Photo: Porsche
Since the beginning of September, autoevolution brought you an avalanche of Porsche-related news as part of our special monthly coverage. After all, September is the birth month of the carmaker’s most important figure ever, Ferdinand Porsche. But whereas that celebration happens every year, Porsche only turns 70 on American soil once, and that is in 2020.
The carmaker has been around in some form or another since right before the start of the Second World War, but it didn’t certify its first mass produced car for the road until 1948. It’s the 356 we’re talking about, of course, the little car that is the object of desire for countless present-day car collectors, who are willing to pay sums well into the six-digit territory for one.
Soon after the 356 got the green light, Porsche was already targeting America. Despite having fought a war against Americans (the man was a major contributor to the German war effort), Ferdinand Porsche had no problem selling cars to his nation’s former (and very recent) enemies.
The brand began selling its first cars in the U.S. in 1950, through a dealership owned by Austrian Max Hoffman. Porsche’s efforts overseas were not backed by marketing departments or strategies, advertising was almost non-existent, and the 356s themselves had no real reputation, just a higher price than other vehicles on the market, and a smaller engine.
Fast forward seven decades later, and we have a Porsche that is firmly affixed to American soil. The older cars wearing the badge make the rounds on sales websites, changing hands repeatedly and almost always at a higher value, new cars sell like hotcakes, there’a massive Porsche corporate presence in the states (including, now, marketing departments), and more exciting things loom on the horizon.
But is one of these things a special something meant to celebrate the carmaker’s anniversary in the U.S.? Hard to say. There’s a little press release on the subject of the anniversary (attached below), but it mentions nothing of a special model, a special livery, and not even a party, for that matter.
We’ll be on the lookout though and let you know if something does pop up in the very few months left until the end of the year, as we believe Americans certainly deserve something for their loyalty to the German brand.
Soon after the 356 got the green light, Porsche was already targeting America. Despite having fought a war against Americans (the man was a major contributor to the German war effort), Ferdinand Porsche had no problem selling cars to his nation’s former (and very recent) enemies.
The brand began selling its first cars in the U.S. in 1950, through a dealership owned by Austrian Max Hoffman. Porsche’s efforts overseas were not backed by marketing departments or strategies, advertising was almost non-existent, and the 356s themselves had no real reputation, just a higher price than other vehicles on the market, and a smaller engine.
Fast forward seven decades later, and we have a Porsche that is firmly affixed to American soil. The older cars wearing the badge make the rounds on sales websites, changing hands repeatedly and almost always at a higher value, new cars sell like hotcakes, there’a massive Porsche corporate presence in the states (including, now, marketing departments), and more exciting things loom on the horizon.
But is one of these things a special something meant to celebrate the carmaker’s anniversary in the U.S.? Hard to say. There’s a little press release on the subject of the anniversary (attached below), but it mentions nothing of a special model, a special livery, and not even a party, for that matter.
We’ll be on the lookout though and let you know if something does pop up in the very few months left until the end of the year, as we believe Americans certainly deserve something for their loyalty to the German brand.
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