The Super 90 was Porsches way of giving driving enthusiasts more power in a pushrod 356 without resorting to the complexity of the Carrera’s 4 OHC engine. As it’s name implies it was said to put out a sold 90HP. In tests previous to its introduction it easily put out more!
With muffling for the street that number went down, but the name “Super 90,” stayed.
The Super was able to rev higher then other models, owning to a cooling layout that allowed in more air. Porsche’s red line was 5500rpm for standard Bs, but stated that 6000 rpm was a safe maximum for the Super 90. Other engine improvements included lighter flywheel, nitrided crank and cam-bearing surfaces, stiffer valve springs, alloy rockers, larger main bearings, three compression rings instead of two, and feral coated cylinders. These last few additions kept the more powerful engine from hand-grenading. Oil pick-up was improved with a system that allowed oil to be drawn from the full side during cornering making sure there was proper lubrication at all times.
Using the same size carburetors as the Carrera ( Solex 40 P-II-4) and an engine that revs freely up to red line, power in the low range was excellent. Giving the Super 90 very close to Carrera performance.
Road & Track reported that the 90’s chassis was practically neutral up to very high speeds.
“The driver is in control of a most responsive car, which goes around corners with deceptive ease.”
This had to do with other innovative suspension designs. The use of Koni shocks that had a proven track record with the racing Spyders,and the use of a compensating spring.This reduced roll stiffness of the rear suspension this helped hold the car without adding any resistance to its susceptibility to roll in a turn. This device kept the Super 90 from swapping ends
in fast corners.
Having a 356 Super 90 to drive on the Domenico Spadaro Memorial Rally makes for a pretty special Sunday.
Starting by a quiet horse barn in Armonk,NY surrounded by other exotics, you know you are in for some fun. The Super 90 I am driving has 3 California Milles under it’s belt, So I know it is up for the challenge.
356 seats of the period are very comfortable,they just don’t really hold you in place, so just give an extra pull on the lap belt, and push on. The engine jumps to life with a quick blip of the throttle and sounds like it is ready and willing to go anywhere. The throw of the shifter is very long, but gears are easy to find, you just don’t want to rush the changes. Out on the road the Porsche feels wonderfully light and well balanced. Where ever you point the wood rimmed Nardi steering wheel, that’s where you go. You’r not dealing with a lot of power, at the most 90 HP, but you are not pushing a lot of weight, around 2080 lbs. So the Super 90 does very well keeping up with other cars, with more cylinders and displacement.
You just keep nudging the VDO tach up a little further, listening to the wonderful mechanical sounds coming from behind.
Going into a corner fast the 90 feels much more composed, then an early 911. The control you feel is very reassuring. The brakes don’t let on that they are 50 plus years old either, they do all that is expected of them and keep on giving. There is no blinding acceleration or high top end in the 90, but find the sweet spot in 3rd gear and you can carve your way through sweeping turns and on to a straight, and be gone before an Aston Martin knew what hit them.
You can go for miles in this car and not feel beat up or worn out, of coarse you might have a few aching muscles in your face from smiling to much, that’s why with Porsche they say there is no substitute. And this Porsche 90 is very Super!
My thanks to Mike Bruno for letting me embarrass some of the other ralliests.
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