Porsche Racing Heritage

Porsche’s racing heritage can be traced back to July 11, 1948. Porsche chassis No. 1 was not even five weeks old when Ferdinand Porsche’s nephew, Herbert Kaes drove the car in the first race held in Austria after the war and brought home a victory in its class.

Porsche’s racing heritage has been built through success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Porsche went on a run to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1981 to 1987, and no less than a total of 16 times up to 1998. No other manufacturer can even come close to that record. Porsche has more than 50 class wins at Le Mans as well.

Rally and off-road racing are important parts of Porsche’s rich motorsports history, including Hans Hermann winning the La Carrera Panamericana in a Porsche 550 Spyder in the 1500 cc class in 1954 and driver Vic Elford/co-driver David Stone bringing Porsche its first overall World Rally Championship win in 1968 at the Monte Carlo Rally in a Porsche 911 T.

In the Florida endurance classic, the 24 Hours at Daytona, Porsche has collected 64 class and 22 overall wins in the race’s 49-year history. In fact, in recent years, Porsches have made up almost one-half of the overall entry list at Daytona.

Porsche is the most successful manufacturer by far in the history of international sports car racing. Porsche and motorsports: The two are virtually inseparable.