My FH5 Log: The first Porsche

The Porsche saga began 75 years ago with the 356, the first Porsche car ever made. Penned by Ferdinand Porsche and running on Volkswagen mechanicals, inheriting its rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout from the original Beetle, the 365 is the genesis of Porsche that inspired its iconic successor, the 911.

Here in Forza Horizon 5, there are two decent 356 vehicles that are untouched by human hands and kept as if they had emerged from The Book of Genesis. Let's get to know about the two sides of the Porsche legend.

Let's begin with the 356 SL, a racing version of the 356, and the one that I've won from the Forza Horizon 5 Dia de Muertos Hot Season Playlist.

The 356 SL Gmund Coupe is no doubt the first racing Porsche in history and the first to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951, class victory of course. The story of the first racing Porsche began when Ferdinand Porsche met the Le Mans organizers at the 1950 Paris Motor Show and they invited him to take part in the 1951 race. Rather than using steel from the production versions, they've used some aluminum for their racing 356 machines. It placed 19th overall and won the class for 1.1L vehicles.

Now, let's get to know the 356A, the genesis of Porsche redefined. Introduced in late 1955, the 356 A is a minor change from the original 356 with earlier models designated as Type 1 while the 1957 models and beyond were designated as Type 2. The 356 A was offered with a four-cam Carrera engine only available on spyder race cars. Engine ranges vary from 1300 1.3L Type 506 engine up to the 1600 1.6L Type 616 engine with dual downdraft Zenith carburetors, producing 59hp of power and 110Nm of torque.

Let's give these two 356 machines a quick lap around the Bahía De Plano just to see if they're still the stuff of legends that gave rise to the Porsche empire. Let's watch.

...and now the results...

356 A - 1m26.420s

#46 356 SL - 1m26.904s

What a close result. The gap between the two is nearly half a second apart but it's fun driving these two ancient marvels that made Porsche great.

Without the 356, there would be no 911 and Porsche would cease to exist as one of the greatest sports car makers emerged from the ashes of the Second World War. This is why the 356 is the genesis of Porsche worth knowing about and if you're asking what is the first Porsche ever made, you're looking at it.

Be it on the road or on the track, the legend of the Porsche 356 will never die. Here's to 75 more years of Porsche!