Porsche History

We take a look at the important Porsche figures, historical moments and epic road automobiles and racecars.

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From its inception, the Porsche brand name was one associated with luxury and racecars, a tradition that has stood the test of time over the ages. The founder, Ferdinand Porsche, was once the chief engineer at Mercedes-Benz, and he even spent time working on Volkswagen vehicles. Porsche began his own company in 1931, naming the company after himself when it was incorporated. After that, Porsche began producing vehicles that would go on to become legendary for their performance and quality.

The very first Porsche nameplate was designed based on the same platform as the VW Beetle. Named the ‘Porsche 64’ and released in 1938, the model’s unique design and upscale vibe immediately caught on with buyers. Of course, the company’s growth was impeded when the war began, forcing Porsche to develop tanks instead of automobiles. However, the company bounced back as early as 1947, when the Grand Prix racing car made its debut. Shortly after, in ‘48, Ferdinand’s son Ferry Porsche created the company’s first-ever sports car – the 356.

By the 60s, the Porsche family was designing and producing popular sports cars that debuted with much anticipation at the Frankfurt International Auto Show every year. Then, in 1964, a legend was born when the first-ever Porsche 911 made its first splash in the industry. Over the next few decades, Porsche continued to expand and innovate in its lineup, until the Porsche 911 Turbo released in 1995 was the first vehicle to ever have onboard computer diagnosis, something that would revolutionize the auto service industry.

Still to this day, Porsche has maintained its status in the industry as a producer of unparalleled supercars and racing innovations. While it has many nameplates besides just the Porsche 911, the 911 is perhaps the most iconic and versatile model under the brand’s name, with over twenty-one different models and seven trim levels.

Porsche History - The Key People

The people who shaped Porsche

Ferdinand Anton Ernst “Ferry” Porsche

Ferry Porsche 1909 – 1998 Born on September 19, 1909, of Austrian descent, Ferry Porsche kept the Porsche flame alive when his father was imprisoned in France. Ferry Porsche was one of the first employees to work in his father’s design engineering office, but it is his mark on the company while his father was away that made a huge difference. His realization of a...

Ferdinand Porsche

Ferdinand Porsche (1875 – 1951) Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian-German automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche car company. He is best known for creating the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle, the Volkswagen Beetle, the Auto Union racing car, the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK and several other important automobiles and technologies. Most importantly though, for fans of the best sports cars in the world, Ferdinand Porsche is the...

Ferdinand Karl “Burli” Piëch

Ferdinand Piëch (1937 – 2019) Named car executive of the century in 1999, Ferdinand Piëch transformed Volkswagen into the world’s largest carmaker by revenue. Piëch was the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche. Piëch did everything from leading motor racing operations at Porsche during the 1960s, to turning Audi into a true luxury automotive leader, and then reviving VW in the 1990s and 2000s, turning it into...

F.A. Porsche with his iconic design work

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche

F.A. “Butzi” Porsche (1935 – 2012) Better known to Porsche enthusiasts as F.A. “Butzi” Porsche, he was the son of Dr.-Ing. Ferdinand “Ferry” and Dorothea Porsche, and grandson of Professor Ferdinand and Aloisia Porsche. While heading up the styling department at Porsche, he played a pivotal role in the design of the 904, the iconic 911, and the 914. He went on to establish Porsche...

Glossary of Porsche Related Terms

Making sense of all the fun Porsche names, terms and abbreviations

Yesteryear & Historical Porsche Moments

The mythology of Porsche goes beyond just the people. Conversations, profiles, the cars and moments.

Motorsport & Racing PRR Yesteryear

Dick Barbour goes to Le Mans

Le Mans 24 Hour, 10/11 June 1978: The Porsche 935/78 ‘Moby Dick’ pulls away at the start of the race – this car was third fastest in qualifying Dick Barbour went to Le Mans as an entrant for the first time in 1978. He entered two Porsche 935s at the classic French Enduro. He had started racing in IMSA in 1977 after having bought one...

Porsche Video

VIDEO: Ferry Porsche “Timelessness”

Working for Porsche in Stuttgart in the 1960s Part II

An early 901 prototype from the pre-production series (1964), still without its decorative strip under the door and with a round fuel cap – later this was an oval shape Between the years 1962-1964, South African André Loubser worked for Porsche in Stuttgart. In Part I of this two-part mini-series, we saw how the author came to work for the Stuttgart manufacturer, and some of...

PRR

Jägermeister 934 – the Professional Hunter

Jägermeister Porsche 934 chassis #930 670 0167 The Jägermeister 934 is one of the most recognisable liveries in the world of motor racing. It adorned the bodies of some of the great race cars in the 1970s and 1980s, and irrespective of whether the car won a race or not, it was usually the crowd’s favourite. The 1970s was a period of great experimentation and...

Motorsport & Racing PRR Yesteryear

12 Hours of Sebring 1986 – Things go better with Coke

Hans Stuck at the wheel on the way to winning Sebring in 1986. His co-drivers were Jo Gartner and Bob Akin. (Porsche 962 chassis #962-113) The 2.6-litre Porsche 956 which raced in the 1982/1983 seasons in Europe, was not accepted for racing in the USA, and so the 962 was developed by the factory. The sticking point was that the pedal box of the 956...

Motorsport & Racing PRR Yesteryear

Porsche racing in Southern Africa – Part II

Ian Fraser-Jones – ‘Out’ after a one mile push, the car having stopped due to a gearbox failure, the car’s only mechanical failure – Angola 1959 Porsche used its racing exploits around the globe not only to gain exposure and media coverage, but also to improve the performance and reliability of its road and race cars. Here we look into the second part of our...

A front three-quarter view of the No. 16 Porsche 917/10 chassis #005 taken in Porsche’s secret bunker in Stuttgart, May 2017. Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale

Porsche 917/10 Can-Am Rocket

Images by: Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale and Corporate Archives Porsche AG The Porsche 917 was the culmination of a line of race cars produced by the Stuttgart manufacturer during possibly the busiest decade, from 1964 to 1973, of its (by then) short existence. Just 21 short years after Porsche opened its doors, the mighty 917 hit the tracks in the Championship for Manufacturers. To say that...

Porsche History

Racing with Giants video celebrates Porsche at Le Mans

Porsche & Le Mans Newly released “Racing with Giants” video features archival footage of Le Mans past and present, along with interviews with multiple drivers and Porsche team principals, including Allan McNish, Patrick Long, Jacky Ickx and Nick Tandy. Porsche has long competed at Le Mans, though recently solely in the slower GT class. The company will go for an overall victory this year, with...

Porsche Museum

Porsche celebrates 60 years of the 911

Hambach Castle is one of the many highlights of this year’s Porsche Heritage Experience cultural format organized by the Porsche Heritage and Museum department. “It has always been our mission to enrich the future with important insights from the past. We created the Porsche Heritage Experience to enable our heritage and traditions to be experienced at first hand,” explains Achim Stejskal, Head of Porsche Heritage...

Porsche Race Cars Porsche 911 (F-Series)PRR Yesteryear

1966 Porsche 911 2.0-litre time capsule

1966 Porsche 911 2.0-litre – GVB 911D – parked on track at Lodge Corner after practice for the Oulton Park Gold Cup on 24 August 2013 Originally a showroom demonstrator, this 911 set the market buzzing, winning the UK’s inaugural rallycross and the British Saloon Car Championship in 1967 in the hands of Vic Elford. Vic Elford was a man on a mission; he knew...

Porsche History

Austro-Daimler ADS-R “Sascha“

Over a hundred years ago, Ferdinand Porsche designed an extraordinary race car, the Austro-Daimler ADS-R, in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. Today, Christophorus and 9:11 Magazine brings the former Targa Florio class champion, whose nickname is Sascha, back home. Following a vigorous turn of the crank, the gas pedal is applied ever so gently, producing the sound that everyone’s been waiting for. Passersby reach for their smartphones,...

Porsche 911

In-Depth: The 1972 Porsche RS/RSR 911 360 0001 Prototype

This story covers the development of the Porsche 911 RS/RSR prototype in the middle of 1972. Surprisingly, the very first Porsche RS/RSR, chassis number 911 360 0001 started life as a rally car—a factory built ST, 911 230 0769, which the factory itself re-numbered after the car had been returned to the factory after an accident in the Polish Rally. By 1972, the racing department...

PRR Yesteryear People & Profiles Featured Content & Premium Editorials

Anatole Lapine

Anatole Lapine, 1973 Anatole Lapine who was in charge of styling at Porsche under two disparate CEOs, Fuhrmann and Schutz, looks back on quite a CV: Chevrolet Corvette, Opel GT, Porsche 928, Porsche 964. But there is a lot more to this designer whose career spans two continents and most of the second half of the twentieth century, and who for thirty years, was close...

Porsche History

We Are Porsche exhibit opens at the Petersen Museum

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Model In-Depth

Porsche 906 – Building a Racing Empire Part I

Setting the Scene The 1960s represented for Porsche, the busiest decade in the company’s history to date, with ten new road and race cars being introduced during the decade. And since those heady days, the Stuttgart manufacturer has not seen another decade in which so many different race cars were produced. Although it was a hectic time, it was also an exciting one which saw...

Porsche

Le Mans 100 – A Century at the World’s Greatest Endurance Race

The Le Mans 24-Hour race is arguably the greatest motor race in the world. It started in 1923 on some public roads at Le Mans, France and continues to this day. While there maybe a few older races, notably the Indianapolis 500 and the Isle of Man TT, Le Mans still commands more attention than either of those. Even as long ago as the late...

Porsche 911 Porsche History

History of the Porsche 911

The Story of the Porsche 911 – A Timeline Porsche Prepares To Evolve Beyond The 356 By the early 1960’s, with the commercial success of the 356 (in all of its variants) over the past decade, Porsche had garnered a reputation for building quality, high-performance vehicles that handled equally well on-and-off the race track. At the same time, Ferry recognized that the 356, for as...

Porsche 356 A

1957 Porsche 356A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster

Carrera Speedster In 1955, less than a year after the 356 Speedster model was introduced, Porsche built the first example equipped with the competition-derived four-cam Carrera engine. The result was a brilliant dual-purpose sports car, and the Carrera Speedster continued to be improved and refined throughout production. For 1957, Porsche began to offer a GT option for the 1500 GS Carrera model. Initially, the option...

930 770 0905 at the National Automobile Museum Reno Nevada USA

Porsche History

Porsche 935: Chassis Number 930 770 0905

Sports car racing went through some turbulent times in the early 1970’s. At the start (1970) the world championship was decided by the 5.0 liter sports cars such as the Porsche 917 and the Ferrari 512. The FIA /CSI (International rules body) at first did not think anyone would build any new 5.0 liter cars, as the regulations specified that a minimum of 25 cars...

Porsche 956

Group C Reunited in Leipzig After 40 Years

After 40 years, the most successful Porsche race car – the Porsche 956 – ever was reunited with its drivers in Leipzig. Now 81 years old, British Derek Bell is still the elegant gentleman he was decades ago. 40 years after the fact, Bell finally admits that he and the other racing drivers who drove the Porsche 956/962 models at the tracks “worked like crazy”...

Motorsport & Racing

Doing things right – Le Mans 1990

The 962 C in the 1990 Le Mans driven by David Sears, Tiff Needell and Anthony Reid. It finished third overall Le Mans 1990 was a whole new ballgame. The circuit had changed drastically. The famous Mulsanne straight was now going to have two chicanes in the middle of it. This was part of the new FIA mandated changes to circuits to improve safety. Four-mile-long...

Model In-Depth

The Porsche Carrera 911 RS 2.7: Fifty Years of Perfection

Imagine, if you will, that you are in Paris, France, in October 1972. There is an automobile show, a fairly large one, currently happening at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles convention center, and all the big names you know of are there. Renault, Peugeot, Ferrari, Aston Martin, the whole lot, including Porsche. Of course, they had the iconic Porsche 911 on display, celebrating 10...

Porsche History

Ferdinand Porsche

Porsche 917 LH-69

1969 Porsche 917 longtail

Background The Porsche 917, unveiled in 1969, stands as a testament to Porsche’s commitment to innovation and their quest to conquer the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Its debut at Le Mans in 1969 revealed its formidable speed and reliability, yet aerodynamic issues resulted in high-speed instability. After major changes, mostly in its tail design, the 917 would deliver Porsche their first overall victory in...

Porsche 906 Carrera 6

Lightweight missile: The Porsche 906

Lightweight racer is born During the 1960s, Ferdinand Piëch, the head of Porsche Research and Development, spearheaded the development of a new generation of lightweight race cars. By utilizing advanced materials and taking advantage of regulation changes, Piëch’s team created race cars with tubular frames and unstressed fiberglass bodies, offering improved aerodynamics. This car, known as the Porsche 906, featured a high-performance 2.0-liter engine and...

Porsche Logo & Crest – Guide

Gmünd, Carinthia, Austria

Porsche People Profiles

Porsche has a rich history of amazing personalities, whether it be designers, managers, engineers or race car drivers.

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Porsche History

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