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Professor
Ferdinand and his son Ferry set up as consultants to other car
companies. They both won fame after they designed the now famous VW Beetle
(not the models of today). But of all the cars that the consultant team
worked on the most special was called 356 first produced in June of 1948.
It was called the 356 because it was the 356th car that they had worked
on. It had a aluminum body, mid-engine, 4 cylinder power plant and a
boxer engine like the 911 an Boxster models of today. The car was destined
to become a classic. The first 356 was test driven later in 1948, a coupe
followed later in the year. The first cars only produced 40 horse power.
The cars had to be made in Austria because of problems in post-war
Germany. But production soon returned to the factory in Stuttgart in the
1950's. Then in the early 1960's construction began on the factory in
Weissach where 911's and Boxster's are made today. Over 1000 356's were
made due to high demand by race car drivers. The 356 first competed in
it's class at the Le Mans 24 hour race and it won first time. The
356 won a total of 400 wins at some of the major races. Even the legendary
race car drivers of the 1950's drove 356's at one time or another. In 1965
the last 356 rolled off the assembly line. All 356's including the
speedster versions are now prized collector cars and are priceless. Many
are still raced in vintage races today. |
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911. Back in 1959 Porsche started on a new project
called 901 (911). The name had to be changed in 1964 because of the
complaints from the French car company Peugeot. This was because of the
combination of three number with a zero in the middle was patented by Peugeot.
So Porsche changed the name to 911 and offered the car to the German and
international markets at a price of DM 21.900. The car premiered at the Frankfurt
auto show in 1963. The 911 evolved over the past 50 years always maintaining
the same basic shape. The 911 Turbo debut in 1974 and set new standards for
the company and other ultra high sports car. When the 911 Targa came out it
had a roll over bar and a removable roof and set a new trend that was copied
by rival car companies. The 911 has been in Carrera, Cabriolet and Targa
models and are more agile and safer they always been. Many people have asked
which is the ultimate 911, The 959 Super car, The aerodynamic 911 GT1 Le
Mans racer or the 2000 911 Turbo. |
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Race
cars. When Porsche cars often competed in races, the 911, 944 and 928
often raced. But the first racer that the company first built was the 550
and it won the first time in its first race. It later won in its class at
the Le Mans 24 hour race. The car was still winning races in the late
1950's. But in the 1960's the company met challenges with the 906, 907 and
908. The cars often competed in top races around the world in the late
1960's. The 917 was first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 1969 it was
lower, sleeker and more powerful than any other car at the time. It won 2
times at Le Mans and in turbo charged form at the CanAm Series in the
USA. In the 1980's the 962 was introduced and it won its first race. The
most recent victory for Porsche was in the Le Mans 24 hour race coming in
16th with the 911 GT1. |
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924
/ 944 / 968. Porsche broke from tradition in the 1980's and introduced
the 924. The design brought a whole new concept for future Porsche cars. It
had a 4 cylinder-2 liter engine. The engine was water cooled and was located
at the front of the car. As a 2+2 the styling standards were copied by rival
car companies. In 1981 a new version of the 924 was introduced in the Le
Mans 24 hour race. The car was topping over 180mph on the straights. It was
turbo charged and had an advanced engine. Many people thought that the new
engine was extremely competitive. The new generation 924 was called the 944.
It looked fast just standing at the Frankfurt Motor Show in late 1981. It
had a 2.5 liter power plant and a flared body side panel. Again the car set
new standards for other cars. The 968 was produced in Coupe and Convertible
models. It had aerodynamic styling and a 3 liter power plant. The car
production was stopped in the early 1990's and the company decided to
concentrate on new 911 models and the Boxster. |
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Boxster
The Boxster was introduce at the 1993 Detroit Auto Show.
Production of the car didn't start until 1996. It had a top speed
of 149 mph with the acceleration to 60 mph at 6.9 seconds. It also
has a 6 cylinder Boxer engine with 204 horse power. |
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Cayman S
2 seater coupe,
rear-wheel drive Mid-engine, 3.4 liters, 6 cylinders 295 hp (SAE) @
6.250 rpm 0-60 mph in 5.1 secs Top Track Speed: 171 mph |
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911
Carrera
Coupe 6 speed & tiptronic and Carrera Cabriolet 6 speed &
tiptronic |
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Cayenne
First sport utility ever made by Porsche.
6 and 8 cylinders. Turbo option. |
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Carrera GT
Rear-wheel
drive Mid-engine, 5.7 liters, V10
605 hp @ 8,000 rpm 0-62 mph: 3.9 sec. Top Track Speed:
205 mph |
Porsche History