Factory Tool Catalogs

Factory special tool catalogs for the Porsche 356, from the 1960 edition through the 1965 edition.

Porsche began producing special workshop tools in the 356 (Pre A) era, assigning each a number starting with a P prefix. Below is a preview of the archive: the special tool catalogs produced by the factory from 1960 through 1965.

Special Tool Catalog (1960)

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Factory Tool Catalogs

Factory special tool catalogs for the Porsche 356, from the 1960 edition through the 1965 edition.

Porsche began producing special workshop tools in the 356 (Pre A) era. The first tools were actually produced by factory apprentices as part of their training program. Later, the tools were produced by outside factories such as Matra. The first mention of factory workshop tools was in the 1954 Workshop Manual at the end of each section and continued through all of the remaining workshop manuals.

The tools were assigned a number starting with a P prefix. Tools P1 through P88 were applicable to pushrod engine cars and chassis of all cars. Tools P101 thru P137 applied to 4-cam engines. 911 tools used numbers starting with P201.

The factory Workshop Manuals make reference to special tools for working on the 356, many of which are VW tools. Because of this, we have included a copy of a VW tool catalog to help identify the VW tools specified.

Special Tool Catalog (1960)

The first tool catalog was produced in August 1960 in German, English and French. It has vinyl covers with 2 posts holding the pages. Pages show two pictures of the specific tool, one of just the tool and another showing it being used. It is divided into several sections. The first section covers the non-4-cam tools followed by a section with the prices for each tool in DM and $. This section is subdivided into sections that follow the organization of the Workshop Manuals. This is followed by a section giving the prices of the 4-cam tools and then the pages depicting the 4-cam tools. There was at least one supplement to this catalog in February 1963 updating the prices.

Special Tool Catalog (1965)

The second tool catalog was produced in October 1965. This catalog is a 4-ring binder with maroon vinyl covers. Italian language descriptions were an addition with this catalog. Each page provided a picture of the tool, descriptions of its use and models for which it is applicable.

Last updated September 10, 2026

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