like looking at all the wires and other connections they required. Some mounted gauges in the dash itself, but I never liked drilling hole in the dash!
 

Ad contributed by Tim Herman

Road & Track October 1957

    
Performance Products Catalog 1966, Vilem B. Hahn Catalog 1963
 

Fake Knock-offs:

Fake knockoffs were probably originated to look like Rudge Knock-off Wheels, which were an expensive factory option for 356 Porsches. During the 50's and 60's many sports cars came with knock-off wire wheels, which were never offered as a regular factory accessory for 356 Porsches! Knock-off wheels were generally faster to change in a racing situation than standard bolt-on wheels. There were quite a variety of aftermarket fake knock-offs offered for 356 Porsches, and a lot of guys use them today! They do look "cool"!

 
Sports Car Illustrated May 1960, Road & Track July 1961  
                                              

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966	Vilem B. Haan Catalog 1963

Road & Track September 1961

Nerf Bars:

Where does a name like "Nerf Bars" come from? Seems to be an odd way to described "Bumpers", "Bumper Bars", "Push Bars", don't you think? Anyone know where this name came from.........drop me an email! Nerf Bars have been a popular after market accessory for 356 Porsche since the mid-1950's. The ads below came from aftermarket accessory catalogs dated 1966.

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Performance Products Catalog 1966

Travel Racks & Luggage Straps:

When I purchased my first 356 Porsche, a 1961 1600 Super Roadster, back in the mid 1960's, I was in college at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Home was in Scottsdale, near Phoenix, Arizona and about 120 miles away. The first time I saw another 356 Porsche with a travel rack on the back, I decided I HAD to have one! Not long after that, I found a used early silver painted factory Reutter rack that I used many, many times thereafter traveling between Phoenix and Tucson. I once even strapped on a large easy chair that I moved to my apartment in Tucson! I had a later Leitz chrome travel rack on my 1963 356-SC Cabriolet that I owned while serving in the US Army in Worms, Germany. When I came back to Arizona in 1972, I found the 1965 356-C that I own still today, and it has always had a chrome Leitz travel rack on the back. Today, it's more for looks and occassional old leather suitcase if I travel somewhere! There are numerous travel racks that have been available over the years for 356 Porsches, but by far the most popular have been the factory travel racks manufactured first by Reutter and later by Leitz.

Original travel rack brochure from Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter A Co. G.M.B.H.

 
Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Performance Products Catalog 1966

Performance Products Catalog 1966	Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Unknown aftermarket chrome rack
 

Shocks:

I'm not going to say much about shocks. I really didn't pay much attention to them with my first two 356 Porsches. It wasn't until recently when I thought the ride was getting kinda choppy that I discovered that I had adjustable Koni's on my 65 356-C! Those shocks were on the car when I bought it in 1973! Frankly I really wasn't impressed with them, overall I thought the ride was too rough. When I saw the price of a replacement set of adjustable Koni's, I looked into alternatives and decided on Boge's. If they were good enough for Porsche, they would be good enough for me, besides Al Zim said they were OK, and I ordered them from him! I don't drive my 356 every day, and I don't drive it in any competative events.

Ad Contributed by Tim Herman from late 1950's
 

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

 

Performance Products Catalog 1966
 

Rally Timers & Stop Watches:

I never got in to "Rallying". Somehow racing around traffic cones flat out seemed more fun! But Rallys became very popular in the 50's and 60's judging by all the "equipment" you could buy that was advertised in all the sports car magazines. Below is a sampling of some of the special timers, odometers, stop watches, and other neat gagets you could buy to enhance your rally experience! What's a Tachimedion?  

Motorsport Magazine June 1952

 
Road & Track January 1957, Road & Track October 1957
                                                     

  
                    Road & Track November 1959, Road & Track July 1959                        


                                         Road & Track November 1965                                            

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Road & Track July 1959
 

Headrests:

Headrests as they were offered by the factory and as an aftermarket accessory were and continue to be a popular accessory. Unfortunately, they may be little more than "Eye Candy"! Sold as a safety and comfort option they fall way short of providing safety! For a tall person, in particular, they may be out right dangerous! They are flimsy to start with and seem incapable of protecting a driver in  any serious rear end collision! If you're a short person, perhaps they would be of some confort value beyond just the looks.

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Performance Products Catalog 1966

Removable Hardtops:

We're all familiar with the Removable Factory Hardtops made for 356 Porsche Cabriolets beginning in Model Year 1958, which started in September 1957 with the introduction of the T-2 body, and the first Cabriolets with vent windows. From that point on, removable hardtops became a regularly offered factory accessory for 356 Porsche Cabriolets. But a few years earlier, a number of after-market manufacturers started making removable hardtops for the Porsche 356 Speedster. Little is known about most of these companies other than they existed in the 1950's and 60's and advertised in major car magazines such as Car & Driver, Road and Track and Sports Car Graphic. And few know that there were more than one or two non-factory hardtop manufacturers, some in Europe, and many in the USA. Below is some interesting information about removable hardtops made by after-market manufacturers.

Click here 356 Porsche Factory Removable Hardtops!

Glasspar, Santa Ana, California, USA.
Glasspar Brochure, front cover.	Glasspar, famous boat maker, manufactures Hardtops for 356 Speedsters.
Glasspar requires Side Curtains.	Glasspar Hardtops for 356 Speedsters first appeared in 1955.

The  original Glasspar Company was mentioned in the book "Excellence was Expected" by Karl Ludvigsen: "Hardtops had been in the Porsche picture earlier (than 1958), but not for the cabriolet model. They had been built privately by and for owners of the Speedster to replace its less-than-elegant standard canvas top. California's Glasspar began offering a fiberglass hardtop for the Speedster in 1955, and by early 1957 it was approved by the factory, and offered for sale through all Porsche distributors. It was priced at $285 in the United States and a little more than $300 in Europe."

Glasspar is best known for pioneering work in the production of fiberglass boats. If you "Google-up" Glasspar, you can find the whole story. Producing removable hardtops for sports cars must have been just a sideline, as apparently they are no longer in the business. Further investigation has revealed that Fibersteel now continues to make Glasspar hardtops as "High Quality Reproductions", and they are formally authorized to do so by the original manufacturer. Below is a "non-advertisement" for Fibersteel, who provided the pictures shown below.

FIBERSTEEL.Com 145 Irwindale Avenue, Azusa, California 91702 U.S.A Contact:  Russ Rodriguez  (626) 334-0404 Or Email:  russ@fibersteel.com GLASSPAR HARDTOPS!    Our High Quality Reproduction Glasspar Hardtops Are Exact in Every Detail. We Spare No Expense     in Tooling and Manufacturing This Top. That’s Why We Were Awarded Legal Permission and Assistance From Mr. Bill Tritt, the Founder of The Glasspar Company. Below are a couple of examples of Fibersteel's current Hardtop for Speedsters! This is not an advertisement, its a fact!

Erich Meinhart Autozubehor, Munich, Germany. The fine print in the above ad says that hardtops are available for Roadsters and Conv. D's for 990 DM, and for the Speedster for 1150DM. Ad comes from the January 1963 issue of Christophorus magazine published by Porsche.

H. L. Oesterle, Munich, Germany.

Removable Hardtops for Speedsters, Convertibles, & Roadsters!

Hubert Hoch, Neuss-Reuschenberg, Germany.

The Hubert Koch Hardtop is probably a Glasspar unit. Check out the small picture in the ad above, with the
pictures in the Glasspar folder in Item #2 above. Also note the wire wheels on the Speedster in the above picture.

Plasticon, Pasadena, California.

Astro Fiberglas Company, El Monte, California.	Steven's Plastics, Los Angeles, California.

Air Conditioning:

Most 356 Porsche enthusiasts know that Air Conditioning was not a factory accessory for 356 Porsches! And many don't know that aftermarket units were advertised in national sports car magazines as early as 1959! Presumably these suppliers could install an AC unit in a late 356-A Porsche. Have you ever seen one? While several suppliers from the late 1950's through the mid-1960's offered AC units specifically designed for 356 Porsches, 356 Porsches WERE NOT DESIGNED FOR AIR CONDITIONING! One had to really butcher up a 356 Porsche to get air conditioning in it! There was a lot of metal cutting involved, and a lot of hoses going all over the place. The compressor was in the engine compartment, the condensers were up under both front fenders and sometimes in the rear deck lid or under the car somewhere, the evaporator was in front trunk area, and the dryer was in the engine compartment. One aftermarket unit required 70 feet of hose to complete the assembly! If you want to learn more about 356 units available back when for 356 Porsches visit DerWhite's website on the subject on line!

Road & Track May 1959	Road & Track June 1959

  Click here 356 Porsche Air Conditioning Systems!

The Delanair A/C Unit:

Delanair Brochure	Delanair "PorscheAir" A/C installation in a Porsche 356-B T-6.

Different set up to bring cold air into cabin in a 356-C. A/C switches under ashtray.

Miscellaneous Accessories:

Below are many of the other accessories you always wanted "way back when"! No doubt, there are probably items that were not and should have been included. If you have any interesting 356 Porsche related aftermarket accessory ads that should be included, send them to:  derwhite@aol.com and they will be added to the website. Al Zim wanted me to find some old tire ads that he said show tires with removable treads. Apparently you could change your tire treads to suit your driving style. I've never seen any ads like this!

Performance Products Catalog 1966

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Ad Contributed by Tim Herman from late 1950's

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Ad Contributed by Tim Herman from 1960's

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Ad Contributed by Tim Herman from early 1960's

Christophorus Magazine 1950's

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Road & Track September 1961 

Ad Contributed by Tim Herman from late 1950's

   
                            Sports Car Illustrated May 1959, Road & Track July 1961                 

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

 
Road & Track June 1959

European Parts, Inc. Catalog 1967

Christophorus Magazine 1950's

Road & Track November 1966

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Road & Track April 1950. So why is the Porsche patch more expensive?

Porsche Stuff Catalog 1966

Other Stuff....couldn't find a 356 example!

I've always been interested in "Trailers"! Not sure exactly why. My first trailer was an old snowmobile trailer that I used to haul around my dirt bike. Hauled around a few 356 parts on it too! It was narrow, great for one dirt bike, and you could tip the end down so you could ride the bike right up on the trailer. Later I made some money bidding on a bunch of used rental trailers. Fixed them up, repainted them and sold them! One of those old rental trailers I converted into a camping trailer to tow behind my 68 Toyota Landcuriser. I later upgraded to a full camping tent trailer with all the fixins! But I always wanted a little trailer like you see below to tow around behind my 356-C Coupe. Really cool! One that you could carry stuff in and and camp in! Occasionally you see a 356 guy bring one of these to a swap meet, or a Registry Holiday!

Sports Car Illustrated May 1960

Sorry, forgot where this ad came from, but think late 50's Sports Car Graphic
 

Weird Stuff:

 
Speed Age May 1951, Road & Track July 1966          

Road & Track March 1959

   
  Auto Speed & Sport January 1952, Road & Track April 1959
 

Interesting Reading!

   
                Road & Track March 1959, Road & Track December 1963      

   
  Road & Track June 1959, Road & Track July 1961

    
Road & Track November 1961

 

That's all for now folks!

 Click here and go directly to DerWhite's 356 Literature Website!

Sources:

Tim Herman
Road & Track magazine, 4/50, 9/54, 5/55, 10/57, 7/58, 3/59, 4/59, 5/59, 6/59, 11/59, 7/61, 9/61, 11/61, 2/63, 3/63, 7/63, 7/64, 11/65, 11/66, 1/67, 10/67, 1/68.  
Sports Car Illustrated, 6/56, 5/59, 5/60.
Car & Driver, 11/63, 1/67.
Motorsport Magazine, 6/52.
Speed Age, 5/51.
Auto Speed & Sport, 1/52.
Christophorus Magazine, 1950's.
Vilem B. Haan Catalog,1963.
Porsche Stuff Catalog, 1966.
European Parts Catalog, 1967.
Performance Products Catalog, 1968.
Reutter Travel Rack Brochure, 1950's.
Nardi Brochure, 1965.
Glasspar Brochure.
Delenair AC Brochure.
MG Mitten ads.
AMCO ads. 
Wilco ads,
Vilem B. Haan ads.
And Al Zim's imput by email!
 

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