Porsche’s Mid-Engined Machines Get Center Stage At The Petersen Automotive Museum

The Petersen Automotive Museum will be hosting an exhibition titled Uncompromising Design, which will showcase select examples of influential mid-engined Porsches across the marques 70-year history. “Uncompromised Design is a focused look into the legacy of Porsche’s most single-minded and advanced performance cars,” said Petersen Automotive Museum executive director Terry L. Karges. “These cars helped to push back the boundaries of automotive performance, and we can’t wait to share their story with the public.”

Porsche’s mid-engined legacy began with the 1948 356/1 prototype, an aluminum-bodied roadster featuring a 1.1-liter 40hp flat-4 engine. The concept has come a long way since then and visitors to the exhibit will be able to experience all the important milestones along the way. Notable exhibits include Porsche’s first car designed specifically for racing, the 1955 550 Spyder, as well as their first mainstream mid-engine design, the 1971 Porsche 914. Modern vehicles will include ground-breaking designs like the 918 Hybrid hypercar, the first production vehicle to lap the Nurburgring in under seven minutes.

There will also be interesting panel discussions featuring Porsche Design of America head of design Steffen Gantz, ArtCenter College of Design head of transportation design Stewart Reed and Porsche exterior designer Grant Larson. Visitors will be treated to complimentary food and drinks courtesy of Food by Drago and the first 150 ticket purchasers will also receive a limited-edition Porsche gift. The exhibit is scheduled to open on 25 July running until 31 March 2020 and further information as well as tickets can be found on the Petersen Automotive website.

Images courtesy of the Petersen Automotive Museum and Newspress