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Reader Submissions: Porsche 356 Has No Radio and Sounds Just Right

Porsche 356 Has No Radio and Sounds Just Right

By Petrolicious Productions
January 16, 2015
9 comments

Owner: Gerard Yap

Year, Make, and Model: 1963 Porsche 356B T-6 Coupe (RHD)

Location: Singapore

Photographer: Gilbert Yap

Like many other boys I started becoming interested in cars in my early teens. Porsche was the first sports car marque that I knew by name. And the first time that I learned of the 356 was in the movie Top Gun. When I first saw the car in the movie I was totally awed. Although mine is a coupe and the one in the movie is a speedster, it’s the closest I can get in Singapore where cars are three times more expensive than America and also we drive on the RIGHT side of the road. Also, the movie was very inspirational as it made we want to become a pilot, which I now am.

One day my brother, who lives in Singapore, emailed me a photo of this 356B, which was for sale, and it immediately caught my attention. I communicated with the owner for about a month before flying to Singapore to check out the car in person.

My Porsche 356B has a Jet Black exterior and red leatherette interior. It is fitted with a Super 90 engine. It doesn’t have air-conditioning or a radio, but that’s fine because I just love the sound of the engine. It’s music to my ears! Moreover, this car was produced and registered in 1963, the year that I was born.

As, mentioned Porsche was the first sports car marque that I knew and I love its heritage. The 356 was the first mass produced car by Porsche, and today more than half of the 76,000 produced are still running around. I just love the sound of the air-cooled engine and German engineering.

My favorite time to drive the 356 is either early in the morning or later in the evening as the car has no air-conditioning and Singapore is located just next to the equator. I love driving the car and typically do so along old roads that are less used by modern traffic, as I can take a relaxed pace. It helps rewind the clock to the good old days when life was much simpler!

Tags Gerard Yap/ German/ Porsche 365/ Singapore
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Orhan Özvatan
Orhan Özvatan
7 years ago

Hi. I’m an drawing artist. I decided to draw a Porsche 356B and find your site. I’m drawing it and recording a drawing video. I find this 356 http://petrolicious.com/porsche-356-has-no-radio-and-sounds-just-right

I shared 356’s fragman video. Finished version is coming soon.
This is my drawing fragman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpcy4SOIncs

and also you can check my fb page: https://www.facebook.com/OrhanOzvatanART

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Frank Anigbo
Frank Anigbo
8 years ago

I keep going back and forth between an air-cooled 911 and a 356. This piece has just tipped the decision firmly to the 356 corner, at least for today. Amazingly good photographs and description of your beautiful car. Thank you.

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Chris Jeffs
Chris Jeffs
8 years ago

Definite Car Porn.

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Martin James
Martin James
8 years ago

# ! Great car , nice bit of writing and an interesting tale

#2 But ! I’ll take issue with the ” … when life was much simpler ” quote .

Simpler ? 1963 ? You really think so ? Gee .. lets have a look now . 1963 . Hmmmn . The Viet Nam war is rapidly escalating . The fight for Civil Rights here in the US as well as across the world is in full swing and turning violent . Violent and destructive riots are the norm thru out Europe and the UK . Russia is on the march in their attempts for world domination . The Berlin Wall is in its final stages of completion . Many diseases including Polio etc are still rampaging across the world despite cures and vaccinations . Recreational drug use is on the ascendency . You’re lucky if the car you’re driving , regardless of the make can get you there in one pice …. never mind back .And should you crash … injury and death is to be expected . Oh heck … I could write a freaking encyclopedia about how ‘ simple ‘ life was back in 1963 . Which is to say . It wasn’t . Simple back then that is … in any way , shape or form . Fact is … it was damn difficult and complicated . So …

Enjoy the 356 [ or any classic ] for what it is . But quit trying to over romanticize times and eras you know absolutely nothing about that were anything but …. romantic that is .

Because like it or not . The present is the best era you can be living in . Remembering the quote ; ” Those constantly looking to the past are in fact afraid to face the present or their future “

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Frank Anigbo
Frank Anigbo
8 years ago
Reply to  Martin James

“When life was much simpler” is a pretty abstract term that can accurately describe the situation of certain people at any given point in history. Yes, on a global perspective, life sucked for an awful lot of people in 1963, and at the same time could not have been better for some other people. One can argue that life is a lot worse in January 2015 than at any other time since 1960, at least you didn’t have to worry about your computer getting hosed by a virus or getting blown up by some jihadist on your way to holidays in 1963. Regardless of who you are, though, life was a whole lot simpler from an automotive mechanics and traffic congestion point of view. Not safer, just simpler.

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Rich Traulsen
Rich Traulsen
8 years ago

When I was a teenager there were plenty of car models to build. Sitting on a shelf here in my home office tonight are several Porsche: 911 turbo (930), 914, 928, 959, and a Boxster. The first three I built before 1980, and I knew then I would eventually own one of these amazing cars. The other two I built after 2000, with several more kits waiting for more time and patience for their turn. I finally had my first Porsche in my own garage, a 1979 924 several years ago. The previous owner installed an am/fm/cd in it, but driving the stock speakers was so poor sounding that I rarely turned it on, mostly when I worked on it in the garage, on the rare times that I didn’t have the battery disconnected to hunt down and repair it’s many wiring issues. I had it for 7 years, and enjoyed it most when I could drive with the windows down on twisty mountain roads nearby. The body was shaped so well (must have been done with the aid of a wind tunnel) that one could hold a conversation easily with the windows down up to 60 mph. After that I had a Mustang convertible, no radio at all, just a hole in the dash that I didn’t bother covering so potential car prowlers would take one look and move on. It was fun to drive on sunny days, but not nearly as pleasurable as the Porsche. So now that is gone, there’s an empty place in my garage, and I’m looking to fill it with a 911 Targa. Who needs a radio when there are so many other interesting things to listen to while driving. Great story and fine images, thanks for sharing!

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Jim Valcarcel
Jim Valcarcel
8 years ago

This is why I love this website. Just to read an article like this and see photography like this.

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Jim Bair
Jim Bair
8 years ago

This is how you know you love a car – when it has no radio, and you just don’t care! Love the photography; your 356 is a sweetie!

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Wade Devers
Wade Devers
8 years ago

Killer. I drive a 911 and I love it, but I am a 356 junkie. Stock. Outlaw. You name it. Yours is a stunner. And I absolutely love the black on red combo. And the pics you shot are crazy good. That high contrast shot of the interior witht the shallow depth of field would make a great print.

Nice work.

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