With timeless classics such as the 356 and the 911, Porsche has been cultivating a unique reputation in the automotive world since 1948. Yet during the past six decades, Porsche has also managed to consistently develop highly exclusive super sport scars, many of which will be on show at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany until March 17, 2014, as part of a new special exhibition entitled “60 years of Super Sports Cars”.
Certain models that have never been presented to the public before are among the vehicles on show. For example, it will be possible to admire the first ever 550 Spyder to be bought by a private customer, a vehicle which was assigned to racing driver Kurt Ahrens in January 1955. Nowadays, the drive housed within the 550 Spyder is as legendary as the vehicle itself, and has come to be known as the “Fuhrmann engine”. The four-cylinder flat engine with four overheard camshafts is considered to be one of the most successful Porsche engines of all time, and is also set to feature in the exhibition.
Another of the legendary super sports cars on show will be the 904 Carrera GTS. As a true all-rounder, this vehicle demonstrated its sporty characteristics on all racing terrains, securing over 300 racing victories following its presentation in 1963 until the mid-1970s. Visitors can also get excited about the only 911 Turbo RS vehicle in the world: This special vehicle is the only 911 Turbo to feature the lightweight body from the Carrera RS, a modification requested by star conductor Herbert von Karajan. The 911 Turbo RS went down in music history when it appeared on the cover of von Karajan’s “Famous Overtures” album, which he recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Another of the high horsepower exhibition vehicles is the most well-known of Porsche’s technological benchmark vehicles in addition to being well ahead of its generation: The Porsche 959 S was developed from a prototype presented at the IAA in 1983. The prototype demonstrated what was technically feasible and set a pioneering example for future sports car generations.
The 911 GT1 included in the exhibition will show once again that every Porsche is a racing car: In a small-scale homologation series of just 21 vehicles, Porsche developed a road-going version of the GT1, which was used for the first time in the 1996 Le Mans race and has since out-performed everything else on the track. The technical features of the 911 GT1 come straight from the racetrack. The Porsche Carrera GT, which was first presented as a prototype in Paris in 2000, rounds off the special exhibition. This super sports car was specially designed to embody the character of a racing car within a production vehicle, thus enabling maximum driving pleasure. The unique design was also responsible for taking the Porsche look into the new millennium.
The Porsche Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9.00 to 18.00. Entry to the museum costs €8 for adults and €4 for concessions. For more information, visit www.porsche.com/museum.
[Source: Porsche AG]
If the Porsche that ran at LeMans in 1951 is shown, that is 62 years ago. I experienced those cars on the Autobahn in July 1951. My buddy and I were coming into Stuttgart on our Royal Enfield at about 45 mph (American Zone speed limit was 90 kph or 55 mph) when two factory Porsches went by at over 100 mph. Sounded like over 100 mph. At the Stuttgart ousfart, we stopped at where Porsche had set up a race testing area and spent three or four hours chatting with the test engineers. What a great day.