Porsche grew out of the engineering office of Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951), one of history’s most influential car designers — creator of an early electric hybrid car in 1900, the Mercedes SSK and the Volkswagen Beetle. His son Ferry Porsche built the first Porsche-badged car, the 356, in 1948 in Gmünd, Austria. The 911 of 1963 became one of the longest-running sports cars in history, and Porsche is now part of the Volkswagen Group family while being publicly listed.

Timeline

Year Event
1900 Lohner-Porsche electric car shown in Paris
1931 Porsche design office founded in Stuttgart
1930s Volkswagen Beetle designed
1948 First Porsche 356
1963 911 unveiled (as the 901)
2002 Cayenne SUV
2019 Taycan EV
2022 Porsche AG listed on the stock exchange

Ferdinand Porsche

As a young engineer in Vienna, Ferdinand Porsche designed the Lohner-Porsche, with electric motors in the wheel hubs; a version combined a gasoline engine with electric drive — one of the first hybrid cars. He later worked for Austro-Daimler and Daimler before founding his own design office in 1931, where his team designed the Beetle and the Auto Union Grand Prix cars.

The 356

After the war, Ferry Porsche and a small team built the 356, a light sports car using Volkswagen components, first in Gmünd, Austria, then in Stuttgart. It established Porsche’s formula: compact, efficient and fun.

The 911

Unveiled in 1963 as the 901, the car was renamed 911 because Peugeot claimed three-digit names with a zero in the middle. Its rear-mounted flat-six and silhouette have evolved continuously ever since.

Racing

Porsche has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans more times than any other manufacturer. Read Le Mans 24 Hours.

The modern Porsche

The Cayenne SUV (2002) transformed Porsche’s finances, followed by the Panamera and the electric Taycan. Read the Cayenne history, the Panamera and the Taycan.