A privileged place to discover the history of one of the most famous German manufacturers of sports cars, the Porsche Museum, in Stuttgart, has just added another important jewel to its already very rich exhibition. Nothing more, nothing less than the oldest known 911, or rather one of the first Porsche 901 built, even before the name change.
This Thursday, a new exhibition opens, which has been named “911 (901 No. 57) — A Legend Takes Off”. The main element will be this car that was, as the name of the exhibition indicates, the 57th 901 to leave the production line at the Stuttgart factory . And that is now showing itself to the public, more than 50 years after it was built.
First presented at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show, 901 was the first name adopted by the now famous 911. However, a property dispute with Peugeot over the use of the number zero between two digits, ended up leading Porsche to change the “0” for the “1”. From then on, calling 911 to your model.
Porsche 901 discovered in an abandoned shed
The first Porsche 901 to be publicly displayed at the brand's museum, this unit was discovered in 2014, along with another 911, by a TV crew, in an abandoned shed in the heart of Germany.
At the time, the television team immediately contacted the Porsche museum, which, after careful observation of the car, discovered the number 300 057 on the chassis. Number that corresponded to one of the original units of today's 911, still in the phase where it was called 901.
Once the discovery was confirmed, those responsible for the museum proceeded to purchase the two cars, assuming, from then on, the restoration of both, according to the original specifications.
Also according to Porsche, the restoration process of this 901/911 took three years, having used a series of genuine parts in its reconstruction, taken from identical units, although produced at later dates. As for the engine, transmission and interior, they were restored to original specifications.
Now completely restored, the Porsche 901 No. 57 will now be on display at the Porsche Museum, in Stuttgart, although its collection date has already been stipulated: April 8, 2018. After all, after such a long period of abandonment and an equally prolonged period of time recovery, has also already earned the right to a peaceful retreat…
