Vielen Dank Porsche!!! Celebrating 75 Years Of

The Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen played host to the German marque's 75th-anniversary celebrations, showcasing the brand's past, present, and future

Tonight marks a celebration of one of the world's most prestigious automakers. Porsche's story is one of history's great triumphs of engineering, developing cars that have ignited human passion and thrilled an uncountable number of drivers. Seventy-five years ago, Porsche's identity began to take shape thanks to the mind of legendary Ferry Porsche.

While those around him were focused on developing cars with practicality in mind, Ferry Porsche put into motion the car of his dreams, fuelled by passion and imagination. On the 8th of June 1948, the 356/1 roadster was granted a general operating permit and the birth of one of the most impressive sports car dynasties was witnessed.

Around the world, Porsche has kicked off its celebrations of the momentous marker in its history. The main event is the show held at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The show includes a stunning presentation, with lights, music, and dancing to kick off the celebrations.

The German and English broadcast started at 21:40 (CEST) and features prominent figures from Porsche's past, present, and future as we go on a journey through how Porsche has shaped the automotive world throughout the years and all the things they have planned for the road ahead. The live-streamed event marks the beginning of the festivities and the Museum is planned to be open to the public tomorrow, the 9th of June.

This event is just the latest in Porsche's anniversary undertakings this year. Let's take a look at some of the ways this year has been special for Porsche already.

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Seventy-five years ago, the 356 Roadster No.1 became the first in a long line of beautiful and thrilling Porsche sports cars. As a birthday present to themselves and to all the Porsche fans of the world, the automaker teased the Vision 357.

The Vision 357 aims to incorporate the original design elements that made the 356 such a special car. The design study aims to incorporate elements of Porsche's past, present, and future to highlight the prestige the company has developed as well as its position as an innovator. Vision 357 is built on the platform of the Cayman GT4 RS, underlining the performance that has come out of the minds at Porsche. The car was the centerpiece of the Volkswagen Group's "DRIVE" Forum in Berlin back in January and has been showcased throughout the year at different 75th-anniversary events.

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On the 2nd of July 2022, Thomas Preining crossed the line in Nuremberg and made history for Porsche. This is the first time the brand has claimed victory in the DTM series. Timo Bernhard and the Porsche Heritage and Museum department have worked tirelessly to repair the 991 so that it can join the halls of the museum.

This exhibit is a celebration of modern Porsche motorsports and showcases the racing in their veins. The 991 joins a collection of 750 vehicles and approximately 250 race cars. This huge victory for Porsche marks only the most recent win in a long history of triumphs. Many of the cars from the collection have been globetrotting to different Porsche events all as part of the company's anniversary fanfare.

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Retro Classics is the world's foremost event trade fair for classic and historical cars. The event took place in Stuttgart back towards the end of February this year. Porsche was at the forefront of the festival this year, displaying a number of cars from its museum exhibits alongside some influential people from the company's long history.

The company split its presentation into three parts: 75 years of production and manufacturing, 75 years of sports cars, and 75 years of people. The event showcased a slew of Porsche racing history and put faces to some of the most iconic moments in motoring history.

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The Porsche badge has undergone a slight redesign that has been three years in the making. The manufacturer has made a careful effort to ensure that they kept the integrity of the original badge in their modernization process. The new badge represents a cleaner and more state-of-the-art execution, according to Michael Mauer, Vice President of Style Porsche.

The new badge has kept much to its original and historical roots, with the company using the overarching design since the 1950s. The new crest has incorporated modern elements, such as brushed metal and a honeycomb design to freshen up the trademark for the 75th anniversary of the company.

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The original 356 Roadster saw its debut exactly 75 years ago to this date. Ferry Porsche's legendary creation springboarded Porsche and created its reputation as we know it today. This is why the Porsche Museum is hosting a special festival of events at its location tonight, being broadcast across the globe to fans of the sports car developer. The event looks to celebrate the people, engineering, and vision that has helped shaped Porsche and the brains behind the innovations happening at the company today. The festivities began at 21:40 (CEST) tonight (the 8th of June) and mark the opening of the Museum to the public tomorrow the 9th.

It opened with a beautiful show of influencers wishing the brand a happy birthday along with a short video clip celebrating Porsche's history. The motto of the entire event, as stated by the evening's hosts is "Driven By Dreams", something they promise to elaborate on throughout the show. We were initially presented with a few teasers, the most prominent of all being the promise of a world premiere of Porsche's Mission X.

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The first highlight of the show was an interview with Porsche CEO, Oliver Blume. Blume goes on to talk about the history of Porsche and how the company is run on heart and dreams. The interviewer asks Blume about the upcoming celebrations where we are promised some exciting calendar dates coming up for the manufacturer, including the 100th anniversary of the 24hr Le Man's race.

The interviewer goes on to ask Blume about his most influential moment with the company, where he talks about the development of the Taycan as Porsche's first all-electric sports car. He also goes on to say that if he were to take one car on a road trip it would be the upcoming Macan model, which promises to be the first all-electric model of the car. This interview may suggest a larger direction for the company, moving away from combustion engines and following the trend of electrification.

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Porsche's CEO took to truly start off the celebrations, driving home the idea that for 75 years Porsche has been run on dreams. He talks about how Ferry Porsche dreamed of a sports car that did not yet exist and that he was able to make that sports car a reality. Blume talks about Porsche reinventing itself over the years but how important it has been to stay true to its identity. Coming back to Ferry Porsche, Blume introduces Mark Weber chauffering Wolfgang Porsche to the stage in the 356 Roadster No.1.

Wolfgang retails how the 365 that he arrived in is the first ever Porsche and how his father made it a reality. He once again talks about Porsche's ability to transform over the years and how they've successfully transformed themselves time and again to fit the mold as well as to reinvent and innovate when it comes to sports car engineering. Mr. Porsche's speech is an inspiring recount of the history of Porsche and the promising future ahead of the company.

Porsche took us on a trip around the world, showing how some of their global centers are celebrating the brand's birthday.

We're first taken to São Paulo in Brazil where we are shown a Porsche center that prioritizes green energy. Their center is ringed with plant life to help reduce their carbon footprint. Futher, they claim that 65 percent of the electricity their center uses is solar. This highlights Porsche's commitment to green energy and to sustainable practices.

We're also shown the Porsche center in China where they are preparing to host the largest group of people at any Porsche China event in history, with 100,000 guests arriving. In Franciacorta they are hosting a further 250,000 guests. Our final destination on our Porsche Experience Center tour is in Croatia, where we are shown a high-tech drone and light show.

Design was a big talking point of the Porsche 75th anniversary show. One of the main presenters for such point was Michael Mauer, who discussed the 356, Porsche's history of design, and the future heritage models. A heritage model 911 is brought out, featuring some prominent gold, retro lettering among some other distinguishable features. Michael talks about the desire of Porsche to keep their design close to the iconic feel of the past while also innovating along with cultural zeitgeist.

Frank-Steffen Walliser, the mind behind the 918 Hybrid also came on stage to discuss his history with Porsche and their goals in terms of design. He claims that the main objective of Porsche at this stage is to be a technological innovator. This means that the company wants to be on the cutting edge of automotive technology and hints towards an electric future.

Another key point in the address was when Oliver Blume commented on Porsche's goals in terms of a new project with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. As part of their 75th anniversary, they seek to grant 75 wishes this year to children with terminal illness. Further, the company looks to extedn this program over the next three years, granting 356 wishes in total to commemorate the 356 Roadster.

A segment that ran throughout the show was the naming of the top 10 most iconic Porsche sports cars, according to the automaker themselves. Some of the choices were surprising, but this was their list nonetheless.

10. Porsche 917

9. 1997 Porsche 911 GT1

8. Porsche 919 Hybrid

7. Porsche 901/911

6. Porsche 911 Speedster

5. Porsche 550 Spyder

4. Porsche 356

3. Porsche 959

2. Porsche Carrera GT

1. Porsche 918 Spyder

Throughout the entire night, it was teased that the evening would culminate with the reveal of Porsche's new hypercar, which they have secretly codenamed Mission X. The entirety of their motto, "Driven By Dreams", surrounded the reveal of the hypercar. A short video was played before the release showing a twisting and molding of liquid metal, symbolizing the company's adaptability and their commitment to the future of technology. The words "Call of Tomorrow" show on screen, and the car shapes itself.

The first thing you notice about Mission X is its striking headlights. They definitely pay homage to Porsche's racing history but with a modern and innovative design. The blocky headlights are cut into the car's otherwise sleek body. Ultimately, the rest of the design embodies everything a vision car hopes to be. The cockpit looks like the bridge of a spaceship, with glass surrounding where the driver would sit. The body is sleek and singular, running along the ground like a work of art. It absolutely embodies the "Call of Tomorrow" and the direction that Porsche built up throughout the duration of the event. The car aims to be the faster road legal car to go around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It also seeks to set a new standard for electric vehicle technology in general.

Mission X is a 100 percent electric hypercar and aligns with Porsche's mission of sustainability. Along with the reveal, Blume makes a bold statement in claiming that by the year 2030, 80 percent of Porsche's lineup will be all electric. This includes the Macan that he mentioned earlier in the night alongside an all electric Cayman and a line of as-of-yet unnamed luxury passenger cars.

Ultimately, the event was a great way to start off the celebrations for the 75th birthday of an automaker that has shaped the automotive landscape over the years. From iconic car designers, to celebrity brand ambassadors such as Mark Weber and Patrick Dempsey, the event was full of passion and had no lack of dreamers. Taking a look back at Porsche's history reminds us of where such an iconic brand has its roots and how they came to be the brand they are today.

We also got an insight into the future of Porsche and it is looking staunchly electric. Porsche's commitment to green and renewable practices means we're likely to see a pretty quick phase-out of internal combustion engines from the automaker. Speechs from their designers and their CEO also made it absolutely clear that they also believe that making cars electric is the next step in achieving top-tier performance out of their cars. No doubt this will upset some, but this move seems to be the most natural for the automaker.

All-in-all this kickstart to the celebrations was brilliant, and we wish Porsche a very happy birthday. We can only hope that their next 75 years push the bounds of the automotive world the same way the last 75 have.

Tyler Dupont has had a deep passion for cars his entire life. That coupled with his love to write has brought him to TopSpeed to share his love of Motorsport with the world.