Perhaps more than any other automaker, Porsche’s history is a mix of industrial design, motorsports, production cars and experimental cars. Over the years, Porsche has built everything from farm tractors through formula cars, though not every project was a success.
It’s these “misfit toys” that most Porsche fans don’t even know about, like the aero-enhanced 924 built to challenge the world endurance record (before the project was scrapped), or the “Porsche Junior” Type 984, which borrowed heavily from the Lotus Elan and was completed as a concept some five years before Mazda introduced the Miata. There are competition cars built just to win a single race, indicating the importance of motorsport to Porsche.
The Stuttgart automaker is also wise enough to understand its strengths and weaknesses. It built a bullet-proof Type 996 Porsche 911 as a concept to challenge Mercedes-Benz, before realizing that the market for a three-ton 911 was a small one indeed.
We’re not sure how many “behind-the-scenes-at-the-Porsche-collection” videos they’ll give us, but we’ll watch as many as they produce.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
