Would Today's Porsche & BMW Buyers Drive a 356B or 2002?

Ronnie Schreiber
by Ronnie Schreiber

They were sitting right next to each other at the auction preview — probably happenstance, a mere coincidence that they were adjacent, but seeing a Porsche 356B and a BMW 2002 just a few feet apart I couldn’t help but wonder if most of the people who buy Porsches and BMWs today would be happy with those cars.

The analogy isn’t perfect but both of those cars hold similar places in their manufacturers’ histories. They both put their makers on the map as far as car enthusiasts were concerned and established them as serious players in the North American automobile market.

As essential to Porsche’s image as the 911 is today, it must be remembered that the 911 was introduced in the mid 1960s, a decade and a half after Ferry Porsche cobbled together some VW Beetle parts to make the first Porsche branded car in 1948. It gave Porsche their first class victory at LeMans and established them as an automaker. Legendary importer Max Hoffman started bringing them into the United States. The first car was designated the 356, to be followed by A, B and finally C versions of the design, each iteration being less Volkswagen and more Porsche, and with more performance, too. Had it not been for the 356, there would be no Cayenne, Panamera, or Macan, and the 919 hybrid would not have won at LeMans this year.

Likewise, the BMW 2002 is arguably the seminal car in modern BMW history. It was the ultimate derivative of the 1500 “New Class” BMW, which, in time, became the 1600 and then the 2000. It was BMW’s first postwar car that was a real sedan and not a microcar, and the New Class cars saved the company financially. The 2000 introduced a 2-liter version of the M10 four-cylinder engine. The lighter, stiffer two door version — the 2002 — became popular with enthusiasts and was the basis of Bob Lutz’s fabulously successful “Ultimate Driving Machine” marketing campaign that still resonates. The 2002 was the car that established BMW’s reputation as a maker of sporting sedans, particularly in North America and it is seen by many as the spiritual ancestor of the 3-Series, a major part of BMW’s brand identity.

The 2002’s success, both in the marketplace and in terms of its embrace by enthusiasts (and enthusiast publications, no small factor in the 2002’s success) laid the groundwork for BMW to become the full line luxury car maker they are today.

Today, though, BMW sells a lot more different types of vehicles than 2 door sport sedans and Porsche’s lineup today includes two trucklets and a four door sedan, in addition to their 911 and Boxster sports car variants. Can you see someone contemplating the purchase of a BMW X6 with an audiophile sound system and heated and cooled ventilated leather seats being happy with that 2002 as a daily driver? It doesn’t even have a radio, let alone air conditioning.

BMW 2002 interior

The 356B is even more spartan that the 2002, and I’m betting that your average Cayenne driver would find it lacking in creature comforts and performance as well. Someone used to a modern turbocharged Cayenne or one of the Macans is not likely to be happy with just 80 horsepower. Actually, someone driving a four-cylinder econobox is not likely to be happy with the 356B’s performance. They were slow by mid-1960s standards. Why do you think they came out with the six cylinder 911? Also, by the time the 356B came out, most of the components were Porsche specific, not VW Type I parts. Meanwhile, it’s impossible to hide the plebeian origins of the 356, something today’s Veblen consumers of Porsches might find a bit déclassé.

Porsche 356B interior

It’s possible that these vintage cars aren’t even on the radar screen of modern day BMW and Porsche owners. E30 3-series cars are what plenty of people today consider an old BMW. In the Porsche community, the demarcation line between vintage and late model is probably between the air-cooled 993s and the water-cooled 996s of the late 1990s, not between the 356 and the first 911/912 in the early 1960s. Come to think of it, today’s 911 buyers might not be happy with an early 911, let alone a 356.

Opening up the engine hatch on the 356B reveals its VW Beetle origins, though by 1963 VW and Porsche engines shared few parts.

Oh, I’m sure that quite of few of the true believing purists that today make up a minority of the folks who drive German performance cars would still treasure a chance to drive either one of these cars. The sort of person who is willing to pay more to Porsche for a lighter, less-luxuriously equipped, more track focused GT3 or the like, probably has some knowledge of the brand’s history and can likely appreciate that 356, but then I’m willing to guess that they’re also not daily driving that GT3. Commuting in the 356 might get old much faster than it would in a modern Porsche track car.

So what sayest thou? Do you think today’s Porsche and BMW owners could be happy with 40 or 50 year old examples of their favorite marque? If you own a car from either of those two brands, whether modern or vintage, I’m particularly interested in hearing your opinions.

Photos by the author. Full photo galleries can be found here (BMW) and here (Porsche).

Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, a realistic perspective on cars & car culture and the original 3D car site. If you found this post worthwhile, you can get a parallax view at Cars In Depth. If the 3D thing freaks you out, don’t worry, all the photo and video players in use at the site have mono options. Thanks for reading – RJS

Ronnie Schreiber
Ronnie Schreiber

Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, the original 3D car site.

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  • APaGttH APaGttH on Aug 13, 2015

    The 2002 from BMW is DoA today - it is missing two doors. The Porsche isn't a lifted bad ass CUV - also dead on arrival.

  • Manbridge Manbridge on Aug 13, 2015

    Oh hells no. Today, comfort and techie crap are king. These were primitive and no one is easily merging on I25 around here in one of these. The early 911 on the other hand, at least by 69, was a real car. Four wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion and decent power even if controls were somewhat primitive. Driving them around is sort of Camryish minus 900 lbs and decent AC.

    • See 1 previous
    • Baconator Baconator on Aug 14, 2015

      Camryish, if you overlook the vague shifters, the uneven power delivery, the weird nonlinearity in handling, and the incredible amount of noise! The 964 (introed in 1989) is the first 911 that feels like a reasonable daily driver to me. Interestingly, I've driven a '79 928 and owned an '83 944 - both of those felt much more modern than the pre-964 911s.

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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