A variety of documents were produced by the Porsche factory in the 356 era showing the colors of paint available on the cars as well as the different material selections for upholstery, carpet and convertible tops. The factory usually offered several recommended material combinations for each standard and special color.
These documents were produced in different forms for different intended uses. The most common was a folder or single sheet with color chips. The earliest only provided standard and special color chips, while in mid-356A production, the 4 or 6 page folders also provided the recommended upholstery material selections for each color. These folders or sheets were intended as handouts to prospective customers.
The second type of color document was a small folder or book which was retained in the dealership which had color samples as well as actual samples of the upholstery and carpet choices. The earliest of these known is the 1950 color sample card. These early examples were accompanied by several sheets giving detailed information on the recommended material selections for each color. These were produced throughout the 356 era.
Finally, with the introduction of the Speedster and Spyder in late 1954, a large A4 size vinyl loose leaf binder was produced which had color and material sample pages for the Speedster as well as specification sheets for production cars. This was followed by a similar binder in 1956. Comparable books of varying sizes were produced thru the 356 era. (We are looking for a copy to scan).
A number of historical documents showing lists of colors
may be viewed on this page.