Karl Ludvigsen, Author at Stuttcars

Porsche’s Betweeners — Branitzki and Bohn

The controversial Panamericana concept car was another birthday “gift” for Ferry Porsche in 1989. Ulrich Bez was behind and Branitzki had hands in pockets.

It all began with a decision that Ferry Porsche would long regret. Beginning in 1970, the familial tensions described by Ferdinand Piëch were: “In our family there’s a kind of unspoken law: Porsche is Stuttgart and Piëch is Salzburg.” Porsches were taking the top jobs in Zuffenhausen and some Piëchs...

Porsche Taycan

A Tribute to the Porsche Taycan

Departing chief Matthias Müller left behind a philosophy for Porsche—and more. At September 2015’s Frankfurt Show he unveiled a shock surprise, a new and gorgeous concept car. Dubbed the Mission E, it was conceived as an all-electric four-passenger, four-door sports car completely reliant on electric power. Developed under R&D chief...

Porsche 550

Germany’s Quart and a Half Brigade

Porsche’s Spyders stole the limelight, but in the 1950s they had serious rivals in both BMW and EMW, who produced serious 1½-liter machinery. Their battles on both sides of the Iron Curtain were the stuff of legend. A liter and a half—more or less a quart and a half—isn’t much...

Dauer

The Dauer Deception

One of the most colorful episodes in the history of Porsche was their 13th Le Mans victory in 1994 with the racing version of a road car derived from a racing car. This hubris served the car company well and less so a participant. This was the car that Porsche...

993 Targa

Prettiest Porsche 911s—The Sliding-Glass Targas

When Ulrich Bez returned from BMW to Porsche to become its technical board director in October 1988, he found a senior management that thought the 911 had outworn its welcome. “The general view when I came was that we should do something new,” said Bez, “to make a new car.”...

Porsche 356

Porsche’s 356 SL at Le Mans

Invitation to race from Charles Faroux Charles Faroux was a car enthusiast, a racing official, a leading French motor-publication editor at La Vie Automobile and a charmer. Europe’s major automobile manufacturers entrusted their engineering secrets and newest models to him in hopes of a favorable review. Everyone respected his opinions....

Porsche 911

356 to 911: Porsche’s Troublesome Transition

In the late 1950s, while senior engineers at Porsche struggled through studies for a successor to the 356, a new generation of Porsche family members was entering the business. Ferry Porsche’s eldest son, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, joined the family firm in 1957. Butzi Porsche—as he was known—spent his first nine...

Porsche 356

Creating the first Porsche: 356-001

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Vintage Racecar Articles

1977 Porsche 936—Against All Odds

In 1977, Porsche’s “improvised” Type 936/77 took on the full-court press of four Renaults at Le Mans. Retirements and technical troubles suggested that winning was out of the question. But neither its drivers nor Porsche number 4 believed that. Against strong opposition from Alpine-Renault and Alfa Romeo, Porsche took the...

Vintage Racecar Articles

Behra’s Hybrid—1959 Behra-Porsche F2

For the burgeoning Formula Two category for 1½-liter cars, French star driver Jean Behra based a new racing car of his own on Porsche components. In 1959, it showed its class by beating the factory Porsches in the year’s biggest F2 race. Built in Modena, Italy, in 1959, for French...

Porsche

A Crest for Porsches: The History of the Crest

Max Hoffman in the USA When Prof. Ferdinand Porsche and Albert Prinzing met Max Hoffman at the Paris Salon in October of 1950, they knew that a powerful new personality was entering their world. Memorably saying “I was not 100 percent for Porsches. I was 1,000 percent for Porsches!” Hoffman...

Porsche 911 GT1 Race

A Win That Counted: 1998 Le Mans 24

With Stuttgart neighbor Mercedes on the rampage, Porsche had trouble on the track in the late 1990s GT1 era. But when it was essential to pull out a win at Le Mans to celebrate Porsche’s 50 years of making cars, the GT1/98 had what it took. Planning for Le Mans...

Porsche Type 540 America Roadster

Porsche’s Most Enigmatic Model — the America Roadster

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Motorsport & Racing

Unlikely Le Mans Winner…Twice—1995 Porsche WSC-95 Spyder

Accused of sandbagging at Daytona, two WSC-95 spyders were in storage until called to duty by Team Joest. Porsches by adoption, they took two straight victories at Le Mans in 1996 and ’97 in some of the company’s most improbable successes. “Buoyed by our success at the 1994 Le Mans,”...

Porsche History

Porsche’s 356 1500cc Super: The 1½-Liter Adventure

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Porsche Type 64

The First Porsche—Almost

Story by Karl Ludvigsen Creating his own car company was “an old idea of my father’s,” Ferry Porsche recalled. The idea dated back at least to 1923. “When he left Austro Daimler in 1923 to go to Mercedes,” Ferry continued, “he had the idea to do something a little like...

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Porsche’s Betweeners — Branitzki and Bohn

A Tribute to the Porsche Taycan

Germany’s Quart and a Half Brigade

The Dauer Deception

Prettiest Porsche 911s—The Sliding-Glass Targas

Porsche’s 356 SL at Le Mans

356 to 911: Porsche’s Troublesome Transition

Creating the first Porsche: 356-001

1977 Porsche 936—Against All Odds

Behra’s Hybrid—1959 Behra-Porsche F2

A Crest for Porsches: The History of the Crest

A Win That Counted: 1998 Le Mans 24

Porsche’s Most Enigmatic Model — the America Roadster

Unlikely Le Mans Winner…Twice—1995 Porsche WSC-95 Spyder

Porsche’s 356 1500cc Super: The 1½-Liter Adventure

The First Porsche—Almost

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