The influence of the name Porsche on motoring history stretches back over 50 years prior to the first production car bearing the family name. Dr Ferdinand Porsche owned a small family tinsmith business and at the end of the war was interned by the French for his involvement in war time projects. Despite being 70 years old and in poor health he survived 2 years imprisonment to be released in 1948 to return to the family business. During his time in prison, his son Ferry had built a prototype of which would become their first production car, the 356.

From the first production model, the 356 of 1948, it was clear that Porsche's would be unlike their competitors. As the range developed and the company grew, its designers produced cars that relied on lightweight, aerodynamic form and engineering inguenuity rather than following the example of other manufacturers.

The result was a series of cars most notably the 911, first launched in 1964, which have been continuosly refined with the help of modern technology developed for the company's competition cars, each of which is instantly recognisable as a product of the imfamous Porsche factory.