Porsche is a household name when it comes to high-performance sports cars, but there are many aspects of the company’s history and technology that are lesser known to the general public. Here are 10 little-known facts about Porsche:
- Porsche’s founder, Ferdinand Porsche, was also the chief engineer of the first Volkswagen Beetle. In fact, the first Volkswagen Beetle prototype, the “Type 60,” was designed and built by Porsche.
- Porsche has a long history of success in motorsports. The company has won numerous Le Mans 24 Hour races, as well as numerous World Rally Championship titles.
- Porsche was the first car manufacturer to use a continuously variable transmission (CVT) in a production vehicle. The Porsche 959, a supercar produced in the 1980s, featured a CVT, which allowed the car to deliver seamless acceleration and improved fuel efficiency.
- Porsche has a history of developing hybrid technology. The company’s first hybrid vehicle, the 918 Spyder, was released in 2013 and featured a 4.6-liter V8 engine and two electric motors. The 918 Spyder set a new lap record for production cars at the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany.
- Porsche’s iconic 911 model has been in continuous production since 1963, making it one of the longest-produced sports car models in history.
- The Porsche 911 GT2, a high-performance version of the 911, is the only street-legal car to have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright.
- Porsche has a strong commitment to sustainability and has set a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. The company is working towards this goal through the development of electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as through the use of renewable energy sources at its production facilities.
- Porsche has a museum in Stuttgart, Germany, which houses over 80 vehicles from the company’s history. The museum also includes interactive exhibits and a theater that shows films about the history of the company.
- Porsche has a secret testing facility in Weissach, Germany, where the company develops and tests new prototypes and technologies. The facility is not open to the public and is strictly off-limits to outsiders.
- In addition to sports cars, Porsche has also produced a number of other vehicles, including tractors, buses, and military vehicles. The company’s first vehicle, the “Porsche Type 64,” was a race car built in 1939 that was based on the Beetle.
Overall, Porsche is a company with a rich history and a strong focus on innovation and technology. From its humble beginnings as a small car manufacturer in Germany to its current status as a leader in the automotive industry, Porsche has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible with its vehicles.