First Porsche importer in the world
. That made Pon the very first Porsche importer in the world. Ben Pon, brought the first 356’s to the Netherlands and many more Porsches would follow. In total, thousands of Porsches have been registered in the Netherlands in over 70 years. Initially, they were sold via the existing Volkswagen dealers. When Porsche began to grow, Ben Pon Sr. thought it was time to appoint independent dealers. In the sixties, a network of twelve official Porsche dealers was set up. In the early days, some of the Porsches were supplied to the State Police, among others. In 1961 the General Traffic Service took the first official Porsche police (an adapted 356) into use. This was the start of a long-term collaboration, as the traffic police would continue to supervise Porsches until the 1990s. Some years ago, the Louwman Museum in The Hague had a wonderful exhibition dedicated to the dutch Police Porsches.
Butzi Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche, the old professor, had little to no influence on the production of the first series production of cars bearing his name. He died in January 1951 and his son Ferry Porsche (then 41 years old) was on his own from that moment on. However, Ferry’s son, ‘Butzi’, turned out to have a good hand in drawing. He sketched the still inimitable lines of what would become the most successful Porsche of all time: the Porsche 911. That first Porsche with a six-cylinder boxer engine debuted in 1963 as the 901, was renamed the 911 in ’64 and would remain in production to this day. Because of the 911, Porsche soon turned to six-digit annual production numbers and that would remain so to this day.
The establishment of Pon Porsche Import
The Dutch Porsche organisation grew along with it. The 911 series, for example, was steadily expanded. The 911 Targa with removable roof made its appearance and the 912 with four-cylinder boxer engine appeared on the scene. Partly due to the arrival of these new models, Pon decided in 1967 to establish Pon Porsche Import. This in turn led to an even more professional dealer organisation. Porsche was hit hard by the oil crisis of the 1970s. However, new models such as the 924 and the 928 got sales back on track in the 1980s. More new models such as the Boxster and the radically updated 911 followed in the 1990s. The 911 also confirmed its timeless character and uncompromising sportiness in its new, but still recognisable form.
The Boxster and the new 911 were great sales successes right from the start. In 2002 Porsche entered a completely new segment for the brand with the Cayenne: that of SUVs. This entry was very successful, not in the least because the Cayenne immediately set new standards in its class in terms of driving dynamics. At Porsche, 2004 was dominated by the introduction of the Carrera GT. All of Porsche’s expertise and experience came together in this spectacular super sports car. The Carrera GT was produced in an edition of 1,250 and is already a much sought-after collector’s item. In 2018, Porsche celebrated its seventieth anniversary and a year later, Pon Porsche Import is celebrating its seventieth anniversary.
Today, Porsche has a product range that is wider than ever with seven models. At the basis is the 911, which clearly shows its iconic status in a large number of versions. In addition, there are of course the 718 Boxster and Cayman, and Porsche is also bringing out a number of four-door models: the Panamera, the Cayenne and the Macan. And since 2019 there is the first all-electric Porsche; the Taycan. All models have one big resemblance. They are the most sporty in their segment. Thanks to eight official Porsche Centres (Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Enter, Groningen, Heteren, Leusden, Maastricht and Rotterdam), the Porsche dealer organisation offers excellent national coverage. All these branches offer cars and service of absolute top quality.
Ben Pon Jr, who managed Pon Porsche Import was the head of Porsche Import for many years. He was an active racer, and even drove a few F1 races in a Porsche 804 for the Porsche System Engineering F1 team. Ben Pon Jr. died at the age of 82 in 2019.
Source : Pon Porsche Import
