An obsessive personality is a blessing and a curse. A lot of reading, questions, and staring at artificially enlarged photos seems to have led me to being able to definitively identify a Porsche 356 T5 seat. I guess I will know, but I doubt that many other people care too much. A little surprised that this hasn’t already been documented by someone else, given how many people are concerned with authenticity. Maybe it’s that weird in between T5 series that limits the audience.
So, for anyone that does care (do me a little favor and leave a comment so I know my time hasn’t been complete wasted) here’s what I believe are the correct details to look for if you’re trying to identify the correct seats for a 1960-61 T5 Porsche 356 B.
- Recline lever (on door side of seat) points towards the door (T2 points towards the dash)
- No seat-back restraints (hook at the bottom of the hinge found on T6)
- Slider handle (under front of seat) is flat and chrome colored (T6 have black knob)
- Under seat rail has an r-shaped cross section and is riveted on (T6 have u-shaped cross section and both bolts and rivets connecting it to seat)
- Bonus points: The inside of most seat hinges have a 4-digit date code with month and year of manufacture. You will probably have to remove the hinge from the seat to read it.
Thank you to all the folks who shared their knowledge on Porsche 356 registry forum, and via email, so that I could piece this together. If you have additional information, or find errors, please comment with details.
I should caution T5 seat hunters with “buyer beware”. There were quite a few people that offered to sell me their “T5” seats. Many were not in fact T5. I think most folks were innocent enough, and just didn’t know the differences. Others may have just been trying to get rid of what they had, and assumed I wouldn’t know better.
T5 seats are super hard to find, in any condition. If you choose to try to put something other than a T5 in your car, be aware that not all 356 seats are interchangeable.
