Curvaceous body lines, metallic paints polished to perfection and hand-sewn leather seats have been turning automobile daydreams into tangible reality for half a century.

Admittedly a very exclusive reality, which doesn’t come cheap. Even the ‘cheapest’ Porsche 911 Turbo will set you back at least 133,000 Euro (around $172,000 or £92,000). For an upmarket model with the appropriate optional extras you’d have to shell out close to $260,000 (£140,000) – or even more. So for most people a Porsche will remain a dream – but unattainability is part of what creates the legend.

In the beginning Porsche created the … in fact, one of the most successful makes of car associated with the name Porsche wasn’t remotely like an exclusive sports car. Ferdinand Porsche had set up his Porsche engineering design office in Stuttgart in 1931. In 1938 he was awarded the contract for the construction of a new car production facility in Wolfsburg, which was to build the “Type 60” Porsche – a model that was also known as the VW 38. The car designed by Ferdinand Porsche was destined to become one of the most popular cars in the world – better known as the VW Beetle.

In 1944, the war forced Porsche to relocate his office from Stuttgart to Gmünd in Austria, where in 1948 – in a wooden shed – the first Porsche sports car was developed (the Porsche 356 Roadster). In 1950, Porsche returned to Stuttgart. The succeeding decades were witness to an unparalleled success story. Porsche’s sports cars rapidly gained an excellent reputation worldwide – based primarily on their very high quality standards and the trademark, clean Porsche lines.

The company also began its long series of racing victories. In 1951, a Porsche 356 won the Le Mans 24-hour race, the first of 15 victories on this legendary circuit. In 1970, Porsche 917s cleared the board, winning every race in their class worldwide. Porsche becomes one of the most successful makes in motor sport. Many of the victorious cars were based on the Porsche 911 – the model with the longest production history of any sports car in the world, having been in continuous production since 1963.

In addition to its sports car production, Porsche has a Research and Development Center which makes a major contribution to the company’s success. Most people are probably unaware of the enormous importance of this innovation and design think-tank. In Weissach, just outside Stuttgart, more than 1800 specialist engineers and technicians are employed on detail design, complete development projects and novel concepts – in addition to the work they carry out on the company’s sports cars. The Center’s clients include such companies as Airbus, but first and foremost the global automobile industry – which is why those in the know say: “There’s a bit of Porsche somewhere inside every car”.

It’s nice to know that. It seems to bring the Porsche dream a little closer to home – at least in part; or perhaps one should say: ‘in parts’ (i.e. components). But who knows? Perhaps one day it really will be: “Welcome to the club”. One would certainly be in good company: the Porsche owners club currently includes Prince Albert of Monaco, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Brigitte Bardot, Eros Ramazotti, Ralf Schumacher, Mikka Häkkinen – and one of the most important men in Germany right now: Jürgen Klinsmann, the manager of the German football team.

Contact:

Porsche Zentrum Stuttgart
Porsche Niederlassung Stuttgart GmbH
Porscheplatz 9
70435 Stuttgart
Telefon: 0711 911-26220
Telefax: 0711 911-26262
info.pzstuttgart@porsche.de
www.porsche-stuttgart.de