Zooming through the highways of Europe like a rocket, the Porsche has been an icon in the car industry primarily known for its high speed capabilities and top notch reliability. Porsche also serves as a status symbol for its owners as only those in the upper echelon of society will likely have the biggest chance to own such a prestigious car.Porsche has a colorful and meaningful in its over 100 years of existence. The first Porsche was commissioned by the provincial government Karnten, Austria on June 8 1948. The first Porsche out of production was the 356, which was developed by Professor Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche.

Ferry Porsche started the company in 1947 having a goal of producing a sports car that he himself will like. The car would be based on the Volkswagen Beetle that was engineered by his father, Professor Ferdinand Porsche.A total of 52 units of the Porsche 356 model rolled out in the original Gmund plant.

As of 1950, a new plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen was producing the next batches of Porsche cars. A total of 78,000 drivers owned a 356 by 1965 when the company decided to end production of the model. Porsche introduced new models afterwards and these were also well-accepted by buyers all over the world because of their reliable and progressive technology and beautiful design.

Porsche also started its successful foray in to motorsport with the use of the 356. The first 356 with the chassis number 356.001 triumphed in its first class victory in the Innsbury City Race.Porsche is among those with the highest number of overall wins and championships. Porsche has won the Formula 1 championship three times and has 15 victories in the 24 Hours Le Mans.The company's Research and Development Centre in Weissach, Stuttgart is a very important part of the automotive industry.

The Weisasch Centre continues to design premium sports cars and technical projects based on the philosophies of Ferry Porsche's father. Porsche offers arguably the most comprehensive development service that extends from detail solutions to complete cars.The 911.Despite years of success achieved by the Porsche 356, Ferry Porsche believed that his company had to come up with a new model that would carry the firm to new heights in the automotive sector. The performance of the Porsche 356 was outstanding given various upgrades such as creating a 2.0 litre engine but its developers knew that it had its limitations.

The Porsche 911 was the brainchild of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, Ferry's son and grandchild of Ferdinand. The Porsche 911 was originally called the 901. The 911 was fitted with an all-new six-cylinder engine that had strong potential.The model can accelerate over 210 km/h or 130 mph and featured a unique safety steering system.The system was placed above the floor panel that allowed more room for luggage because the steering transmission only occupied a small space in the vehicle.

The design of the 911 enabled engineers to easily create left hand and right hand models and the steering column can easily fold to protect the driver from head-on collisions.A water cooled six-cylinder version of the Porsche 911 was introduced in 1997 thereby signaling the end of the strong 34-year run of the original 911. The new Porsche 911 featured a more powerful engine, better performance and reliability and improved fuel efficiency.The all-new 911 easily passed the strictest standards of the European automotive market, as emissions were reduced to a minimum. The model also produced ultra-low floor noise and continues to perform well in the market.

By: Khieng Chho