You can find all seven prints celebrating 70 years of Porsche here, in the Petrolicious Shop
On June 8th, 1948, the legacy of Porsche sports cars began in earnest when the marque received a general operating permit for prototype chassis 356-001. That car, the first 356 to be registered and driven on the road, set a trajectory that would lead to the iconic 911, paradigm-shifting supercars like the 959 and Carrera GT, and accessible mid-engined performance from the Boxster and Cayman. The manufacturer’s reputation on the road is just a chapter in the complete story though, for any notable performance car brand must also prove itself in the trials of motorsport’s grand proving ground.
Having won the world’s highest prize in sports car competition more than any other, it’s safe to say Porsche has this box well and truly ticked. Only three years after that inaugural moment of the first 356 legally entering the motorway, Porsche marked their first class-win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951. The achievement of the aerodynamic 356SL would be the first in a long list of winners, most of which were first in class as well as first in general. The 935 bested prototypes, the 956 and 962 were winning well past the time they ought to, and the 919 carried the trophy case into the hybrid era with two outright Le Mans victories of its own. The line of posters offered here aren’t focused on the racing cars as you can surely see, but the trickle-down is real; the relationships between the road and race track are strong; Porsche is not two companies.
Whether its cars are meant to compete or commute, quality of construction and a high aptitude of mechanical engineering have been part of the mission since the beginning 70 years ago, and the future of Porsche performance will not alter the fundamental genetics despite the uncertain fate of the internal combustion engine—the flat-six is forever linked to the history of Porsche, but it is not a prerequisite—an electric car wearing the Porsche crest doesn’t take anything away from a 2.7 RS after all. Development toward what’s next doesn’t come at the expense of what’s been there before.
Technology moves in a relentless forward vector, and while we’re clearly fond of machines getting on in age at Petrolicious there is always room for the future classics—think of these as additions, not replacements. It’s hard to say which cars will define the era we’re in the process of creating now, but if you look at the historical evidence one can’t help but predict that Porsche will play a significant part. We’re not here to speculate right now though, we’re here to help the diverse pool of Porsche enthusiasts celebrate the history of the company they love, whichever form of it they prefer.
You can find all seven prints celebrating 70 years of Porsche here, in the Petrolicious Shop
