1964 Porsche 901
Quick Specs
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130 hp.
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8.3 seconds.
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82 Porsche 901’s were produced before being changed to 911.
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Frankfurt Auto Show, as the successor to the 356.
The Porsche Not-Quite-11
Considered one of the most recognizable sports cars in the history of the automobile, the Porsche 911 debuted in September 1963 at the Frankfurt Auto Show. A radical departure in form from the four-cylinder Porsche 356, the 901 represented the most advanced thinking of Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche – a rear-mounted flat six, giving the car both power and traction. First called the 901, the new model was renamed the 911 when Peugeot claimed the worldwide trademark rights to all three-digit car model designations with a "0" as the middle number. This car is 901 #20, out of about 82 cars built in mid-1964 before official production of the 911 started – which is why it’s officially designated a 901 and not a 911. Later-production 901s were delivered as 911s, despite being designated as 901s. Advanced in comparison to the Volkswagen-derived Porsche 356 engine, the newly designed Porsche 901/911 power unit was a two-liter air-cooled flat six that produced 130 horsepower. The donor of this example painstakingly restored this car to prize-winning condition over a period of several years. More than 50 years later, the basic configuration of the Porsche 911 hasn’t changed.
Collection of the Petersen Automotive Museum, Gift of James G. and Rachel E. Stull
This Vehicle featured in ‘The Vault’.
1964 Porsche 901 Gallery
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