In 1948, Ferry Porsche realised his dream of a sports car: with his team, he produced the Porsche 356 ‘No. 1’ Roadster. It marked the birth of a legendary brand and laid the foundation for an exemplary success story, for the Porsche legend. The sports car manufacturer will mark its 75th anniversary in 2023 with celebrations around the world and the Porsche Vision 357.
“75 years of Porsche stand for pioneering spirit, passion and dreams. We are celebrating together with people who are inspired by dreams,” said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG. The celebrations kick off with the special exhibition ‘Driven by Dreams. 75 years of Porsche sports cars’, which opened on January 27 in the ‘DRIVE. Volkswagen Group Forum’ in Berlin and will run until 10 September 2023. Visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the visions and ventures of Porsche’s success story and to make a record of their own dreams and values using a digital module.
‘Driven by Dreams’ defines the essence of the brand. Furthermore, the slogan reflects the approach with which the people behind Porsche work every day to fulfil the dreams of customers around the globe. “We are proud of our heritage. It is the foundation for a successful future. We associate our heritage with innovation and progress – and continually add extraordinary new moments to the unique Porsche story,” explains Blume.
The Porsche Vision 357 – a homage to the 356 – is a prime example of this and can be seen for the first time in Berlin. With it, the Style Porsche team brings monolithic design into the present and shows possible implementations of a future design philosophy: a striking example is the consistent enhancement of the light signature, which is both progressive and visionary in the way it points towards the future. The fundamental concept is reflective of the interplay between tradition and innovation: what might Ferry Porsche’s dream of a sports car look like today?
“With the Porsche Vision 357, we have created a very special birthday present. It underlines the importance of our design DNA based on the 356,” said Michael Mauer, vice president Style Porsche. “The study is an attempt to coherently combine the past, present and future. The proportions are reminiscent of the historical model, while details visualise the view into the future.” Built on the platform of the 718 Cayman GT4 RS with 368 kW (500 PS), the Porsche Vision 357 represents outstanding sports car performance.
Design has been an elementary component of the Porsche legend since the very beginning. Visionary studies and concept cars form the foundation for unmistakable and innovative design. “Thinking about the future creatively is one of the core responsibilities of Style Porsche. Concept studies are the pool of ideas that feed the design of tomorrow,” said Mauer. “We are perpetually on a conceptual journey into the future of mobility. Time and again, the brand history serves as a source of inspiration. Taking a look back at our tradition with a future concept car is not as paradoxical as it might seem. Creative freedom is also important: this is where valuable ideas can emerge, ones that help us imagine our consistent design philosophy in innovative new directions.”
Porsche continues its anniversary celebrations just outside Stuttgart at Retro Classics. The leading trade fair for classic car culture takes place from February 23-26. On June 9, the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen will then open an extensive special exhibition. On June 10 and 11, Porsche Germany will highlight the anniversary at the ‘Festival of Dreams’ at the Hockenheimring. At the Porsche Experience Center there, the sports car manufacturer will exhibit the history, present and future of the brand.
There will be vehicle exhibitions, ‘Dream Talks’, live acts, various themed experiences and a plethora of further highlights and fascinating experiences for Porsche aficionados, Porsche club members, car communities, fans and customers of all ages. Younger visitors will have a blast in the ‘Kids World’ area.
The ‘Festival of Dreams’ also offers overnight options, with a specially designated ‘van’ area. And motorsport will play a major role: in addition to a live broadcast of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux and the ADAC GT Masters will also be present.