Porsche

Porsche (Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG), pronounced as a two syllable word (porsh-uh, IPA: pɔrʃʌ) , is a German manufacturer of sports cars, founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche, the engineer who created the first Volkswagen. The company is located in Zuffenhausen, a city district of Stuttgart.

Porsche has a reputation for producing high-end sports vehicles that, despite their high performance, are reliable and tractable enough to be used for daily driving, and of high manufacturing quality and durability. The current Porsche lineup includes everything from an entry-level roadster (Boxster) to a Supercar (Carrera GT). Future plans include a high performance luxury sedan.

As a company, Porsche is known for weathering changing market conditions with great financial stability, while retaining most production in Germany during an age when most other German car manufacturers have moved at least partly to Eastern Europe or overseas. The headquarters and main factory are still at Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, but for the Cayenne and Carrera GT there is a new plant at Leipzig, in the east of Germany. Some Boxster and Cayman production is outsourced to Valmet Automotive in Finland.

Porsche has for many years offered consultancy services to various other car manufacturers. Studebaker, SEAT, Daewoo, Subaru and Yugo have consulted Porsche on engineering for their cars or engines. Porsche also helped Harley-Davidson design their new engine in their newer V-Rod motorcycle.

Porsche's main competition is derived from Jaguar, BMW, Maserati, Aston Martin and arguably Mercedes-Benz.

History

The first Porsche, the Porsche 64 from 1938, used many components from the Volkswagen Beetle. The second Porsche model, the Porsche 356 sports car of 1948, was initially built in Gmünd, Austria, where the company was evacuated to during war times, but after building 49 cars the company relocated back to Zuffenhausen. Many people regard the 356 as the first Porsche simply because it was the first model sold by the fledgling company. Ferdinand Porsche worked with his son Ferry Porsche in designing the 356 but died soon after the first prototype was built. Again, the car used components from the Beetle including its engine, gearbox and suspension. However, the 356 had several evolutions while in production and many VW parts were replaced by Porsche-made parts. The last 356s were powered by 100% Porsche designed engines. The sleek bodywork was designed by Erwin Komenda who had also designed the body of the Beetle.

In 1963, after some success in motor-racing (namely with the Porsche 550 Spyder), the company launched the Porsche 911, another air-cooled, rear-engined sports car, this time with a 6-cylinder "boxer" engine. The car has become their most well-known model, successful on the race-track, in rallies, and in terms of sales. Far more than any other model, the Porsche brand is defined by the 911. It remains in production; however, after several generations of revision, current-model 911s share only the basic mechanical concept of a rear-engined, six=cylinder coupe, and basic styling cues with the original car. A cost-reduced model with the same body but 356-derived running gear (including its four-cylinder engine) was sold as the 912.

The company has always had a close relationship with Volkswagen, and as already mentioned, the first Porsche cars used many Volkswagen components. The two companies collaborated in 1969 to make the VW-Porsche 914 and 914-6, in 1976 with the Porsche 924, which used many Audi components and was built at an Audi Neckarsulm factory. Most 944 were also done there even though they used many fewer VW components. The Porsche Cayenne, introduced in 2002, shares the entire body with VW Touareg, which are built at the Škoda factory in Bratislava. Both Audi and Škoda are wholly-owned subsidiaries of VW.

Porsche hired Toyota to assist in Japanese production methods, Toyota are also assisting Porshce with Hybrid technology.

Ferdinand Porsche's grandson, Ferdinand Piëch, was chairman and CEO of the Volkswagen Group from 1993 to 2002. With half of all voting shares, he also remains the largest individual shareholder of Porsche AG.

Porsche's 2002 introduction of the Cayenne also marked the unveiling of a new production facility in Leipzig, Saxony, which today accounts for nearly half of Porsche's annual output.

In 2004, production of the Porsche Carrera GT commenced in Leipzig, and at EUR 450,000.00 it is the most expensive production model Porsche ever built.

As of 2005, the extended Porsche and Piech families controlled all of Porsche AG's voting shares. In early October 2005 the company announced acquisition of an 18.53% stake in Volkswagen AG and disclosed intentions to acquire additional VW shares in the future.

Motor-racing

Porsche has been successful in many branches of motor-racing, scoring a total of more than 23,000 victories. As Porsche offered only small capacity cars in the 1950s and 1960s, they scored many wins in their classes, and occasionally also overall victories against bigger cars. Particular success has been in sports car racing, notably the Carrera Panamericana and Targa Florio, races which were later used in the naming of street cars. Also, they did well in the Mille Miglia and especially 24 hours of Le Mans where they have won 16 times overall (more than any other company), plus many class wins. The Porsche 917 is considered one of the most iconic sports racing cars of all time and gave Porsche their first Le Mans win while the Group C Porsche 956/962C is one of the most successful sports prototype racers ever produced. Many Porsche race cars are run successfully by customer teams, financed and run without any factory support - often they have beaten the factory itself. Recently, 996-generation 911 GT3s have dominated their class at Le Mans and similar endurance and GT races.

The various version versions of the 911 also proved to be serious competitor in Rally as long as the regulations allowed them to compete. Porsche official team was only present in seldom occasion in Rally, but the best private 911s were often close to other brand works car. Jean-Pierre Nicolas even managed to win the 1978 Monte Carlo Rally with a private 911 SC. The Paris Dakar Rally was won twice, too using the 911 derived Porsche 959 Group B supercar.

Porsche has also participated in Formula One racing, with mixed results; its first foray (as a constructor) from 1961 to 1962 produced just one win in a championship race, claimed by Dan Gurney at the 1962 French Grand Prix. One week later, he repeated the success in front of Porsche's home crowd on Stuttgart's Solitude in a non-championship race. At the end of the season, Porsche retired from F1 due to the high costs. Privateers continued to enter out-dated Porsche 718 in F1 until 1964.

Porsche returned in 1983 after nearly two decades away, supplying engines badged as TAG units for the McLaren Team. Porsche-powered cars took two constructor championships in 1984 and 1985 and three driver crowns in 1984, 1985 and 1986. Porsche returned to F1 again in 1991 as an engine supplier, however this time with disastrous results: Porsche-powered Footwork cars failed to score a single point, and failed to even qualify for over half the races that year; Porsche has not participated in Formula One since.

Stock and lightly-modified Porsches are raced in many competitions around the world; some of these are primarily amateur classes for enthusiasts, but the Porsche Michelin Supercup is a wholly professional category raced as a support category for European Formula One rounds.

Porsche dropped its factory motorsports programs during the turn of the century (preferring to support privateers) for financial reasons and has only recently made a comeback with the new RS Spyder prototype. Based on LMP2 homologaton regulations, the RS Spyder made its debut at Laguna Seca during the final race of the 2005 ALMS season and immediately garnering a class win in the LMP2 class and finishing 5th overall.

Major Victories and Championships

• 14 Makes and Team World Championship (1964, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1994)
• 8 Long Distance World Championship
• 3 IMSA Supercar-Series (1991, 1992, 1993)
• 6 German Racing Championship (1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985)
• 20 European Hill Climbing Championship
• 3 Formula 1 Driver World Championship (1984, 1985, 1986)
• 2 Formula 1 Constructor World Championship (1984, 1985)
• 26 Formula 1 victories (1962, 1 win; 1984, 12 wins; 1985, 6 wins; 1986, 4 wins; 1987, 3 wins)
• 20 Daytona 24 Hour (1968, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1995, 2003)
• 15 IMSA Supercar-Race (USA)
• 16 Le Mans 24 Hour (1970, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998)
• 17 Sebring 12 Hour (1960, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988)
• 11 Targa Florio (1956, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973)
• 4 Rallye Monte Carlo (1968, 1969, 1970, 1978)
• 2 Paris-Dakar Rallye (1984, 1986)

Models

See: Category:Porsche vehicles

Tractors

• Porsche Type 110
• Porsche AP Series
• Porsche Junior (14 hp)
• Porsche Standard (25 hp)
• Porsche Super (38 hp)
• Porsche Master (50 hp)
• Porsche 312
• Porsche 108F
• Porsche R22
• Porsche AP16

Consumer models

• Porsche 356
• Porsche 550 Spyder
• Porsche 911
  • Porsche 930 (1975-1989 911 Turbo)
  • Porsche 964 (1989-1994)
    • Porsche 965 (964 Turbo)
  • Porsche 993 (1994 - 1998)
  • Porsche 996 (1998 - 2005)
  • Porsche 997 (From 2005)
• Porsche 912 (1.6-liter 911)
• Porsche 914 and 914-6
• Porsche 912E (1976 USA model only)
• Porsche 924
  • Porsche 931 (924 Turbo)
• Porsche 928
• Porsche 944
  • Porsche 951 (944 Turbo)
• Porsche 968
• Porsche Boxster (986 and 987)
• Porsche Cayenne
• Porsche 959 (911 based Group B supercar)
• Porsche Carrera GT
• Porsche Cayman
• Porsche Panamera

Racing models

• Porsche 64
• Porsche 360 (Cisitalia)
• Porsche 550
• Porsche 718 RSK
• Porsche 718 F2
• Porsche 804 F1
• Porsche W-RS (Spyder)
• Porsche 904
• Porsche 906 (Carrera 6)
• Porsche 907
• Porsche 908
• Porsche 909 (Bergspyder)
• Porsche 910
• Porsche 917
• Porsche 934
• Porsche 935
• Porsche 936
• Porsche 924 (Racing versions)
• Porsche 954
• Porsche 956/962C
• Porsche 944 (Racing versions)
• Porsche 959 (Rally)
• Porsche 961
• Porsche Indy March (89P and 90P)
• Porsche 966
• TWR-Porsche of Joest Racing
• Porsche 911 GT1
• Porsche RS Spyder
• Porsche 911 (Racing versions)

Prototypes and concept cars

• Porsche 114
• Porsche 356/1
• Porsche 695 (911 prototype)
• Porsche 901 (911 prototype)
• Porsche 916 (flat-6 914)
• Porsche 959 Prototype
• Porsche 942
• Porsche 969
• Porsche Panamericana
• Porsche 989
• Porsche Varrera
• Porsche Boxster Concept
• Porsche Carrera GT Concept
• Porsche E2

Pronunciation of "Porsche"

In German "Porsche" is pronounced porsh-uh (IPA /ˈpɔɹʃə/). In English, the German form is often heard from official Porsche sources and from some Porsche owners and enthusiasts. There is a habit in American English towards over-compensating the e, which then results into pronouncing it as Pors-scha (IPA /ˈpɔɹʃa/). Outside of these groups however, the pronunciation porsh (IPA /pɔɹʃ/) is standard.

• The correct pronunciation of 'Porsche'