356 Porsche: A Restorer's Guide to Authenticity Paperback – January 23, 1998

If you want to buy one of these cars, this book is essential!!!

unfortunately it completely lacked 1953 model photos it had tech info but that's easier to come by so although this is good ref for most of the 356 models it doesn't really help with my 53 needs

The book is great but it is black and white. All the pictures are black and white and details are not visible. There are lots of pictures of different 356 models but the pictures are xerox copy quality.

If you are a Porsche 356 aficionado, this book is for you!

Thanks,Rev

It is a great reference tool for anyone who is restoring a 356 Porsche and wants it to be authentic.

Great book to have. Lots of info.

I was told by a friend to get this book and i was very glad i did as this is a great book if you are restoring a porsche 356. alot of good info.

The book I'm reviewing is The 356 Porsche - A Restorers Guide To Authenticity, copyright 1997. My reveiew is from the perspective of a person without prior knowledge of the vehicle, a non owner but a potential buyer. My specific interest is in the 356C.All of the standard production cars; 356, 356A, 356B T5, 356B T6 and the 356C are covered. The words standard production cars covers the Cabriolet, Coupe, Speedster, Roadster, Convertible Ds, Abarth Carrera GTLs and Karmann Hard Tops. It describes the model changes that occured.The chapter on Exterior body Panels covers fenders (wings), wheel arch profiles, hood (bonnet), bumpers, front body panel, doors, rocker panels, roof, sunroof. Windshields, back window, cabriolet tops, hardtops, cowels, rear deck lid (boot lid).The chapter on Exterior trim covers bumpers, bumper guards, Porsche scripts, headlights, headlight grill, taillights, license pate light, turn signals, foglights, hood handles, horn grills, wipers, windown washers, aerials, windshield and rear screen trim, badges, side mouldings, door handles, exterior mirrors, side windows, rear grills, luggage racks, reflectors, wheels including trim.The chapter on Luggage Compartment covers the battery and fuel tank, fuse cover, spare wheel, tool kit, front hood latch and hinge.The chapter on Interior covers the steering wheels, dashboard, dials, clocks, warning lights, knobs, switches, lighter, dashboard scripts, heaters, radios, glove compartment, ashtray, grab handles, interior lights, rear view mirror, visors, pedals, interior panels, shift lever, headliningThe book identifies differences between European and US spec cars.There are many photographs in this book but other than the front and back covers there are no colour photographs. The main problem with this book is the clarity of the images. Many suffer from dark shadowing so the detail is lost. An example of this is the picture of the "Rear interior area 1951 coupe, prior to parcel shelf" on page 17. Some images are too distant to understand the detail being described. The many diagrams from the illstrations in the Parts book are far too small to be able to read. They generally measure approximately 9cm wide and 8cm high.There is an appendix on Colour Charts but this is covered in words. It would have been benficial to reprint colour charts from orginal sales brochures where still available. They can still be found on a popular auction website. The book author thanks Olaf Lang at Porsche AG for his research so I'd expect permission to be granted.Many pictures lack the image quality probably because they are dated, lack resolution and did not use correct lighting. These pictures could be significantly improved by taking new photos on original cars that are still around today.If this is a restorers guide to authenticity I would consider the engine a major component of any vehicle and this book is devoid of details. Hardly any pictures nor sufficient details.The 154 pages are very informative and it is a good book but let down by the photographs/pictures/diagrams. I would not recomend this book to anyone specifically interested in the 356 engines.

If you are a Porsche 356 Owner or aspire to owning one, you MUST have this bookIt is the Bible of Detail about these cars

Grant service

Ok. Does not cover mechanical aspects. I would not describe it as a restorers guide personally.

Well liked by my husband