| Dr. Ferdinand Porsche's 356th design was modified to compete with the popular British sports cars that were all the rage in America during the early 50s (mostly Triumphs and Austin-Healys).
The Speedster was released in September of 1954, a stripped down version of the 356 that was cheaper, faster, and just plain better. Simple controls, beautiful lines, and speed.
They stopped making the 356 Speedster in 1958.
Cf. www.speedsters.com for more info | 
