70 & counting
Porsche is celebrating the 70th anniversary of their iconic sports car range. Rahul Ghosh gives you a low down on some of the iconic Porsches which are not everyday cars. Read on
Say Porsche and the first thing which springs to your mind is a low slung sports car. Possibly the iconic 911. But let us tell you that the car which started it all was the Type 356 Roadster way back in 1948. The car not just launched the brand but also showcased the prowess of one Ferdinand Porsche who was also responsible for the Volkswagen Beetle. Now in 2018 after cementing its position in the world of sports cars, Porsche is celebrating its 70th birthday. So we thought of bringing to you a few Porsches which have become icons of the motoring world and some which you had no idea of.
It'll be a sin to talk of Porsche and not include the legendary 356. After all it is the one which is responsible for the world having Porsches in the first place. The 356 sports a design which is best described as timeless. Beautiful flowing lines and those large bug eye headlamps to this day are symbolic to Porsche sports cars. The two-seater car featured an air cooled engine which was comfortably nestled at the back and sent power to the rear wheels. Light nimble and fast, the 356 was nothing short of being a rockstar itself back in 1948! You will also be surprised to know that the first 356 prototype ever built had to be sold
LIGHT NIMBLE AND FAST, THE 356 WAS NOTHING SHORT OF BEING A ROCKSTAR
off to fund production of this iconic sports car range. Now though the company has acquired that very car back and it holds pride of place at the Porsche museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
Contrary to popular belief, Porsches have been stellar in the world of motorsports as well. It will be surprising for you to know that Porsches have been a part of everything from Formula 1 to the iconic Dakar rally. In July 1962 Dan Gurney fended off the challenge from his team mate Joakim Bonnier to win the French Grand Prix in the Type 804 Grand Prix racing car. The 461 kilogram 8-cylinder monoposto with disc brakes and double wishbone is the only Formula 1 racing car ever developed and built entirely by Porsche. The 804 influenced many other racing car developments by Porsche.
Another rather unique Porsche is the Porsche 908/03 Spyder. Tipping the scales at just 545 kilograms, the Spyder took lightweight construction to the extreme. The foam-reinforced plastic body was an incredibly light twelve kilograms. The factory team only competed in the 908/3 Spyder on four occasions but notched up three wins, including on its debut in the 1970 Targa Florio in Sicily, with Jo Siffert and Brian Redman at the wheel.
Next up is the Porsche 959 Paris Dakar. The 959 which was otherwise a low slung sports car was chosen to represent the brand at the 1986 Paris Dakar rally as a technology demonstrator. The all-wheel-drive 959 coped extremely well all through the gruelling 14,000km marathon. The venture ended with a one-two victory for René Metge/Dominique Lemoyne and Jacky Ickx/Claude Brasseur. In fact a third 959, only really intended as a support vehicle, finished the race in sixth place.
During 1964 through to 1969, Porsche upped the ante from being a class winner to setting international lap speed and endurance records. Spearheading this effort was
the Martini Porsche 917s. The streamline design and the beautiful Martini Porsche livery gave these cars iconic looks. Through the 1960s, Porsche’s race cars grew from the 1.6-litre 718 RS 60 Spyder that produced 160bhp at the start of that decade and claimed mostly class wins, to the 600bhp 4.9-litre 917 in 1970, which utterly dominated the sports car racing world.
The count can go on but it is best we end the story with the latest icon, the 911 Speedster which the company has revealed to commemorate 70 years of Porsche. The anniversary model forges a link between the very first Porsche 356 ‘No. 1’ Roadster according to Porsche. The characteristics of the 911 Speedster Concept include the shorter window frame with a more inclined windscreen and
DURING 1964 THROUGH TO 1969, PORSCHE UPPED THE ANTE FROM BEING A CLASS WINNER TO SETTING INTERNATIONAL LAP SPEED AND ENDURANCE RECORDS
correspondingly shortened side windows. A special rear cover made of carbon fibre connects behind the front seats, covering a roll-over protection structure and featuring a ‘double bubble’, a traditional element of this sports car design since the 911 Speedster from 1988. Two contrasting black slats between the ‘humps’ add an aerodynamic touch, and a transparent Plexiglas wind deflector features an
engraved ‘70 years of Porsche’ logo. As dictated by the historic original, the 911 Speedster Concept also features a lightweight tonneau cover instead of a convertible top. The chassis essentially comes from the 911 GT3, with contrasting high gloss polished clover-leaf details on the imposing 21-inch rims in Fuchs design. It is the first time that these wheels are presented with centre locks. The GT developers also contributed the exhaust system with titanium tailpipes and the powertrain, which includes a six-speed manual transmission. The six-cylinder flat engine in this minimalist concept study delivers over 500 horsepower.