Porsche History

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

Quick Links: The Key People / Porsche Glossary / Yesteryear Moments / The Crest & Brand / The People

Ultimate Porsche History Hub

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

Porsche Experience Center

Porsche Experience Centers expand

The worldwide Porsche Experience Centers, currently nine in total, offer a fully rounded experience, from the curves of the demanding routes to the diverse world of brand experiences and tailor-made training courses. “Porsche is more than just a car. Porsche is a promise of a unique brand and product experience,” affirms Detlev von Platen, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. “And since...

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 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...

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...

Porsche Mission X

The development of Porsche’s Mission X

“It’s a dream,” says Head of Design Michael Mauer, when asked about developing the next potential hypercar. “And a whole lot of stress.” He’s the picture of relaxation at the moment. The Mission X was just unveiled at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen – just in time for the sports car brand’s 75th anniversary. Now the invited guests are crowding around the lowered concept vehicle...

Yesteryear

1973 Daytona 24 Hour – An auspicious debut for the Porsche Carrera RSR

Daytona 24 Hours, 3-4 February 1973: The start 1973 Daytona 24 hours led by John Watson in the Mirage on pole 1973 saw a return to normality for the Daytona 24-hour race. The distance was set back at 24 hours, after running only a 6-hour length in 1972. Ferrari in 1972 had petitioned the FIA to keep races at 6-hours, as the reliability of the...

PRR

Porsche’s fabulous 904/8 – chassis #008

Porsche 904/8 (chassis #008) photographed in the Porsche Museum, September 2020 F.A. ‘Butzi’ Porsche, the eldest son of Ferry and Dorothea Porsche, joined the family business in 1958 having shown great interest in the field of industrial design. Working under the direction of Erwin Komenda, F.A. Porsche set about learning the business from the inside, and was soon given the task of ‘working’ on the...

Motorsport & Racing PRR Yesteryear

Porsche Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort

Porsche Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort The crowds attending the Masters Historic racing weekend at Zandvoort were treated to a festival of racing in brilliant weather. To spice up the cars on the race weekend menu, five iconic Porsche racing cars were driven around the circuit which is located in the dunes north of Zandvoort, Netherlands, near the North Sea coast line – the Porsche Historic...

PRR

The Old Warhorse – Porsche 935 009 00030

Porsche 935 chassis no. 009 00030, the Old Warhorse speeds up the hill at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed with Brian Redman at the helm This is a story of the incredible career of Porsche 935 009 00030, one of the most amazing race cars ever, or as someone once said, the car of a thousand faces. Also known as the ‘Old Warhorse’, Porsche...

Yesteryear

Porsche 904 Carrera GTS

A Porsche 904 Carrera GTS Coupé in 1963 outside the factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The early version had a slatted air intake behind the doors, this being replaced by scoops which were more efficient The Porsche Carrera GTS represented a watershed in the company’s march towards motorsport fulfilment. Gone was the space frame and aluminium construction of the 550s, the Type 904 ushered in a completely...

PRR

The many lives of the 935 K3/80 Red Baron

Kremer Porsche 935 K3/80 (chassis #0013) In the mid-70s, Porsche developed the 935 model, a race car homologated on the 930 road car and aimed at the Group 5 ‘silhouette’ series created by the FIA for the 1976 season. As the records will show, the 935 was a formidable race car and it quickly dominated the Group 5 class, becoming the weapon of choice for...

PRR Yesteryear People & Profiles Featured Content & Premium Editorials

Helmuth Bott – Porsche’s Quiet Engineer

The inspired engineer behind so much of Porsche’s success, Helmuth Bott has long remained the company’s eminence grise, but little has been written about him. Now, Porsche Road & Race, looks at both the professional and private life of one of Porsche’s most devoted servants, revered by his subordinates, but whose contribution went increasingly unrecognised by the supervisory board, and who ultimately made a scapegoat...

PRR

Porsche 935/78 Moby Dick – A Legend in its own Time

Porsche 935-78 Moby Dick (chassis 935/78.006 ), photographed at the Porsche Warehouse in May 2017 Group 5 rules offered manufacturers a great deal of freedom to modify their cars in the Silhouette class. At Porsche, Norbert Singer pushed the rules to the limit, and gave us the Porsche 935/78 Moby Dick, truly a legend in its own time. Introduction In the 1970s, Porsche had several...

People & Profiles

Porsche Veteran Roland Kussmaul

Except perhaps at one or two retirement parties or other formal occasions, no one ever saw Roland Kussmaul wearing a suit and tie. Racing or workshop overalls, Porsche’s pit lane uniform perhaps, even a mere pair of grubby shorts in those shots of the sweltering Dakar where he raced during the day and serviced the cars in the evening, but never a shirt and tie:...

Porsche Race Cars Porsche 961 PRR Yesteryear

961 – Porsche’s forgotten jewel

Group shot of (from L-R): Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car; 959 road car; 961 race car (1986) The Porsche 961 was a special racing car. Based on the roadgoing technical showcase, the Porsche 959, the Type 961 showed that it had the stamina to go the distance in endurance racing on both sides of the Atlantic. Sadly though, its competition life was restricted to just...

PRR

Heinrich Klie and the 914

Obviously these two attractive models from the lingerie manufacturer Triumph (München) like this Porsche 914/6 – Rutesheim Athletics Club, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (1969) Very different from previous production Porsches, the 914 was an attempt by Zuffenhausen to introduce a lower cost model. Commercially it was only a moderate success, but it’s very distinct minimalist styling, though part of the idiom of the 1960s, was very much...

Porsche 911

60 years of Porsche 911

Evolution, not Revolution Since its debut in 1964, the Porsche 911 has epitomized engineering evolution. Conceived by Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche, this iconic vehicle has undergone continuous refinement, while preserving its distinctive rear-engine layout and silhouette. Each stage represents a chapter in Porsche’s heritage, from air-cooled engines of the yesteryears to modern turbocharged technical wonders. Throughout its six-decade journey, the Porsche 911 has seamlessly melded tradition...

Motorsport & Racing PRR Yesteryear

Batting .750 (3 for 4) – Le Mans 1979

All four of the Dick Barbour Racing Porsche 935s line up in the pits ahead of the 1979 Le Mans race, each with the Stars and Stripes draped over the rear wing. From left to right: #73 935/77 (934½) – John Hotchkiss, Bob Kirby and Bob Harmon; #72 935/77 – Bob Garretson, Skeeter McKitterick and Ed Abate; #71 935/78 – Bob Akin, Roy Woods, and...

Porsche 911 GT1 – The Grand Touring Meister

1997 Porsche 911 GT1-109 photographed in June 2016 Porsche 993 GT1 chassis #109 was one of just nine customer racing Porsche 911 GT1s built between 1996 and 1998. The 911 GT1 became the Grand Touring Meister when it triumphed in the 1998 Le Mans 24 Hours, but its route to success was not an easy one and at one point, the whole GT1 project looked...

Motorsport & Racing

Porsche 956/962 at Le Mans – Logistics Part II

Le Mans 24 Hours, 18-19 June 1983: By midnight, the #3 Rothmans 956 of Vern Schuppan/Al Holbert/Hurley Haywood was leading the field by a lap after a seventh place start on the grid. With just an hour to go and with Holbert behind the wheel, the lead looked secure until a door flew off down the Mulsanne Straight necessitating a replacement. The airflow over the...

Porsche History PRR

Turbocharging the 911

1974 Porsche 911 Turbo #1 chassis no. 911 560 0042. First owned by the late Louise Piëch (older sister of Ferry Porsche), the car is now on display in the Porsche Museum In 1973, the Porsche 911, by now a decade old, was ready for a make-over. The 3-litre engine had reached its development ceiling, and it was thought that lessons learned from turbocharging the...

The Story

Live stream event: 75 Years of Porsche sports cars

75 years of challenges and success Porsche is celebrating a success story that is characterized by a pioneering spirit, engineering acumen, and courage. 75 years ago, Ferry Porsche realized his dream of a sports car. With the Porsche 356 No.1 Roadster, he and his team laid the foundation for the Porsche legend. On 8 June 1948, the model received its general operating permit. 75 years...

Porsche History

Ferdinand Porsche

Porsche 959

Why the Porsche 959 wasn’t sold in the United States in the end

I think we all know about the holy trinity of hypercars, the McLaren P1, the Ferrari LaFerrari, and the Porsche 918 Spyder, but did you know that there was another holy trinity back in the Eighties? This time a trio of supercars really dominated the market in the late Eighties, one of them was the Lamborghini Countach, another one was the Ferrari F40 … and...

Porsche 959

Retrospect: The Porsche 959

When discussing breakthroughs in sportscar technology, the Porsche 959 merits its own chapter, if not a book. Introduced in the mid-1980s, this genuine supercar emerged as a spearhead of innovation, vastly surpassing the technology Porsche had developed to date. While the standard 911 was not short on performance or prestige, the 959 took its legacy further, introducing features that were well ahead of the entire...

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

Ultimate Porsche History Hub

Porsche History - The Key People

Yesteryear & Historical Porsche Moments

Porsche People Profiles

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