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Regarding performance luxury cars, few brands can compete with Porsche. Their sleek, fast, and beautiful vehicles are known for being some of the best handling cars in the world. Many consider them to be some of the greatest performance cars ever made. But even though they’re so well-known, there is still a lot about Porsche that most people don’t know. For example: Did you know that the first car that Porsche ever built was a trike? Or that the company almost went out of business in the 1970s? If you want to know more about this fascinating brand, keep reading these outstanding facts you didn't know about Porsche!

The Company Was Founded By Initially Making Tricycles

The company was started by a man named Ferdinand Porsche. He was an Austrian engineer known for designing different vehicles, including cars, airplanes, and tanks. However, his first company made tricycles in a workshop in Austria. Porsche would soon transition from tricycles to designing cars, and he partnered with a German company called Thyssen, which owned a car factory. They would eventually begin producing the first Porsche cars. During this time, Porsche also designed motorcycles and then later airplanes for the German government and as a private contractor.

The Early Days of Porsche Were Dark and Troubled

The early days of Porsche were almost as turbulent as the Second World War. The company was founded in 1931 by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, who began designing and constructing racing cars. In 1939, the German government awarded Porsche a contract to design a military vehicle. This resulted in the creation of the infamous “Kübelwagen,” based on the design of the Volkswagen Beetle. During this time, Porsche had also been working on designing a car that would be affordable for middle-class families. This car would eventually become the Volkswagen Beetle, designed to be a “people’s car” and provide cheap transportation for families. Unfortunately, the Second World War would be a huge setback for Porsche. The company was so involved with German military operations that it didn’t produce a single car for the civilian market between 1939 and 1945.

Porsche’s Innovative Tuning and Engineering Set Them Apart

The first thing new customers notice about Porsche is its engineering. It’s not that the cars are low or slow, but rather that they are highly refined and tuned. Porsche engineers clearly understand how to make their vehicles as safe as possible while still achieving the performance they’re looking for. They’re also very skilled at designing based on existing technology. This is especially true with sports cars, which are often dominated by the same technology throughout their entire production cycle. The most obvious example is the 997 Coupe, produced between 1996 and 2006 but produced in various other models during its production run.

The 997 Coupe had an engine displacement of 1,971 ccs (32 ci), which aligns with the previous Ferraris and Lamborghinis regarding displacement and power output. The car’s power output was rated at 201 hp (155 kW) from its four-cylinder engine, which was paired exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission. This wasn’t quite a powerful enough engine to match up against other high-powered engines available at the time – even today, this model would be considered to be an outlier – but it did come in handy when racing around town or on highway excursions without much assistance from other cars on the road!

A Vegan Soup inspired the Original Porsche Logo

The logo for Porsche, an intertwined “P” and “S,” was inspired by a vegan soup named “Porsche,” which was made from beets, potatoes, and other vegetables. According to Porsche, the soup was “bright red” and “sort of like a splash of red on a plate.” It was also a healthy, nutritious soup that was inexpensive to make. It was also delicious, and just like the logo, it was “bright and attractive.” The logo’s red color also has another interesting story behind it. It was meant to pay homage to Porsche’s Austrian roots. Red is a very important color in Austria, symbolizing power, strength, and courage. So, the logo’s red color was meant to symbolize this and the power of the car brand.

In The 1970s, Porsche Almost Went Out Of Business

Although Porsche is known for making amazing, high-performance sports cars, it almost went out of business in the 1970s. During this time, the company fell out with Volkswagen, the parent company that owned the factory that made Porsche cars. After the falling out, Porsche could no longer produce their cars at the Volkswagen factory. This meant that they suddenly lost a lot of business. The company was so desperate for money that there was a rumor that Porsche would sell the Porsche name to Ford for $80 million. Thankfully, that never happened, and in the end, Porsche was able to secure a loan from the German government. They were able to use the loan to start building their factory, and by the end of the 1970s, the company was back on track.

All New Porsches Are Electronic And Computer-Based

In addition to high-performance sports cars, all new Porsches are also computer-based. Most cars are completely electronic, with “electronics” being the most expensive part of the car. According to one engineer, “Porsche is the only manufacturer in the world where the electronics cost more than the engine.” It’s also believed that the company’s upcoming fully-electric vehicle will be the most “computer-driven car ever built.” This means that, in addition to being some of the best performance cars in the world, Porsche’s vehicles are also some of the most technologically advanced. It’s also why they are often very expensive. For example, the company’s Porsche 919 Hybrid car cost a whopping $13 million to build!

Currently, There Are No PDK Or Manual Porsches Under Development

When you think of a Porsche, you might imagine a car with a manual shift or a beautifully designed, sleek, and fast-shifting gear shift. But that’s not what modern-day Porsches are like. Porsche has stopped making manual Porsches, and no manual models are currently in development. There are, however, a few models from the past that were made with a manual gear shift. These include the 911R (a limited edition car), the 911 Carrera RSR, the 911 Carrera RS, and the 911 Carrera RS 3.0. But these are highly sought-after and extremely rare cars, so unless you have a lot of money, you’re not likely to own one anytime soon.

Bottom Line

Porsche is one of the most famous car brands, and with good reason. Their cars are not only beautiful but also fast and high-performance. However, they’re also extremely expensive, especially the company’s upcoming fully-electric vehicle. Hopefully, once the car is released, we’ll learn more about its cost and statistics. And who knows? Maybe it will cost as much as a house! Whatever the case, these five facts about Porsche will amaze and impress Porsche lovers and car aficionados. So the next time you see a Porsche driving by, be sure to appreciate it for all that it is and for all it stands for. Follow porschemotorcar.com for more information on the latest Porsche models and cars.