In 1948, Ferry Porsche developed the first Porsche sports car. Since then, the brand has become an integral part of the worlds of motorsports and luxury. Now companies must master the transition to electric vehicles.
Michael Braun’s “gold” takes a moment, and then the 75-horsepower engine starts bubbling, white smoke escaping from two small ducts in the rear of the car. At idle, the ex-pipe company boss revs up slightly, then pushes the svelte gear selector forward. The car drives through Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and past the Porsche headquarters.
At the far end of town, Braun accelerated almost beyond comprehension. “It’s passion. It’s the driving pleasure of a Porsche. The engine is the sound we like to hear when we’re driving,” he enthuses. There is no radio in his “Goldstück”, which is actually dark green.
Started in Austria, broke through in Stuttgart
By 1966, Porsche had produced a total of 77,766 cars codenamed 356, with the first 52 still in Gmünd, Austria. “Ferry Porsche was always looking for a lightweight, efficient vehicle that could optimally convert energy into driving dynamics,” says Achim Stejskal, Director of the Porsche Museum Stuttgart. Final work is underway at the museum ahead of the opening of the 75th anniversary special exhibition .
“That was the 356, a lightweight aluminum car weighing 585 kilograms with a modified Beetle engine of 35 hp that already existed at the time.” The first prototype was registered on June 8, 1948 – Porsche Sports Car born. Soon after, the first Porsche 911 was unveiled. No other vehicle represents Porsche quite like the 911.
By 1966, Porsche produced a total of 77,766 cars with the code name 356. The first prototype was registered on June 8, 1948.
The 911 as a symbol of the entire brand
New technological developments previously tested in motorsport were introduced. “The car goes faster, it drives more elegantly. It has more space, more horsepower,” said museum director Stejskal. “You can drive a vehicle, as Ferry Porsche once memorably put it, in the African desert, but also on the streets of New York.”
According to Stejskal, the 911 symbolizes everything that defines a Porsche: “Power, dynamics, but also design and sportiness, as well as suitability for everyday use.” The Porsche 911 has long since become a symbol of the Stuttgart automaker. So it’s no surprise that Porsche chose the acronym “P911” for its IPO last year. This is an international combination of numbers.
more valuable than parent company Volkswagen
“Porsche is pursuing a value-oriented corporate strategy,” says Helena Wisbert of the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences in Braunschweig. “So you’re always producing fewer cars than the market wants. This works very well in the luxury and sports car space,” explains the automotive economics professor.
Porsche Securities has increased in value by more than 40 percent since its initial public offering last September. The company’s book value now exceeds that of auto giant Volkswagen.
Looking ahead to the end of the internal combustion engine in the EU in 2035, Wisbert still believes that there is still a lot of work to be done: “Porsche is now in a very good position, but it is still the old classic world of the internal combustion engine. In the future, Porsche will achieve this in the direction of electric vehicles. A major shift.”
The Stuttgart-based company currently offers only one all-electric Porsche Taycan.Depending on the model, customers should be able to travel 500 kilometers on a single charge
80% electric vehicles by 2030
The Stuttgart-based company currently offers only one all-electric Porsche, the Porsche Taycan. In its sportiest variant, the coupe develops the equivalent of 761 hp. Depending on the model, customers should be able to travel 500 kilometers on a single charge. In practice, it’s likely to be much less. Car expert Wisbert is sure that Porsche still has a long way to go because: “As a fully electric car, the Taycan now accounts for only 11 percent of Porsche sales.”
However, by 2030, the Stuttgart-based company wants to deliver 80 percent of its electric vehicles. Stuttgart-based classic car fan Michael Braun sees this step as the right one: “Electrical engineering will be the future. Electrical engineering provides so much power. You don’t need a combustion engine anymore.” Missing something. The bubbling sound of his historic Porsche 356 4-cylinder engine is very special.