Porsche’s success story begins with the fulfillment of a dream. In 1948, Ferry Porsche realized his vision of a sports car and, together with his team, designed the Porsche 356 “No. 1” Roadster. 75 years later, the Porsche Heritage and Museum department is presenting a special selection of exhibits at “Retro Classics“. The leading trade fair for historic car culture will attract classic car fans and sports car enthusiasts from all over the world to Stuttgart from Thursday to Sunday, February 23-26. “We not only showcase special milestones in the company’s history, but also the people behind the Porsche brand,” says Achim Stejskal, Head of Porsche Heritage and Museum. “People who are driven by the realization of their dreams.”
As part of the special show “75 Years of Porsche Sports Cars,” the company will be represented at Retro Classics in two presentation areas. In the Atrium at the East Entrance and at the exhibition stand in Hall 1 directly next to the Porsche Clubs. For the history of sports cars, Porsche is taking visitors on a journey through time over the past 75 years and also venturing a look into the future. Important stations here: the 356 “No. 1” show car, which represents the original state of the first sports car bearing the Porsche name as accurately as possible. The brand history began with the first vehicle to bear the Porsche name, and with it: 75 years of production and manufacture, 75 years of sports cars, 75 years of people with Porsche.
The company is also exhibiting a 356 Coupé from 1953 at its stand, as well as a 550 A Spyder. In 1956, Umberto Maglioli surprisingly won the overall victory at the Targa Florio with this model. For the first time, the car succeeded in beating established teams and the supposedly stronger competition. After this victory, the still-young company enjoyed worldwide recognition. Another eye-catcher on the stand is the McLaren TAG Porsche Formula 1. In the early 1980s, Porsche receives an order from the McLaren racing team and the TAG group of companies to develop a turbo engine for Formula 1. In total, the six-cylinder engine created by Hans Mezger wins 25 Grands Prix up to 1987, three drivers’ world championships in 1984, 1985 and 1986, and two constructors’ titles in 1984 and 1985. More than 30 years later, the one-millionth Porsche 911 rolls off the production line and, like its predecessors, presents the brand’s core values as an icon from Zuffenhausen: the past, the present and the future. For a visionary look, Porsche will be showing the Mission R concept car of 2022 at Retro Classics. The purely electric racing car combines the idea of a future design language with state-of-the-art technology and sustainable materials.
It starts in the atrium
Already in the atrium at the east entrance to Messe Stuttgart, visitors will encounter the 911 2.0 Targa, 918 Spyder study, 956 and 356 SL models alongside the 356 “No. 1” show car as part of the special show “75 Years of Porsche Sports Cars”. Belgian Gilberte Thirion won races in one such 356 SL 70 years ago. Another special crowd-puller is the Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar, with which Jacky Ickx and Claude Brasseur finished second in the rally of the same name in 1986. Over the past few months, the Porsche Heritage and Museum team has been working with colleagues from Porsche Classic to bring the car back into service. The history of the 959 Paris-Dakar has remained authentic thanks to the gentle reworking, and the team has preserved traces of the entries. Timo Bernhard wins the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland in 2001 with the 996-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The race car with which he fulfilled his dream of starting a professional career more than 20 years ago is also on display at the show.
Autograph session at the stand and reduced admission to the Porsche Museum
Media representatives are cordially invited to visit booth 1A74 in Hall 1 on February 23 at 2 p.m. to get an overview of the activities in the anniversary year. On February 25 at 2 p.m., Porsche welcomes visitors to a Dreamerstalk followed by an autograph session at the exhibition stand. Racing drivers Hans-Joachim Stuck and Timo Bernhard will be talking to Frank-Steffen Walliser, Head of Complete Vehicle Architecture and Features. There will also be an opportunity to find out about Porsche Experience driving programs in the area covering more than 500 square meters. The museum store offers guests literature on the sports cars from Zuffenhausen, among other things. Those who present their exhibition ticket at the Porsche Museum by the end of 2023 will pay only half the price there on their next visit.
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Translated and edited Porsche press release.
Pictures courtesy Porsche AG
