This is a flat-four engine from a 1957 Porsche 356A, it would have originally had a displacement of 1600cc and power output of approximately 60 bhp. It’s now been rebuilt with a slew of new parts and its displacement has now been bumped up to 1,720cc.
The Porsche 356 started out as a relatively simple affair, the first examples had engines based around a Volkswagen Beetle block and were largely handmade.
The genius of the design saw the 356 rise to become one of the most popular German sports cars of its time with some variants, like the Speedster, having taken on almost mythical status.
These images from a period Porsche 356 brochure show some of the reasons it was such a popular and engaging sports car – the independent front and rear suspension, and rear-mounted engine offered lively handling for those that could tame it.
The engine that powered the 356 changed significantly over the course of its 1948 to 1965 production run. The first was a simple 1.1 liter air-cooled flat-four producing just 40 bhp, though the curb weight of the first car – Porsche 356/1 – was just 1,290 lbs or 585 kgs.
As the 356 evolved ever larger and more powerful engines were developed, right up to the mighty 2.0 liter four-cam “Carrera” engine producing 110+ bhp.
The engine you see here was originally fitted to a 356A and it would have made 59-60 bhp at 4,500 rpm with 81 ft lbs of torque at 2,800 rpm. Not enough power to set the world alight but more than enough to compete with the similarly-powered British sports cars of the day.
The engine has now been rebuilt from 1600cc to 1720cc, it’s not been run since it was rebuilt and it’ll be up to the new owner to decide if they want to use it in a car or as a display piece.
This engine has been rebuilt with an increased displacement of 1,720cc thanks to a crankshaft from a Porsche 912, 912-style connecting rods, 86mm pistons and cylinders, and a 74mm stroke.
The heads have been rebuilt, and it has all-new intake and exhaust valves as well as guides and springs. A Bosch BR9 distributor has been fitted, and it comes with a selection of spare parts.
The engine is being offered for sale in rebuilt but not-yet-run condition out of Meridian, Idaho on Bring a Trailer and you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
