Porsche History - continued

Creating the Icon: Birth of the 911

Unlike many other car companies, the Porsche crew plodded forward with little drama, even after Ferdinand Porsche passed away in 1951 at age 76. They found their flagship in 1963: the 911. The concept had been called the 901, but the 1964 production car was officially named the 911. It had a two-liter six-cylinder engine that put out 130 hp, far more than its predecessor. Targa, semi-automatic, high-performance, and entry-level versions followed within the decade.

To the "Nines"

In 1965, Porsche ended 356 production, but its engine lived on in the new entry-level 912. This in turn was replaced in 1970 by the mid-engined 914, and in 1976, the front-engined 924 with its Audi powerplant replaced the 914. The all-new 928 debuted in 1978 with a 240-hp V8. The 944, which went on sale in 1982, was based on the 924, but the new model had a Porsche-built four-cylinder engine. The supercar 959 debuted at the 1985 Frankfurt Auto Show, and in 1987, the 250,000th 911 rolls off the line. It's enough to make a person wish for cars with names rather than project numbers.

Racing Records

While sports cars for the masses were pouring out of the Porsche factory, its racecars were winning on tracks around the world. In 1951, the little 356 SL took a class victory at Le Mans, and in 1956 the 550 Spyder took its first overall victory, at the Targa Florio. The 1960s and 70s saw a run of wins at the Nurburgring 1000-km race, the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Can-Am series, and the World Championship of Makes. The 1980s saw wins for the 911 Carrera 4x4 and the 959 in the Paris-Dakar rally.

Back to Basics

The early 1990s were almost as bad for sports car manufacturers as the gas crisis of the 1970s, and Porsche was in danger of being taken over by a larger company. Dr. Wendelin Wiedekin, the former head of production, stepped in as CEO and refocused development on the can't-miss 911. The mid-engined Boxster was concept introduced not long after, and the front-engined models were discontinued. As a tribute to its new stability, the one millionth Porsche was built in July of 1996. In late 2008, the company made its next corporate move by buying a controlling one-third of Volkswagen's shares.