Few nameplates in automotive history evoke the level of motorsports heritage and performance pedigree that is suggested by the word “Carrera”.

Today, more widely associated with the flagship version of the Porsche 911, the iconic Carrera nomenclature was first bequeathed to an early-356 variant that was equipped with a special engine—a development of the motor used in the highly successful 550 Spyders that won their class at the Carrera Panamericana road race in 1953 and 1954.

The Type 547 engine that powered those racecars was specially devised by Ernst Fuhrmann with a host of mechanical upgrades over Porsche’s base-level flat-four motor.

This included twin ignition, dual carburettors, and a replacement of the traditional single-cam pushrod valve actuation in favour of a new four-cam set-up.

After dominating the small-displacement sports car class at the Panamericana for two years, this engine was installed in a commemorative 356 variant in 1955 and dubbed the Carrera 1500—and thu...