2023-10-19 22:01:00
The Mona Lisa…A laughable parallel? Yet it makes sense. The Porsche 911, much more than a car, a true icon celebrating its 60th anniversary. Praised to the skies by both lovers of fine mechanics and discerning aesthetes, this little coupe, born from the imagination of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, has had an incredible success story. A saga spanning eight generations, produced in excess of 1,250,000 units. Which makes it the best-selling sports car in the world. And a very large majority of copies are still in circulation to this day.
Timeless symbol
Just like the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, the 911 fully deserves its place in the most famous museums in the world, such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Each, at its time, in 1503 as in 1963, made its mark on history. Same mischievous look and smirk. Same harmonious curves. Two masterpieces, timeless symbols of Western art.
Without the ostentation or exuberance of the Italian Ferrari or Lamborghini, this Porsche has flown over the trends and demonstrated its reliability. Also comfortable to go “buy your bread only to be driven on the circuit, a 911 expresses sportiness, but never aggressiveness”, as Porsche chief designer Michael Mauer explained in 2013.
She capsized the hearts of personalities as diverse as the singer Johnny Hallyday, the President of the Republic Georges Pompidou, the self made man Bernard Tapie, a host of actors including Keanu Reeves, high-level athletes such as the tennis player Maria Sharapova or the Olympic pole vault medalist Renaud Lavilllenie… More than a social marker, the link between everyone, this feeling that the steering wheel becomes an inseparable interface between man and machine, an umbilical cord through which adrenaline and endorphins pass simultaneously. To deliver sensations that the competition tries, still in vain, to match.
A big gap of sixty years between these two generations. The proportions are more generous, but the heritage of sportiness and versatility, respected to the letter, is a miracle. Credit: Nice-Matin Archives.
A road strewn with pitfalls
Yet this success story has experienced many pitfalls and adventures. In the mid-1950s, the German firm considered replacing the 356, the brand’s only model. Two firms worked in competition, between 1961 and 62. While the 4-seater concept (less original) carried by Erwin Komenda, is regarding to be validated, it is the model of Ferdinand Alexander “Butzy”, son of Ferry Porsche (the CEO), which wins, in the form of a more compact 2+2 seater.
The technical part is entrusted to Ferdiand Piëch, nephew of the boss. Now the famous Boxer “flat six”, six-cylinder air-cooled engine block comes into play. Or rather in backpack mode, placed on the rear axle. He won’t move once more. In 1964, it only delivered 130 horsepower for two liters of displacement. That seems meager. But we must remember that its acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 9.1 seconds and its top speed of 210 km/h made it one of the most efficient sports cars on the market!
Continue to discover the future of the iconic Nine Eleven in our New Era magazine.
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