Otto Explains — Iconic Cars
10 Iconic Cars From Porsche
Short Answer
Otto’s ten iconic Porsches are the 550 Spyder, the 904 Carrera GTS, the 911 Carrera RS 2.7, the first 911 Turbo, the 924, the 928, the 959, the first 911 GT3, the Carrera GT and the 918 Spyder. Together they cover six decades of racing cars, road cars and record-breakers, and each one is remembered for something no Porsche had done before.
How did Otto choose these ten cars?
Each car on the list is a model in its own right with a documented first or record behind it, and together they run from the 550 Spyder’s class win of 1954 to the 918 Spyder of 2013, across the road and the racetrack, and engines in the front, the middle and the back. The cars that changed Porsche as a company, such as the 356, the 911, the 917 and the Cayenne, have their own article on the legendary cars that defined Porsche, so this list looks further. The order is chronological, not a ranking.
Why is the 550 Spyder remembered?
The 550 Spyder was the first Porsche designed specifically for racing. Its best-known result came in Mexico: in 1954 Hans Herrmann won the Carrera Panamericana’s class for cars up to 1,500 cc and finished third overall. Porsche says that result, with earlier successes in 1952 and 1953, helped create the name ‘Carrera’, which Porsche still uses today.
What made the 904 Carrera GTS special?
The 904, designed by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche as a mid-engined coupé for both road and track, premiered at the Solitude circuit near Stuttgart on 26 November 1963. It was the first Zuffenhausen sports car with a plastic body, only 110 were made, and in 1964 Antonio Pucci and Colin Davis won the Targa Florio in it. It was also the first Porsche to carry the letters GTS, for Gran Turismo Sport.
Why does the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 still matter?
Built in 1972, the Carrera RS 2.7 was the most powerful version of the first-generation 911, with 210 PS from a 2.7-litre engine. Its rear spoiler became so recognisable that the modern 911 Sport Classic’s spoiler pays tribute to it, and Porsche describes the 911 GT3 as following in the footsteps of the Carrera RS models.
What was special about the first 911 Turbo?
The 911 Turbo, known inside Porsche as the 930, was the first Porsche road car with an exhaust turbocharger. It was presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1974 and sold from spring 1975, with 260 PS at first and 300 PS from 1977. The very first, the one-off 911 Turbo ‘No. 1’, was a birthday present for Louise Piëch in 1974. How a turbocharger works is explained in Otto’s turbocharger and supercharger guide.
Why is the 924 on the list?
The 924 brought Porsche ownership to many more people. It began in 1972 as a Volkswagen development project, which Porsche took over and launched under its own name in early 1976. With a water-cooled four-cylinder engine at the front and the gearbox at the rear, it was built at Audi in Neckarsulm, started at DM 23,240, and 150,684 were made before production ended in 1988.
What made the 928 different?
Presented in Geneva in March 1977, the 928 was a luxurious Gran Turismo with a water-cooled aluminium V8 at the front and the gearbox at the rear, a complete departure from the 911. In 1978 it won the Car of the Year award, which Porsche says no other sports car has won. 61,056 were built up to 1995.
Why is the 959 famous?
The 959 started as a ‘Group B’ rally study in 1983 and reached production in 1985 as a showcase of Porsche technology, with electronically controlled variable all-wheel drive and a twin-turbo boxer engine. Its top speed of 317 km/h was a world record for a series-production sports car at the time, and only 292 were built, in 1987 and 1988. In 1986 the 959 also took first and second places in the Paris-Dakar Rally.
What did the first 911 GT3 achieve?
Porsche presented the first 911 GT3 at the Geneva motor show in March 1999, with 360 PS from a 3.6-litre naturally aspirated engine derived from the 911 GT1 racing car’s. Walter Röhrl then lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:56.3, making it the first road-homologated car to go under eight minutes there. The GT3 has been renewed several times since, most recently on the 992.
What makes the Carrera GT stand out?
The Carrera GT had its world premiere in Geneva on 3 March 2003. Its 612 PS V10 was naturally aspirated, it was the first series-production Porsche with a monocoque and engine carrier made entirely of carbon fibre, and it introduced the world’s first ceramic double-plate dry clutch. 1,270 were built by hand in Leipzig between autumn 2003 and May 2006.
Why is the 918 Spyder a milestone?
The 918 Spyder was a plug-in hybrid super sports car shown in production form at the Frankfurt motor show (IAA) in 2013. It combined a 608 PS 4.6-litre V8 with two electric motors, one of them driving the front wheels. In September 2013 a prototype lapped the Nordschleife in 6:57, the first internationally road-legal car to break seven minutes.
Common Questions
- Why isn’t the 356 among Otto’s ten iconic Porsches? Because it belongs with the cars that changed the company: on 8 June 1948 the 356 ‘No. 1’ Roadster became the first car bearing the Porsche name to receive its operating permit. Otto covers it, with the 911, 917, Boxster, Cayenne and Taycan, in the legendary cars article.
- Which was the first turbocharged Porsche? The first 911 Turbo, shown in Paris in 1974 and called the 930 inside the company. No earlier Porsche had an exhaust turbocharger.
- How many Porsche 959s were made? Porsche built 292 examples of the 959 in series production, in 1987 and 1988.
- Was the Porsche 924 originally a Volkswagen project? Yes. It started in 1972 as a Volkswagen development order; after Volkswagen cancelled the project, Porsche bought the rights and launched the car as the 924 in 1976.
Related Otto explanations
Related Services
More about Porsche · All Otto Explains topics · Book a Service