Manufacturing Date Codes on Porsche 356 Parts

By Paul Hatfield, special thanks to Brad Ripley and Jim Breazeale

Originally published in Vol. 31, No. 5, 356 Registry Magazine

This article provides information on original 356 parts that were stamped with a manufacturing date or a date code and used in 356 production. It is not intended to give information on parts that contained the last 3 digits of the chassis number [available here], nor to say which parts were used on each model.

The one and only focus of this article is those parts that actually contain a date or date code on them. It is not meant to be the final word on the subject. A concerted effort was made to get pictures of parts where the provenance of the part was known. Date-code systems are noted by manufacturer. Since there were a handful of 356s shipped in 1966, I provide date codes through that year where possible.

[Editor] Due to the lengthy tables and photos presented in the article, it is only available as a PDF file. Download it here. Thanks to Gordon Maltby for making this article available.

Technical advice given on these pages is provided free and without warranty. The user of information presented on these pages assumes all responsibility and liability in its use. We're not lawyers, we're car folk, just sharing our experience. Be careful, use your head, have fun.

Questions or comments, please email to Barry Lee Brisco, Website Technical Editor,