The 1948 Porsche was the first of the famous Type 356 models. It marked a new beginning for the famous Dr. Ferdinand Porsche and his son, Ferry.
After World War II and the end of Hitler's evil regime, many German military, political and business leaders were arrested by the Allied occupation forces and were jailed. "Guilt by association," although many of the business people had been forced to cooperate with the Nazi government , or else!
After the war-crimes trials, a few of the most notorious Nazis got the noose. Others popped poison, and still others escaped to South America, long a haven for expatriate Germans and Europeans.
Porsche and son did not try to flee, but stayed and took their medicine: several months behind bars. Ferry Porsche was freed first, and father Ferdinand was released in 1947. Instrumental in having created Volkswagen back in the 1930s, the Porsches soon got back to business and created a new coupe bearing their name and using many VW parts, but more powerful and with handmade aluminum bodies.
Some reports claim that only four Porsche coupes were actually completed in 1948, but others list considerably more. A roadster was among the earliest experimental Porsches, and within a few years, convertibles and roadsters would join the coupe line.
In 1950, Porsche production moved from Austria to Germany, and in the early 1950s, the cars were exported to the United States and elsewhere. Affluent Americans wanted the performing Porsche coupes and didn't mind paying the price of a Cadillac or Lincoln to get one.
The 356 series continued, with improvements, through 1965, with a total of 76,303 since 1948. Other model series were introduced, with four-cylinder, Turbo fours, six or V-8 engines. Porsche's popularity continues to this day.