The Stuttgart house celebrates 50 years of the most successful sports car of all time: the Porsche 911.
2013 will be a very special year for Porsche: its most iconic model – the one that defines its genesis – celebrates 50 years of life. Half a century full of victories, successes and achievements by what is considered the most successful sports car ever.
The story begins in 1963, when the Stuttgart house presented a prototype with the name 901 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. it had pre-registered all the names with 'zero' in the middle. Denominations that they still use today. But this is just a note, more curious than relevant, in the story of a model that continues to run a lot of «ink» – or bites, as you prefer…
A history written in the same way and with the same «calligraphy» for 50 years, with only updates in the technique and handling of utensils brought about by modernity. Because in essence the first 901 is exactly the same as the last 911, in the 991 generation. Despite being separated by half a century of life, both have opposite six-cylinder boxer engines, placed in rear position, maintain the same design and distinctive elements as the five dials on the quadrant or the ignition switch on the left. Another note… A position of the ignition that the brand explains with its genesis in the competition. At the time when drivers had to run to the cars at departure, the ignition position right at the entrance of the car allowed the engine to start more quickly and with that, of course, faster starts than the competition.
A story that is also one of stubbornness, or let's say before… conviction! Because Porsche is the only brand that continues to place its engines in a rear position (behind the rear axle), instead of a more conventional mid-engine solution. A solution that over the years has characterized the 911's behavior as "temperamental" but which at the same time has proved to be a winning solution. Let the 820,000 units sold say so! Against these numbers the arguments tend to lack…
But the name Porsche 911 is not just synonymous with victories and performance. It is also synonymous with practicality and reliability. And maybe it's these last two fields that make the real difference between the Porsche 911 and the "others", including more "temperamental" Italians. Porsche has been able to combine the best of both worlds in a single product for 50 years: the ultimate performance of a "pure blood" sports car with the reliability and daily use capability of a conventional car. Unlike other super-sports of the time, the Porsche 911 was never a "whims" car. Its owners know that when they buy a 911 they have a car for life: timeless and reliable like few others. With four seats even though the two rear seats are actually more suitable for dwarfs and goblins than for people.
These are more than enough reasons for the German brand to have decided that 2013 would be a year of celebration and jubilee for the Porsche 911 par excellence. And that is why he has marked numerous activities related to the Porsche 911 on his agenda. The first of them will be at the Retro Classics Show in Stuttgart, which takes place between the 7th and 10th of March, in which RazãoAutomóvel will try to be present, taking advantage of the return of the Salon Geneva International to take a “small hop” to Stuttgart. It's worth it, isn't it? We think so too. But until then, keep these videos depicting the Porsche 911:
Text: Guilherme Ferreira da Costa