1. The first ever Porsche was the ‘64’, built in 1939 using mainly parts from the Model 64 VW Beetle. The flat-four engine produced just 50bhp; that’s still quite respectable for a 68-year-old car, mind.
2. The 1950s Porsche 550 Spyder was low enough to enable driver Hans Herrmann and his co-driver to drive under closed level crossing gates during the Mille Miglia in 1954. It was the same type of car that James Dean met his demise in.
3. The Porsche 917/30 (or TurboPanzer to its friends) packed over 1,100bhp and as much as 1,300bhp in qualifying spec. It was capable of 0-62mph in less than 2.0 secs and had a top speed of 257mph.
4. The Porsche 928 was the only car ever to have both factory-fitted front and rear flip-down sun visors.
5. The 1970s Porsche 935 appeared in the Transformers cartoon for years as Optimus Prime’s right hand robot, Jazz – complete with Martini graphic and colours
6. The fastest ever lap of the (shortened) Nürburgring was carried out by a factory 956 driven by Stefan Bellof. He lapped the ring in 6:11.13 in 1983 with an average speed of over 125mph
7. Porsche’s logo is based on a combination of two coats of arms. The main shield is from the former Free People’s State of Wuttemberg (where Albert Einstein was born) whilst the central part is from Stuttgart’s coat of arms.
8. The Porsche ‘Super’ isn’t some sort of special edition supercar; it’s a 38bhp tractor powered by an air-cooled, four stroke, 2625cc diesel engine. If you’ve got one in your barn, you are a lucky bastid as these things can fetch a fortune!
9. The product design studio at Porsche have designed and developed power tools, kitchen accessories, speaker systems, mobile phones, luggage, clothing and more. They even make aftershave and smoking pipes for chaps. True story
10. A survey once published in German magazine ‘Men’s Car’ revealed that almost 50 percent of Porsche drivers were cheating on their partners. The most faithful group were owners of Opel-Vauxhall cars.
offtheclothboff.com 