The Original Porsche

The Original: Porsche

Summary: Sold from through , the Porsche was Porsche's first production automobile. Although many think of the Porsche as being the first automobile produced by the German company, the was never mass-produced. It was only an operable concept car and testing platform for the company's design ideas. The , created by Ferdinand Porsche and his son Ferry Porsche, was designed by Erwin Komenda. Its engine features were derived from the Volkswagen Beetle, which was also...

Article Body: Sold from through , the Porsche was Porsche's first production automobile. Although many think of the Porsche as being the first automobile produced by the German company, the was never mass-produced. It was only an operable concept car and testing platform for the company's design ideas. The , created by Ferdinand Porsche and his son Ferry Porsche, was designed by Erwin Komenda. Its engine features were derived from the Volkswagen Beetle, which was also designed by the senior Mr. Porsche.

Initially the models available were a coupe, cabriolet (luxury convertible) and a roadster (a stripped down convertible). The Porsche underwent several changes before being withdrawn in . The most sought-after variants of the car were the "Carrera" (which often sold for over $,), the "Super " and the famous "Speedster". The original selling price for a Porsche was around $, in the s.

It was in that Max Hoffman, the only importer of Porsches into United States, told Porsche that he needed a lower cost, racier version of the to entice the American driver. To this end the company created the "Speedster". It became a instant hit, featuring a low, raked windshield (easily removable for weekend racing), bucket seats, and minimal folding top. Today this car is still widely coveted and premium examples of the model have sold for over $,. It has also been used in several films, including " Hours", its sequel -- "Another Hours", and "Top Gun". The production of Speedster peaked at , cars in . It was replaced by the Convertible D model. This model featured a taller, more practical windshield, glass side windows, and more comfortable seats.

Even as the mechanical side of the Porsche improved year after year, the basic shape of Porsche remained the same and was easily recognized. The last B Roadster was built in early , but the coupe and cabriolet models were produced every year up to . The final model built was the C, featuring disc brakes and the most powerful pushrod engine Porsche so far: the HP "SC".

Porsche production peaked at , cars in , the same year that Porsche introduced the . The company continued to sell the C in North America through the end of as a lower-cost option to the higher-performance . When the customers continued to complain about the high the price of the , which was almost twice the price of the , Porsche started producing the . This car utilized the engine and was sold between and .

years after the beginning of its production, Sports Car International named the C as number ten on its list of Top Sports cars of the 's. Having stood the test of time, the is a well respected and coveted car among collectors today. Thousands of owners worldwide maintain the tradition, preserving their cars and through them the legacy of Porsche engineering excellence.