Porsche Celebrates 60 Years in America

It took only two years after the first 356 sports car left Dr. Ferdinand Porsche's small garage in Gmund, Austria, for the independent sports car maker to arrive in New York City. The year was 1950.

Since then, the U.S. has evolved into one of the brand's most important markets by accumulating the lion's share of annual worldwide sales (although China is gaining fast). To celebrate this strong marriage of automaker and market, contests like the My Porsche Classic Search and My Porsche Passion, social events, drives, and a display at Stuttgart's Porsche Museum have been organized throughout the year for owners and fans.

Thanks in large part to Porsche Cars North America, we've collected some little-known facts about Porsche's American history. A few will dazzle, others will make you chuckle. We'll start you off with a short story that begins in the Big Apple...

The Trio that Started it All

From three men came Porsche's American empire. As the story goes, 60 years prior to the establishment of today's 199 national dealers, there was only one: Hoffman Motors. The dealership, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, was set smack in the heart of New York City at 430 Park Avenue and was owned and operated by an Austrian-born expatriate named Max Hoffman. Hoffman loved sports cars and took notice of American soldiers' similar affinity for the nimble rides they experienced while fighting in WWII. Dr. Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche -- son of the elder, identically named Porsche -- noticed it as well, and with a desire to infiltrate a relatively virgin market with his new 40-horsepower 356, granted Hoffman the first rights to import his cars.

Hoffman was beyond enthusiastic about his franchise. Ferry mentioned that he hoped Hoffman could sell five cars a year, wherein the energetic salesman quickly replied, "If I cannot sell five per week, then I'm not interested in the business."

Hoffman took delivery of two 1.1-liter coupes in fall 1950 and immediately put them on display. In 1951, a fellow Austrian immigrant and West Coast car importer, Johnny von Neumann, visited Hoffman while on vacation. Hoffman urged von Neumann to drive one of his sports cars, and soon after, von Neumann bought a 356, drove it back to Los Angeles, and began selling the marque at his Competition Motors dealership. With von Neumann catering to Hollywood's elite (including James Dean) and Hoffman servicing the East's socialites, Porsche's small segment quickly grew. Two years later, Hoffman imported 32 cars.

While at dinner with Ferry in 1952, Hoffman pointed out that nearly all carmakers of the day had elegant, regal-like crests atop their hoods and asked why Porsche's cars wore none. Not to be outdone and embarrassed, Ferry grabbed a napkin, drew the state crest of Baden-Wuerttemberg, added the horse from Stuttgart's coat of arms, and wrote "PORSCHE" on its top. From then on, all Porsches donned the iconic crest.

From Porsche of America Corp. to Porsche Cars North America

By 1954, Hoffman was selling 11 cars per week, exceeding all sales expectations with 30 percent of worldwide brand sales. Around this time, the intrepid car importer was broadening his dealership empire to include other brands. Porsche recognized Hoffman's drastic change of focus and in 1956, deemed it best to establish Porsche of America Corporation in Teaneck, New Jersey. PoAC handled all marque-related distribution, service, and marketing initiatives. By then, nearly one of every two Porsches was heading to America.

As the 911 gained popularity, so did brand recognition. But Dr. Porsche needed more than just the acclaimed 911 in his portfolio to ensure growth and profitability. He teamed with Volkswagen in 1969 to create the less-expensive, yet still athletic, 914 sports car. The partnership allowed Porsche to firmly establish his company's long-term viability while minimizing production and distribution costs. Two 914 models were created: the range-topping (and pricier) 914/6 powered by a Porsche six-cylinder, and the less-expensive 914/4, which used a Volkswagen four-cylinder.

Porsche's production and component-sharing deal with Volkswagen ended August 23, 1984. Porsche Cars North America was soon established and continues today as the brand's sole regional importer. Officials in Germany expanded the lineup in 1996 with the Boxster and introduced water-cooled flat-six engines to the 911 range in 1998. That year, Porsche's U.S. headquarters moved from Reno, Nevada, to where it remains today in Atlanta, Georgia.

Racing Heritage Lives On in America

Just as it had done in Europe, the brand was making itself well-known to racing aficionados far away from its impeccable showrooms. Participating and winning in motorsport was one of Porsche's longstanding traditions, and in 1960, the tradition continued when a Porsche Type 907-8 took first place at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The same year, American actor and Porsche aficionado Paul Newman placed second at Le Mans in his Porsche 935 Turbo.

Thirteen years later, the brand swept all top three spots at the 24 Hours of Daytona. In the competitive American Le Mans Series, Porsche also dominated the GT Class in 2000, and in 2006, the RS Spyder LPM2 was crowned class champion. The list of Porsche's American wins goes on and on. It's estimated that the brand has taken first place in more than 24,000 races worldwide.

Porsche's American Future

Given that Porsche's U.S. sales are once again swinging upward, the future looks very promising for the Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen company. Nontraditional models like the best-selling Cayenne and Panamera have drawn in thousands of well-heeled American customers to the brand most associated with fast, expensive sports cars. This past July, the 25,000th Panamera rolled off the assembly line in Ingolstadt. Of the production run, 5000 have been delivered to U.S. customers.

Expect the reeling in of new American buyers to continue once Porsche's alternatively-fueled offerings like the recently approved for limited production 918 Spyder, Panamera Hybrid (the automaker's first production hybrid), and rumored electric-powered Boxster hit the market in the near future.

Of course, Porsche's well-established, iconic cars have stayed true to their original roots despite an everchanging automotive world, playing a large part in the marque's continued sales success and customer dedication. We're quite sure Ferry -- and his father, Ferdinand -- would be quite proud of the company brought accross the Atlantic six decades ago. Here's to another 60 years, Porsche.

Here are 60 of the most entertaining Porsche facts, as well as a few milestones, directly from Porsche:

1. The 1898 Lohner-Porsche Elektromobil was the first car in the world with brakes on all four wheels.

2. Professor Ferdinand Porsche chauffeured Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in a Lohner-Porsche in 1902.

3. During WWI, Ferdinand Porsche designed heavy transport vehicles, flatbed trailers with the wheels powered by individual hub-motors.

4. Beutler Carrosserie turned closed 356s into open ones, completing its first custom Cabriolet in 1947, three years before Porsche came to America and a full seven years before the 356 Speedster (a "stripped" and cheaper 356) was introduced.

5. U.S. importer Max Hoffman displayed the first U.S. Porsches in his New York City showroom by late 1950.

6. In 1952, U.S. automaker Studebaker contracted Porsche to develop a new car and engine (it was never produced).

7. Hoffman conducted Porsche 356 test drives on Park Avenue, an accomplishment that could not be proficiently duplicated today.

8. Hoffman's Porsche dealer showroom was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It is now a modern office building with a Mercedes-Benz dealer on the street level. Hoffman also contracted Wright to build his home in Rye, New York.

9. In addition to importing the first Porsche models to the United States, Max Hoffman also raced Porsches. Several of Porsche's initial U.S. racing victories can be attributed to him.

10. Hoffman is also credited for the birth of the Porsche Speedster, with the intention of producing a lower-cost Porsche to compete with the Austin Healey 100, Triumph TR-2, and MG models in the United States.

11. In 1952, Hollywood dealer John von Neumann wanted to race a Porsche, so he ordered a 356 without paint or upholstery to modify it himself.

12. The Porsche logo/crest was designed in 1952 on Dr. Ferry Porsche's napkin as he sat opposite U.S. importer Max Hoffman in a New York restaurant.

13. In the original 356 Speedster, a tachometer was not standard, nor were padded seats, sunvisors, or heaters.

14. An exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in 1953 featured 10 automobiles, including a 1952 Porsche 1500 Super.

15. The first Porsche appeared at the New York auto show in 1954. It was called "a snappy Porsche roadster."

16. The Porsche Club of America was founded in 1955, only five years after Porsche was introduced to the United States.

17. The word "Continental" appeared on the side of the 1955 Porsche Coupe and Cabriolet, but only in North America.

18. The Porsche of America Corporation was founded in 1956, taking over national representation of the brand from Max Hoffman.

19. The inaugural Porsche Parade took place in greater Washington, D.C., on August 29, 1956.

20. The first appearance of a Porsche at the historic 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race was in 1953.

21. One of the first U.S. Porsche brochures in the 1950s featured a pair of woman's gloves on the cover with a set of Porsche keys. The tagline read: "The keys to miles of pleasure ..."

22. British automotive weekly publication Autocar became the first outlet to test a Porsche in April 1956, driving a Porsche 356.

23. The first Porsche series-produced roadster was aptly named the America Roadster for its distribution entirely within the United States. It was completely unpublicized in Europe and only 16 models were ever built.

24. The first vertical-drive German inline engine was displayed at the 1958 New York auto show along with several other "firsts," including the first diesel outboard motor.

25. Frenchman Jean Behra drove the first single-seat Porsche race car in the 1958 Formula 2 race at Rheims, France. He took first place, beating out notables Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Sir Stirling Moss, and Jack Brabham.

26. The "D" in the 1959 Speedster D takes its name from the Drauz Factory of Heibronn.

27. The 1950s Porsche airplane engine (based on the 356's 1.6-liter) could power a helicopter when mounted vertically.

28. Rear seats, auxiliary driving lights, and bumper overriders were the prime accessories fitted to new Porsches in 1960. The starting price for one of these new models was $3400.

29. Porsche took its first overall win at the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race in 1960.

30. Porsche's production of diesel tractors peaked in 1960-'61 with 150,000 units.

31. Dan Gurney won Porsche's first world championship Grand Prix victory at Rouen, France, in 1962.

32. The 911 was originally the 901, until Peugeot informed Porsche of its trademark rights on cars named with a zero between two numbers.

33. At the end of its production in 1965, Porsche 356 models were being produced exclusively for the American market.

34. 1966 was the first full production year for the 900 series Porsches and half were shipped to the United States, while a quarter stayed in West Germany.

35. The 907 prototype racer, developed in winter 1966-'67, was the first Porsche to go faster than 186 mph (300 kph).

36. In 1967, a Targa version of the popular-selling 911 model was introduced. It included a stainless-steel rollbar to address suspicions that the United States would outlaw open-top convertibles.

37. Porsche's 914/4 model was sold as the VW-Porsche in Europe, and only wore the Porsche crest in the United States.

38. Only two 914/8 models were created. Each was powered by a 300-horsepower eight-cylinder boxer engine derived from racing. One was given to Ferry as a birthday gift for his 60th birthday.

39. More than 100 dealerships marked the increasing popularity of Porsche models in the United States by opening simultaneously on November 1, 1969.

40. The 1970 Porsche 914 was initially ruled as unsafe for driving in the United States because it lacked proper side marker lights on its front end.

41. The first ever Porsche "driver's school," a precursor to the current Porsche Sport Driving School, was conducted on May 29, 1971, at Mitchell Field, Long Island, New York.

42. The 1975 Silver Anniversary limited edition was built in coupe and Targa body forms, painted diamond-silver metallic, and individually numbered starting with 2.

43. The 1976 912E used Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection, hence the "E" which stands for Einspritzung, or "injection."

44. The 924/944 water-cooled Porsche models were designed by an American, Tony Lapine.

45. The first few Porsche 924 Turbos to come to the United States had black and white-checkered flag fabric on the seat inserts and door panels.

46. Porsche partnered briefly with Indianapolis 500 racing in 1980 for the first time in its long motorsports history on the Formula One racing circuit.

47. The Interscope Porsche, developed for racing in the Indianapolis 500 race in 1980, was originally unveiled at a press conference at Tavern on the Green restaurant in New York City.

48. The enduring success of the 911 model is owed to American CEO Peter Schutz, who in 1980, after seeing the proposed end of production in 1981 on a chart, extended the line with a marker and told Helmuth Bott to "make it happen."

49. It is largely believed that Peter Schutz was selected as CEO of Porsche from 1981 to 1986 because, as an American, it was hoped that he would revive dwindling U.S. 911 sales.

50. The success at the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1981 wascredited to combining chassis from three 936 models with experimental engines developed for U.S. Indy Car racing.

51. Porsche began promoting vacation delivery in 1982: Order the car in the United States, take delivery in Europe, drive around the Continent and return the car to the factory to have it shipped home.

52. The Porsche 928 in the film "Risky Business" is actually four cars ranging from 1979 to 1981. Each car had different options such as interior colors, wheel designs, and even paint colors. The production crew had to be very careful about which part of the cars they filmed to make it look like only one vehicle was used in the movie.

53. Al Holbert set a FIA international class speed record while driving a stock 928 S4 at the Bonneville Salt Flats on August 7, 1986. His speed: 171.110 mph.

54.Porsche 911 engines were air-cooled for 34 years before switching to a water-cooled format in 1998 to meet increasingly stringent environmental rules and Porsche's desire to provide more power while reducing fuel consumption.

55. In 1992, it took 125 hours to build a Porsche 911. By 1994, the factory was down to 80 hours, thus reducing the cost of the cars.

56. The Porsche 911 RS entered the United States in 1993. The "RS" stands for "Rennsport," German for "race sport" or racing. It had no sunroof, A/C, back seat or power steering.

57. Porsche was the first auto manufacturer to make passenger air bags available, optional or standard.

58. The names for both the 911 Carrera and the new Panamera Gran Turismo came from Mexico's historic Carrera Panamericana race, where Porsche scored many victories.

59. Notable past and current American celebrities who are or were Porsche enthusiasts include James Dean, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Ralph Lauren, Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, and Patrick Dempsey.

60. The correct pronunciation of Porsche is "Por'-shuh."