PORSCHES IN PARADISE
In California, land of reinvention, nothing is off-limits. Not even Germany’s greatest gift to forward motion.
Germany’s greatest gift to forward motion in California, land of reinvention.
Porsche and California go way back. The story began as a family affair in
1948, when founder Ferdinand Porsche and son “Ferry” opened their factory in Gmünd, Austria, with 200 employees. In 1950, they relocated to Zuffenhausen, Germany, which, almost 70 years later, remains the home of the marque whose reputation for performance, solid engineering, and uncompromised build quality is the envy of every other carmaker.
It wasn’t long before the quirky bathtub-shaped sports cars arrived Stateside and into the hands of amateur racers like James Dean, who bought a feisty 550 Spyder in 1955 from Competition Motors in Hollywood and promptly stacked it up on his way to the races in Salinas.
The accident ended the 24-year-old actor’s life but cemented his name and that of Porsche into the broader public consciousness.
That same year, Max Hoffman, a New Yorker who imported numerous European marques to America throughout the 1950s and ’60s, urged Porsche to develop the bare-bones 356 Speedster, which is today among the most collectible Porsche classics. By 1959, Czech-born Vasek Polak, a racing friend of Ferry Porsche who went on to successfully campaign Porsche 917, 934, and 935 competition cars during the 1970s, opened the first exclusive Porsche dealership in the United States. Presciently, he chose Hermosa Beach, a coastal town just outside Los Angeles. California and Porsche were soon inextricably linked.
“California consistently accounts for about 25 percent of all Porsche deliveries in the U.S.,” says Klaus Zellmer, president and chief executive officer of Porsche Cars North America, Inc. “Taken by itself, California is our fifth-largest market in the world, and 26 of our 191 U.S. dealers are in the Golden State.”
Of course, one Porsche model stands above the rest. By the mid-1960s, Porsche was in full swing with its popular 356 series, then hit one out of the park when 911 production began in 1964. Priced at $5,500 in America, the
“Porsche and California are a love story and have been
since the 1950s.”
—KLAUS ZELLMER
356’s successor was an instant win. In 2017, the one-millionth Porsche 911 rolled off the production line, testament to that model’s enduring popularity. “The iconic 911 holds a special place,” Zellmer explains. “America is the largest 911 market in the world, accounting for about 30 percent of annual deliveries for many years now, and California leads U.S. sales by taking more than one-quarter of [911] deliveries.”
Exactly why Porsche captured the collective California imagination is both easy to understand and difficult to fully decipher. There’s the great weather, thousands of miles of scenic roads, and dozens of track venues. But other sports cars enjoy those privileges, too. A vibrant competition scene has developed around the marque, as have club activities and car shows. But perhaps those things are more a result of Californians’ passion than a cause. Maybe the reason is irrelevant. “Porsche and California are a love story and have been since the 1950s,” says Zellmer. “There is something about driving a Porsche on California roads that creates a bond like no other.”
To maintain interest in any relationship, however, requires passion and creativity. The following figures are demonstrating their commitment to Porsche by paying tribute to its legacy with their own heartfelt homages.