THe History of Porsche
Porsche have had a long history. From humble beginnings designing the Volkswagen Beetle to the petrol-electric hybrid supercar that revolutionised the hypercar industry, they have become one of the most iconic car manufacturers ever.
In 1896, Ferdinand Porsche teamed up with Jakob Lohner to construct the Egger-Lohner vehicle, the first car designed by Porsche. It was released in 1898. The car was driven by two electric motors attached to the front wheel hubs. Two years later, a one-off four-wheel-drive version was displayed at the Paris World Exhibition. This model was built to race, but with its heavy batteries, it was limited to flat sprints. In 1901, the Lohner-Porsche hybrid was created to replace the previous model. An internal combustion engine powered a generator which powered the electric motors. This car is the first petrol-electric car ever built.
In April 1931, Ferdinand Porsche returned to Stuttgart where he set up his vehicle design and consulting services. Here he employed a team of workers. They began by designing a middle-class sedan for the Wanderer Automobile Company, powered by a six-cylinder motor. They also built an 8 cylinder engine. Porsche were also responsible for designing the revolutionary torsion bar suspension system in the same year. In 1933, Saxon Auto Union (later to be known as Audi) contracted Porsche to design a new 16 cylinder race car weighing less than 750kg. The completed car, named the Auto Union P, set 3 world records in early 1934. Again, the mid-engine design was another milestone for the car industry, and is now used for most supercars, race cars and sports cars.
The car that Ferdinand Porsche is probably most well-known for is not even a Porsche. In fact, this car is the humble Volkswagen Beetle. It was originally known as the Type 32. It had an air-cooled 4 cylinder boxer engine and had the Porsche-designed torsion bar suspension. He showed the concept to the Reich Ministry of Transport, and was soon asked to create the German ‘People’s car’. He built the prototypes for the Type 60 in his own garage. This car has now become one of the most popular and most well-known cars ever built.
In 1947 after many years of designing cars for other manufacturers, Porsche broke away to build their first Porsche-branded sports car – the 356. It had obvious similarities to the Beetle and had relations to the Porsche-designed Type 64 racing car. The first prototype, the 356-001, made its first trip on the 8th of June, 1948. It was powered by a 1,131cc 4 cylinder engine mounted in the middle of the chassis. On later 356s, the engine was moved back to allow for rear seats and to reduce construction costs. The concept was inspired by a supercharged Volkswagen Beetle owned by Ferdinand Porsche’s son, Ferry Porsche. “I saw that if you had enough power in a small car it is nicer to drive than if you have a big car which is also overpowered.” (Ferry Porsche). Up until 1965, Porsche kept building the 356. But the 911, which had been released two years earlier, soon replaced the 356 and started the next chapter in Porsche’s history.
The Porsche 911 is the car that Porsche is now most well-known for. Production began in 1963, and is still in development now. Although heavier than the 356, the early 911s were more powerful. The cars were originally sold as 901s, but as the French manufacturer Peugeot already used this designation, Porsche changed the name to 911. The first of the 911s were powered by a six-cylinder boxer engine, putting out 130 horsepower. At the time it was introduced, the 356 was still popular, and was built until 1965. The replacement was named the 912, basically a 911 powered by the 356’s engine, but this was a short-lived model. Between 1966 and 1997, the design of the 911 remained largely unchanged. By the time the 911 classic left production, it had become more powerful, much faster and more popular. And in 1998, it just got better. The new type 996 911 received a 296 horsepower water-cooled engine, replacing the air-cooled engine of old. The GT3 edition had a 381 horsepower engine and a lightweight chassis. Production of the type 996 ended in 2004. The 911s of today come in a wide range, starting from the 350 horsepower Carrera and going up to the 560 horsepower Turbo S. Many design features of the original models can be seen on the new models of today.
In 2013, Porsche introduced their latest supercar: The Porsche 918. Inspired by the classic 917 Le Mons 24 hour racer, it has been built for the track. But the power system on the 918 is what makes it truly legendary. It has a petrol-electric drive system, which is made up of two powerful electric motors and a petrol V8. This 887 horsepower system pushes the car to 100km/h in 2.2 seconds and the quarter mile in 9.8 seconds. That performance was what let the 918 achieve a time of 6 minutes and 57 seconds around the Nurburgring, making it the quickest road-legal production car to go around the 20.8km circuit notoriously nicknamed the ‘Green Hell’. This is the first time a hybrid system has been successfully used on a supercar. Cars such as the McLaren P1 and the Ferrari LaFerrari have followed suit. Quite possibly, without the 918, the supercar would have slowly been killed off by stricter emmisions regulations in countries across the world. This single car from Porsche has shown a glimpse of the automotive future - and done a pretty good job of it.
In 1896, Ferdinand Porsche teamed up with Jakob Lohner to construct the Egger-Lohner vehicle, the first car designed by Porsche. It was released in 1898. The car was driven by two electric motors attached to the front wheel hubs. Two years later, a one-off four-wheel-drive version was displayed at the Paris World Exhibition. This model was built to race, but with its heavy batteries, it was limited to flat sprints. In 1901, the Lohner-Porsche hybrid was created to replace the previous model. An internal combustion engine powered a generator which powered the electric motors. This car is the first petrol-electric car ever built.
In April 1931, Ferdinand Porsche returned to Stuttgart where he set up his vehicle design and consulting services. Here he employed a team of workers. They began by designing a middle-class sedan for the Wanderer Automobile Company, powered by a six-cylinder motor. They also built an 8 cylinder engine. Porsche were also responsible for designing the revolutionary torsion bar suspension system in the same year. In 1933, Saxon Auto Union (later to be known as Audi) contracted Porsche to design a new 16 cylinder race car weighing less than 750kg. The completed car, named the Auto Union P, set 3 world records in early 1934. Again, the mid-engine design was another milestone for the car industry, and is now used for most supercars, race cars and sports cars.
The car that Ferdinand Porsche is probably most well-known for is not even a Porsche. In fact, this car is the humble Volkswagen Beetle. It was originally known as the Type 32. It had an air-cooled 4 cylinder boxer engine and had the Porsche-designed torsion bar suspension. He showed the concept to the Reich Ministry of Transport, and was soon asked to create the German ‘People’s car’. He built the prototypes for the Type 60 in his own garage. This car has now become one of the most popular and most well-known cars ever built.
In 1947 after many years of designing cars for other manufacturers, Porsche broke away to build their first Porsche-branded sports car – the 356. It had obvious similarities to the Beetle and had relations to the Porsche-designed Type 64 racing car. The first prototype, the 356-001, made its first trip on the 8th of June, 1948. It was powered by a 1,131cc 4 cylinder engine mounted in the middle of the chassis. On later 356s, the engine was moved back to allow for rear seats and to reduce construction costs. The concept was inspired by a supercharged Volkswagen Beetle owned by Ferdinand Porsche’s son, Ferry Porsche. “I saw that if you had enough power in a small car it is nicer to drive than if you have a big car which is also overpowered.” (Ferry Porsche). Up until 1965, Porsche kept building the 356. But the 911, which had been released two years earlier, soon replaced the 356 and started the next chapter in Porsche’s history.
The Porsche 911 is the car that Porsche is now most well-known for. Production began in 1963, and is still in development now. Although heavier than the 356, the early 911s were more powerful. The cars were originally sold as 901s, but as the French manufacturer Peugeot already used this designation, Porsche changed the name to 911. The first of the 911s were powered by a six-cylinder boxer engine, putting out 130 horsepower. At the time it was introduced, the 356 was still popular, and was built until 1965. The replacement was named the 912, basically a 911 powered by the 356’s engine, but this was a short-lived model. Between 1966 and 1997, the design of the 911 remained largely unchanged. By the time the 911 classic left production, it had become more powerful, much faster and more popular. And in 1998, it just got better. The new type 996 911 received a 296 horsepower water-cooled engine, replacing the air-cooled engine of old. The GT3 edition had a 381 horsepower engine and a lightweight chassis. Production of the type 996 ended in 2004. The 911s of today come in a wide range, starting from the 350 horsepower Carrera and going up to the 560 horsepower Turbo S. Many design features of the original models can be seen on the new models of today.
In 2013, Porsche introduced their latest supercar: The Porsche 918. Inspired by the classic 917 Le Mons 24 hour racer, it has been built for the track. But the power system on the 918 is what makes it truly legendary. It has a petrol-electric drive system, which is made up of two powerful electric motors and a petrol V8. This 887 horsepower system pushes the car to 100km/h in 2.2 seconds and the quarter mile in 9.8 seconds. That performance was what let the 918 achieve a time of 6 minutes and 57 seconds around the Nurburgring, making it the quickest road-legal production car to go around the 20.8km circuit notoriously nicknamed the ‘Green Hell’. This is the first time a hybrid system has been successfully used on a supercar. Cars such as the McLaren P1 and the Ferrari LaFerrari have followed suit. Quite possibly, without the 918, the supercar would have slowly been killed off by stricter emmisions regulations in countries across the world. This single car from Porsche has shown a glimpse of the automotive future - and done a pretty good job of it.