Special Sub-Topic: Porsche History Click Here To Play: Porsche History

When was the first car bearing the brand name Porsche officially approved?

1948. Although Porsche has designed and created products and technologies for more than 100 years the first car was officially approved on the 8th of June 1948. This was the first 356 to see the light of day. The Porsche got the license plate "K-45286".

Where was this first car bearing the brand name Porsche officially approved?

Kärnten, Austria. On 8 June 1948 the first Porsche 356 was officially approved by the state government of Kärnten in Austria. Because of the Second World War, Porsche had moved from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen to Gmünd in Kärnten.

Ferdinand Porsche was the designer of the Volkswagen Beetle and of the first Porsches, the Porsche 356.

f. Ferdinand Porsche, the designer of the Volkswagen Beetle died in 1951. His son, named Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche, had already taken over the role of designer for Porsche at that moment. So both the Volkswagen Beetle and the Porsche 356 are designed by Ferdinand Porsche, but it wasn't the same man.

The first 356 had a modified Volkswagen engine as its heart. How much break horse power (bhp) did it develop?

35 bhp. The first Porsche 356 had a modified 1.1-litre VW engine developing 35 bhp at 4000 rpm. It gave the car a top speed of 135 km/h or 84 mph.

Sport cars can be dangerous, and some well known people have died in them. James Dean, the actor famous from "Rebel without a cause" died in a Porsche. With what type of Porsche did he have an accident?

550 Spyder. James Dean crashed his car on 30 September, 1955. The car nicknamed "The Little Bastard" was a 550 Spyder. After the crash the car was bought and taken apart to be just in race cars. Two race car drivers had accidents during a race in October 1956. Troy McHenry died, racing a car with the engine of "The Little Bastard" went out of control and hit a tree. William Eschrid's flipped over. He survived despite serious injuries.

Porsche's best known model is the long running 911 series. What did Porsche want to call this car initially?

901. In 1963 the first 911 was made. Porsche wanted to call this model series 901, but the French car manufacturer Peugeot already had the rights for this name.

How many Porsche 911 Turbos did Porsche originally intend to produce?

500. The first Porsche 911 Turbo was presented at the 1974 Paris Motor Show and originally intended for a production "volume" of just 500 units. By the time the last air-cooled 911 was delivered to its proud owner on 31 March 1998, however, Porsche had built and sold no less then 32,335 Turbos to customers the world over.

In 2005 the Toyota Prius won the "car of the year" award. Which Porsche model has also won this award?

928. The "car of the year" award exists since 1964 and is a prize given out by the car journalists. Up to 2005 Porsche has the only sports car to win this award. The Porsche 928 won in 1978 defeating the BMW series 7 and the Ford Granada. The 928 was the model that had to replace the decaying 911, and had a water cooled front engine. The fine looking 928 would eventually fail in the role of succeeding a myth.

In 1978 Porsche had a new weapon for races. The 935. What was this car's nickname?

Moby Dick. The car was named after a book by Herman Melville. He also wrote "Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War". Ducktail was a nickname used for the rear wing that Porsche introduced for their 911 series. Spyder is the name for their 550.

In which of Porsche's models did Audi play an important role?

924. In 1976 Audi supplied the engine for the first water-cooled Porsche. The 914, 924 and Cayenne are all developed with the help of Volkswagen.

Which motor sport event has never been won by a Porsche car?

Formula 1 World Championship. The Monte Carlo rally was won by Vic Elford and David Stone in 1968 in their 911 Turbo. The first Porsche victory on Le Mans was in 1970 from a Porsche 917K driven by Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood. In 1984 Porsche won their first title in the Paris-Dakar Rally. A 959 driven by Rene Metge and Dominic Lemoyne. Porsche did win the Formula 1 World Championship, but this was a McLaren car powered by a Porsche engine.

Porsche has adjusted their 993 (1994-1997) series on a few points for the US versions. These US versions of their models were also sold in a few other countries as well. Which of the following countries has the standard European version?

Sweden. In Austria, Switzerland and Canada Porsche sold the US versions, but Sweden got the normal version. Porsche makes these different versions because of the differences in the laws to protect the environment. Austria, Switzerland and Canada have test that are very similar to that of the United States.

Where does the Porsche Boxster get its name from?

The type of engine used in this model. A boxster engine is a type of engine where the cylinders are placed flat, instead of the V shape that is used more commonly. Porsche has used boxster engines for a long time.

The Porsche Carrera GT has a lot of special features. What is the feature called PCCB?

Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes. This 2004 Porsche has more than 600 bhp. Besides ceramic brakes it also has a ceramic clutch. It has a 5.7-liter V10 so that the car can travel at speeds of up to 330 km/h or 205 mph. And with its price of approximately $440,000 or €450,000 it is one of the most expensive Porsches in their history.

Around the year 2004 Porsche was planning a four door version, which was inspired on the lines of the 911. What was the project name for this new Porsche?

Project D1. The C1 was the code-name for a new five-door Volkswagen sport back to be positioned between the Passat and the Phaeton. The E1 where the Bentley Arnage, Azure DHC and Continental coupe replacements. The C1 was also called: the Porsche Panamera.