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Meeting Erwin Komenda - not really...

Erwin Komenda, as many of you will be all too aware, penned the body design, and evolutions of the 356 we know and love. After some research on Erwin, and reading about his relationships with both the Porsche’s and Piechs, I would love to sit down with him, and discuss how he came about his design concepts.

Born in Austria, in 1904, this man designed, along with our beloved 356, some of the most prolific cars of the last century. His two obsessions being aerodynamics, and low weight, led to the inevitable designs that have outlasted his name. He was responsible either personally, or as part of a team, for the Famous 1930’s Auto Union GP cars, the VW Beetle, The Cisitalia GP car, the prolific 550 Spyder, and was integral in the Porsche 901 design, which he saw through to production. His final project before passing away in 1966, was the famous 904 race car. This car alone is viewed my many Porsche purists as the ultimate road and track car. Add to this, when working with Daimler-Benz in the 30’s, he pretty much developed the monocoque construction technique that would allow him to get the car’s weights down, and more aerodynamic.

These are incredible achievements in the motoring world, yet, he has somehow slipped under the radar, when motoring enthusiasts wax lyrical about the great automotive designers of the last century. I think it is fair to say, his initial sports car design, the 1939 VW Type 64 60K10 sports car, is clearly the beginning of what the Porsche brand was to become. Even his designs for the never built Cisitalia sports car, a sort of 4 door version of a 356 Pre A, shows he had some fixed ideas on what a sports car should look like. Which, as it turns out, is exactly what they would end up looking like. 

You do not even have to squint hard at the 60K10 to see this was the amoeba that was to become a 2017 GT2 RS. Still using the same concepts of agile handling, lightest weight possible, and the right size motor for the chassis, not the biggest.

So with all this in mind, this man’s little known achievements outside the Porsche and VW communities, I had to have a good think about what would I talk to him about in conversation? The fact he is one of my idols will always make the discussion awkward. Could I be “Cool”, enough to avoid all the cliché’s he would expect? “What went through your mind when penning the 356?” This would not cut it. He was clearly into pure designs that he liked to see through to production, the fact all the 356’s were delivered to dealers without external mirrors, shows he liked uncluttered smooth lines, ( or he thought the truck drivers lacked the attention needed to not accidently knock them, during loading and unloading).  Would this also mean his thought processes were also uncluttered? Did he travel everywhere with a pen and notepad, and draw shapes that appealed to him?

I get the impression from his consistently aero design, he would have to have had some inspiration from nature, or the elements. Does this mean that Erwin painted, or sketched land or seascapes? The second one unlikely, as he lived so far inland, if regularly by large lakes. Maybe I am romanticizing this too much, and he just drew what popped into his head, and designed cars because it paid the bills, and being a newspaper cartoonist, which he may have aspired to be, during the reign of the Third Reich, did not lend itself to longevity?

So I am no closer to the questions I would ask him. Would just reading him my thoughts, I am penning for you, be enough to open him up? I would be curious as to how that would go, along with wondering where he learnt English (or my version of it).I have not found anywhere that writes about the type of person he was. Was he an insular arty/engineering type? Was he outgoing, and bought the steins on a Friday night down at the local in Gmund? This would help me frame my questions. I guess if I did get a sit down with him, this would be obvious off the get go.  

 I would definitely ask what it was about the development of the 901 car that caused his near dismissal, near the end of his, too short life. Was it because the car was heavier than the 356? Less aerodynamic than the 356? Was it because the engine was far more complex, yet only mildly more powerful? This clearly went against his design ideas. These issues combined, very nearly caused a delay in the model release. They had to make it faster than the car is superceded. Especially as it was going to be a lot more expensive.As to actual design questions. I want to know what he drew for his kids. Everyone draws for their kids, his were probably just timeless designs, destined to be scribbled over with coloured crayons, before being placed on the fridge (or ice box). Or is that just at my kitchen table?I have had little joy in finding a Biography of Erwin, still in publication, that was written prior to his death. There are many holes in his story, I would love to read about.

Erwin, a (short) life long smoker died of lung cancer. His career at Porsche spanned some 37ish years, and was there from the start. Outside of the Porsche family, he really is the brand.

Which 356 is Which?

Most Porsche enthusiasts have some familiarity with the 356 shape. It’s clear in the car’s profile that Porsche evolved the shape to become the 911 from the roots the 356 established way back in 1948. The 356 was the first road production model for the brand, and in the eyes of many (myself included), the purist form of the brand’s road going cars.

The 356 was created by Ferry Porsche, the great Dr’s son. The shape was penned by Erwin Komenda, the inhouse designer. The first production cars were actually made in Austria, on a farm in Gmund. Over the first two years, about 50 cars were made, all hand hammered out of aluminium. The drive train, and suspension were essentially moved across from the VW beetle of the day. The cars were very light, and nimble in their handling, and were a very rewarding car to drive in their day. There are very few left around the world, and their value when they do come on the market is several lottery wins.

It was the move to Zuffenhausen, Germany, and changing the manufacturing process at all levels that really made the model take off. The cars were now manufactured by the coach builder next door to the new factory, and made of steel. A new pushrod engine was developed specifically for the Porsche, still based on the air cooled flat 4 configuration. This was also made, and assembled in house. These first German made cars are easily identified by their windscreen(s). 1948-53 had split windscreens, with a pillar down the centre, and 1953-55 they had a creased windscreen, which was bent in the middle, like a v shape from a WW2 fighter plane. These early cars are referred to as “Pre-A’s”.

The next evolution of the car occurred in late 1955, with the introduction of the 356A. This was a big leap forward in technology for the cars. It got a curved windscreen, and for many 356 fans, the prettiest of the bodies. It is this model that is the most replicated. This body is referred to as the Type 1, or T1 amongst enthusiasts. Production continued through to late 1959, with a slight revision mid ’57 for the T2 body.

It was late ’59 that saw the introduction of the 356B. A new T5 body shape (I need to research what happened to the T3 & T4), but clearly an evolution, not a revolution. The new shape was more aerodynamic. However, it takes an enthusiast to pick the difference most of the time. Mid ’62 saw the new T6 body arrive. This one did have a few cues to pick it out to the average Porsche fan.  The rear hood now had 2 grilles, instead of 1. It also introduced a much larger rear window, to improve rearward visibility. The US delivered cars also moved the fuel filler from inside the front hood, to the right hand front fender, making filling easier. Not the Australian delivered cars though. The leading edge of the front hood is also much squarer, than the rounded previous model.

It did not take long for Porsche to realise they needed to try and stop the car as fast as it went. So with pretty much the same T6 body, Porsche fitted disc brakes in 1964. Keep in mind that by this time Porsche had been showing the upcoming 901 (911) at the various auto shows, so the 356C was considered a great test bed to ensure the new brake system was up to standard. The 356C was kept in production until mid 1966, some two and a half years into the 911 (as it was named by this point) production due to demand, as the 911 replacement, whilst considered more “Civilised”, was also significantly more expensive, and heavier, than the car it was replacing. The final ten 356C cars manufactured went to the Dutch police force, for highway duties.

From the car’s inception, it was always available in several body types. The first prototype was actually a mid engine roadster, the spiritual grandfather of the boxster, if you like. It had a ladder chassis, with the body placed on top. All the production cars were of monocoque construction, to reduce weight, and improve rigidity for both roadsters and coupe body types.

The most recognisable body type of the range would have to be the “Speedster”. This was built at the request of Max Hoffman, the US agent, as a “Cheaper” option. The irony being that they are amongst the most valuable today. The have a low, removable windscreen. This was for the weekend racers that wanted the lightest weight option. They had no permanent side windows, or roof. Great summer car, and probably the most replicated car on the planet today.

There were more civilised “Rag Tops”. The roadsters, and cabriolets, with wind up windows, taller windscreens, and waterproof(ish) folding tops. Oh yeah, and a semi functional heater.

There was a unique body type produced for a very short period of time, called a “Notch back”. This model is best described as a cabriolet, with a welded on steel roof. It was not actually, it was purpose built this way. There is a lovely example in the club, that gets out occasionally.

Then there is the coupe. The most popular by numbers manufactured, but probably the least desirable by the purists. At about 800kg, considered a little too heavy to be a “proper” sports car.

Over the car’s evolution, there were a number of engine capacities and designs offered, some great ideas, and varying levels of power. These will be covered in a future article.

I think that the information above will arm you not to be too shy to approach a 356 owner at the next get together, and discuss their car, and it’s history. Remember the “Newest” 356 you can own will be 50 years old this year, so us owners tend to know a lot about our cars, and we love talking about them. We usually know a lot about our particular car, so please come and chat.Keep the faith.

Porsche's Famous 4 Cam Motors

The historical racing success of Porsche can be pinpointed back to one event. The design, development, production, and evolution of the Fuhrman motor. It was an air cooled, four cylinder, twin plug motor with four bevel gear driven overhead camshafts. The motor is known by many names, but all refer to the same piece of engineering masterpiece that created the brand’s reputation as a giant killer. It was, and still is known as the Fuhrmann motor, the 4-cam, the Spyder motor, and the Carrera motor, amongst others.

The motor was seen as necessary if Porsche were to be serious about winning international level races. The company had some taste of success in various classes, with the pushrod motor, but felt there was a market for weekend racers, willing to invest in competitive factory built race cars. They also believed that developing a reputation for being able to supply reliable, consistently fast cars, would be great for their reputation as a credible car maker, in what was fast becoming a crowded market segment.The task to design this new motor was placed with Ernst Fuhrmann, in 19XX. Fuhrmann had been with Porsche as an engineer since 19XX, and one can only speculate on the level of trust, both financial, and reputational, the Porsche family was placing in him. The motor went from design to prototype remarkably quick, in the days before computer fluid dynamics, and 3d printers, at only X months from drawings to start up on the dyno.The specification requirements were ambitious at the time. The key aims being 1hp per cc, 24 hour reliability for endurance racing, the most prestigious form of motor sport in the era.

Fuhrmann believed the path to this outcome lay in a higher revving engine, with more efficient combustion. The keys to achieving this, in his mind, were overhead cams for valve actuation, along with a roller bearing crank. It was actually the connecting rod bearings that contained roller bearings, not the main crankshaft bearings. Each connecting rod was supported either side on the crankshaft by a main bearing. The second part of the equation was twin  spark plugs per combustion chamber, enabling a more efficient detonation of the compressed air/fuel mixture. Having worked fo Porsche for as long as he had, and seen the benefits of small capacity, lightweight aircooled engines, he figured he would evolve the same boxer configuration, rather than come up with a completely new design. A lot of the engineering and maths had been done for the existing production motors.

Valve actuation was driven centrally from the crankshaft, out to each cylinder bank, by a long shaft, which through bevel gears, drove the exhaust cam shaft, which in turn drove the intake camshaft, through a vertical drive, again through a bevel gear. With the limitations of metallurgy in the day, this was deemed to be the most efficient, if alarmingly complex, way to drive the camshafts. The reliability of these motors was notoriously poor if the gear lash was not adjusted correctly. Adjusting the valve clearances on a Carrera motor, typically takes 20-22 hours by an experienced mechanic! As you can imagine, with a total production of about 1300 motors, the number of experienced mechanics, are few and far between today, should you be the fortunate owner of one of these beauties. The actual process itself, of adjusting the gear lash, and valve clearance, makes for astonishing reading, involving carbon copy paper, and wear marks on bevel gears.

The 4 cam motor evolved over its life, starting in 195X, at 1100cc with the early 550 Spyders, through to 196X ending in its most powerful guise, out at 2000cc in the 904. Interestingly, throughout its life it consistently ran very close to its 1hp per cc design requirement, and when well maintained, was incredibly reliable in endurance racing.

There were several 4-cam motor specced cars delivered new to Australia. A few speedsters, a few spyders, several 356 coupes, and a couple of 904s. Most have now left our shores, due to the alarming values of these cars. Sadly it means that most also don’t get driven anymore. Due to their $1.5m+ values there is only one speedster that has remained, that the Australian 356 Registry know of. Conveniently owned by a Queenslander that also has a 4-Cam coupe. I imagine his annual servicing invoices are stratospheric, only superseded by his family’s forthcoming inheritance, some time in the future.

Porsche Cars Australia actually bought a locally delivered car a few years ago, a 356A coupe, with GT spec body. It is the only classic that Porsche Cars Australia actually own. Speaking to PCA recently, they find the car a little temperamental, mainly because it is rarely driven.

About 1977...

1977, living 5km from Ford motor company, where both parents worked, a six year old stands in the driveway, stunned. A path is cut in his life that he will now follow, unaware.

Cars are a part of all lives in his town. The one mum drives rumbles a lot, is white, had 2 big stripes from front to rear, and has a fantastic little cartoon on the side of a kangaroo with mag wheels instead of legs. Dad’s car was newer, a horrible banana colour, but not as boxy. All the cars always had a blue oval badge. Always. They all went very fast until they got to a corner, where they went around it like granddad’s dinghy on the Barwon river. We had some great nights fishing in that dinghy. Never caught a fish, but the six year old learnt the valuable lesson that just because the river looked like chocolate, didn’t man it tasted like it. Much saltier.

When his mates were all out kicking the footy with their dads, this particular boy is stuck in the garage, the only place his dad ever was. Fixing the neighbour’s cars. They always left quieter than they arrived. There were a lot of different shapes and sounds. And Badges. Every 6 year old loves the badges. Besides being shiny, they also let him know what mood Dad was in.

The blue oval badge meant he was relaxed, The badge with a lion, meant swearing, with lots of head shaking. There was a great looking car that looked like a snail with very shiny upside down v’s on the grill. This one meant dad was spending more time reading than working, and looking for tools he was sure he put down there, just yesterday. The small car that was funny was the mini. Dad could not fit in it properly, so mum had to test it, and dad was frustrated trying to understand what she meant by “mmm..it’s a bit rough”

Occasionally there was a big car that looked like a tank, it was black, and had a big 3 pointed star on top of the radiator grill. Oh how the six year old wanted one of those stars. Dad just burnt his arms a lot trying to fix it. Smelt like bacon.

The car that made Dad smile though was the beetle. Everyone smiles when the beetle was around. It was white, and dirty. The 6 year old could not figure out why dad spent so much time looking in the boot though. The boot wasn’t even very big. But it did look like Herbie, and that car could do amazing things. It was on tele, in colour, so everything it could do was definitely true. Everyone wanted Herbie.

The day that changed everything was when Dad came in one day in a silver car that looked like a grownups version of Herbie. It was low, not much taller than the six year old, he could easily see in the window. It looked like a space ship. It was curved, and sleek. It had an amazing big wooden steering wheel. It sounded like an angry version of Herbie. When dad went inside for tea that night, the six year old got in behind the wheel, but could not see over the dash. The sensation that stuck was the smell. It smelt of what he later in life found to be a combination of transmission oil, burnt engine oil, fuel, and damp carpet. The emotional smell of a vintage car. 

“What car is this, dad?” It’s a Porsche, old thing, 356 I think they call it. Porsche 356. The boy would not go to bed until mum, started really yelling. He just sat on the porch and could not stop looking at it. He could not stop asking questions. “Why is it so little?” “Do you think it would fit in the boot of mum’s car?” When can we go for a drive? Where are the seat belts? This back seat is made for kids, can I sit in the front next to you? When can we go for a drive? Why don’t we have one? When can we get one? Is this the only one there is? Why don’t we ever see these? Why is there a rusty window in the floor under the rubber mat? Doesn’t it get cold? Can I have one when I get older? ENOUGH.

Driving around was very different to his mum’s car. Mum’s car felt like you were waking up a dragon or distant thunder rolling closer. This silver little car felt like lightning. It felt like it was flying. Just like the space ship it looked like. Dad let him sit up front on a cushion, so he could see. Dad did not slow down to go around the corner, and the six year old had to hang on to a handle that must be there for this reason, otherwise he’d fall out the door.

The next day the car was gone. As the six year old grew up, he got to see a lot of cars, new ones came and went. Rarely seeing another Porsche 356 on the road in a town dedicated to making one brand of car. One passed the family when he was 13, on holiday in Queensland, the emotion was back. Hairs raised on his arms, a lump in his throat. Can we follow that red Porsche dad? When it pulled into the next servo, its window was open. The smell. The way it ticked cooling down. The smell. It felt like it was just the other day in the silver one.

He had not forgotten. The shape. The sound. The smell.  You know when you’re six, and you know when you’re thirteen. You know in your forties, when it is finally attainable, and it takes you back to those moments. You find the car, sit in behind the wheel. Sitting where dad sat. You can now see over the dash to the vanishing hood. This is the car. This feels right. Negotiating with a lump in your throat, and misty eyed, rarely puts you in a good position. It did not matter, you’ll pay what it costs.

Those feelings of emotion and passion are why we drive what drive, and love what we love. For some it might be a Mini Cooper, others a GT-HO Falcon, or a ’84 930. For me, it just happened to be a 356.

Hawkeye

Paul Hawkins, born 12th October 1937, in Richmond, Victoria. Who is this man? Why have very few Australians, outside his immediate family, ever heard of him? He achieved a great feat of motorsport, to some, the greatest. That great feat was achieved in the brand we love. Hence, I want to share what I could find of his story.

I am not talking about him being one of only two drivers to ever crash into the harbor at the Monaco Grand Prix. Not bad dinner conversation though. I am not talking about trailblazing his way to the UK to get himself a drive in Formula one, which during his time, was not the pinnacle of global motorsport. That would be sportscar racing, where in my eyes he achieved greatness. I want to share the 1967 Targa Florio.

Chasing a factory drive, from pillar to post, Paul managed a few. He really made his reputation racing Ford GT40s, and Lola T70s. He was basically a driver for hire, networking with owners, and managers, at every race meet to try and pay next months rent.

His real break came, following his local involvement, racing Austin Healeys. He maintained his relationship with this brand on arrival in the UK in 1960. His first real outing at the Nurburgring 1000km, where he placed 38th in a sprite. I am sure you all know the little bug-eyed model, that smiles back to you. He followed up this with his Le Mans debut in 1961, in the same model, with a retirement in the 8th hour. It would not be until 1965 that he tasted success at an international level, again in an Austin-Healy Sprite, winning his class at Le Mans. He was determined to make this dream work.

Paul grew up in between wars, in sunny(?) Victoria. Like all boys, he was fascinated with motor cars. His formative years though are the ones that really shaped him, like all of us. Post WW2, Australia was finding its own identity, every family was getting their feet on the ground and buying a new house and a car.

All of a sudden, after years of various rationing of both goods and lifestyle, we found our way as a nation, and we all needed to get around. Ford and Holden started making cars locally, and they became not only cheaper, but financing them was the closest we came to zero interest, the nation would not see that again until today.

Paul’s father was a man of the cloth. Prior to finding his calling, he had a bit of a reputation around both Victoria, and Tasmania as a very competitive motor cycle racer. You can’t help but feel this must have had some influence on young Paul, growing up, cutting his teeth racing the family FX, then FJ Holdens at the local hill climbs, in the mid fifties.

Paul’s list of event results are comprehensive, across Formula racing, Sports car racing, and Can-Am. Racing occasionally for the Porsche Works team, his first big result for that team came in 1966 at the Nurburgring 1000km, placing fourth outright in a Porsche 906. 1967 was his breakout year for Endurance racing. Winning the premier Sportscar event on the calendar, Targa Florio. He backed this up with second at the Nurburgring 1000km. Both these results were achieved in Porsche’s new 910/8. He was partnered with Rolf Strommelen at Targa Florio, and Gerard Koch at the Nurburgring 1000km.

14th May 1967 saw the 51st running of Targa Florio. After Le Mans, the greatest motor race on the calendar. 10 laps of the Piccolo Circuito delle Madonie. Those with any understanding of Latin, will see the irony of calling a 72km lap, the “Small” circuit.  The original “Grande” circuit, was 146km long. Hans Hermann and Gerhard Mitter were the teams lead drivers. They would test all the cars at Weissach before the event, then decide between themselves which car they wanted to drive. The balance of the drivers were allocated their seats by Hushke von Hanstein, who managed the race team. Porsche entered six works cars. All were the latest 910. Three had the evolving 8 cylinder motor, the other three the tried and tested 6 cylinder. Whilst Hermann and Mitter claimed two of the bigger 8 cylinder cars, von Hanstein took a chance on an rising star of German motor racing, Rolf Strommelen. To give that third car a bit of experience and increase its chance of a successful result, Paul Hawkins, a veteran racer by this time, was teamed up with Strommelen.

The team arrived in Sicily for practice, a week earlier for unofficial practice. This clearly paid off, as the drivers in the team less familiar with the 900, yes 900 turns per lap, had the chance to try and find their lines. To put things in perspective, Nurburgring has about 180 turns per lap.Race day, like all race days, did not go to plan for the Works Team, with both lead drivers in the 910/8 cars retiring. The tried and tested 910/6 cars were running flawlessly, but the great victory of the day was to be the 910/8 car of Hawkins/Strommelen. Porsche took their 7th Targa, with five cars in the top seven, including a clean sweep of the podium. With only 47 seconds separating the first two cars, the 910/6 very nearly stole the new 8 cylinder powered car’s thunder.

Whilst this result was seen by many as the pinnacle of Paul Hawkin’s career, it was his crash into the harbor at the 1965 Monaco Grand Prix, that really cemented his reputation in international motor racing circles.

Paul’s career was dotted with minor results, and the rare win, across many classes, but this all came to a sad end, on 26th May 1969. He was racing a Lola T70 at Oulton Park, on a typical drizzly UK day, when he crashed into a tree, and his car burst into flames, killing him instantly. At 31 years old, he died too young.

Let us remember the only Australian outright winner of Targa Florio.Porsche 910/8 car 228.720km 6:37.01 (108.812kmh)  Paul Hawkins.
References:Porsche Excellence was Expected – A complete history of the sports & racing cars.Karl LudvigsenAutomobile Quarterly Publications, 1977.
www.racingsportscars.com Race results database.
www.motorsportmagazine.com Drivers database.