Porsche Celebrates 60th Anniversary

Ferdinand Porsche, his son Ferry and Erwin Komena with the Porsche 356 "Number One." (Photo Source: Porsche Cars North America, Inc.)

Iconic Sports Car Manufacturer Acknowledges Six Decades of Creating and Constructing the "Pure Sports Car"

ATLANTA June 5, 2008; On June the 8th of 1948 the very first car to carry the Porsche name made its worldwide debut as it rolled out of its tiny workshop in the Austrian Alps. The creation of Ferdinand Alexander “Ferry” Porsche, the son of Volkswagen Beetle designer Ferdinand Porsche and identified as 356-001, this diminutive and radical-for-the-time vehicle featured a unique teardrop aerodynamic body shape and placed the engine behind the driver. Both concepts produced advanced vehicle performance and drew international attention to both the car and company.

“It all started when I began looking around and just could not find my dream car. So I decided to build it myself,” said Ferry Porsche. To this day, this genius and pioneering spirit has shaped the philosophy of the company.

Within two short years, demand for the Porsche 356 was so great that production facilities were moved to Zuffenhausen, Germany, where they remain today for almost all Porsche sports cars. Porsche is extremely proud of the high quality German assembly and component content found in all of its vehicles.

This demand for the 356 was generated by its reputation for being a “pure sports car” – meaning a car that is lightweight with superior handling and braking and quick acceleration. The 356 and its many Porsche sports car successors (the 911, 914, 944, 928, and Boxster series) satisfied all of these requirements and more – they were also durable.

Porsche Cars North America, Inc., based in Atlanta, Ga., and, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd., based in Mississauga, Ont., are the two importers of Porsche sports cars and Cayenne sport utility vehicles for the United States and Canada respectively. Each is a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of Dr. Ing.h.c. F. Porsche AG. Combined, these two subsidiaries employ approximately 250 people who provide Porsche vehicles, parts, service, marketing and training for 200 U.S. and 12 Canadian dealers. They, in turn, provide Porsche owners with best-in-class service.