Side turn signals on Italian 356A ?

[Laurent Clerc]

Hello,

I have noticed that several 356A in Italy have side turn signals, such the one depicted below. Is this something original?

Thank you in advance for your info

Greetings

[Barry Brisco]

I think it was, and still is, a legal requirement in Italy to have those side-mounted turn signal indicators. I'm not sure if Porsche installed them at the factory on new 356's, but I recall people saying that to get a new 356 registered in Italy they needed those side-mounted turn signal indicators.

Best regards,

[Laurent Clerc]

Thank you Barry!

[Luca Bogoni]

Barry, you're right.

If I decide to buy a car in a foreign country that did not have these turn signals lights and I need to record it in Italy, the law says that this car need to have these turn signals.
But you know... Laws here in Italy are much different from the rest of the world, so many owners of vintage cars installed these turn signals only temporarily for testing and register the car to the motor vehicles office and then remove them.
Cops tolerate this "temporary modify" too

Somewhere I think I have some pictures taken by the most important Italian car magazine during a 356A test drive in 1956 wich are NOT installed those turn signals, that's because this law is in use since mid 1957.
If I remember well, these lights were installed directly from the Volkswagen official importer and were the same as in the beetle.

I hope I've made not too much mistakes with my english


Best Regards
Luca

[Charlie White]

The "Italian" side marker turn signal lights are apparently not included in the 356-A parts book, at least I could not find them, but the oddball double sized rear reflectors required in Sweden do appear in the parts book.

CW

[Laurent Clerc]

Hello Luca,

Grazie mille for the information.

[quote="Luca Bogoni"]
so many owners of vintage cars installed these turn signals only temporarily for testing and register the car to the motor vehicles office and then remove them.
[/quote]

I guess when they remove them they have to refill the holes and repaint, thus this is a costly temporarily "upgrade for compliance".

Greetings

[Luca Bogoni]

Ciao Laurent,

No holes to be closed or body to repaint. Usually we use a small piece of folded sheet metal attached to the fender with a bit of silicone or also a small piece of wood, then we assemble the turn signal above.
Once we have obtained license plate and certificate, we dismantle all parts.

Charlie, I think it's impossible to find this turn signals in the 356A parts book. In late 60's/early 70's they were also very popular in Ford cars as well as in all Vw's, here in Italy

Here a close up pictures of mine... They looks like a "teardrop style"

Italian turn signal lens above left fender

Italian side turn signal lens

Best Regards
Luca

[Charlie White]

Luca,

I remember seeing these side marker lights when I lived in Germany for three years in the early 1970's. I also remember seeing them on certain "black market" Porsches that were brought into the US in the 1980's.

CW

[Laurent Clerc]

Ciao Luca,

That's a good a info! Thank you for the pics and explanations.

Ah questi italiani! sempre una combinazione

Greetings

[Brad Ripley]

Those lights also can be used as marker lights in the evening when parked up on the sidewalk while dining at a villiage resturant.

[John Wurner]

Here is a set of side markers that was mounted on the door post.