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Culture > Bliss

Porsche opens Berlin exhibit to mark a milestone

To commemorate 70th anniversary of first production car

The cars are presented like life-size die-cast toy cars. PHOTO FROM PORSCHE

Just in case you happen to have a trip to Germany in the coming days, you might want to pass by the “70 Years of the Porsche Sports Car” exhibit from March 20 to May 31 this year, at the Drive Volkswagen Group Forum in Berlin. The show is designed to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the 356, the very first automobile to bear the Porsche badge.

It is true that Ferdinand Porsche founded his company in 1931, but in the beginning, it served merely as a design and engineering office for clients. In fact, this was how Mr. Porsche ended up creating the Volkswagen Beetle in the 1930s.

It was not until 1948—with the release of the 356 sports car—that Porsche manufactured its own vehicle (meaning one that carried the Porsche name). This is the milestone being celebrated by the Berlin exhibit.

Porsche fanatics might wet their skinny pants here. PHOTOS FROM PORSCHE

The exhibition features such noteworthy Porsche cars as the one-millionth unit of the 911, the Mission E, the Boxster, the 917/20 “Pink Pig” race car, and the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo.

The Berlin exhibit also pays tribute to seven decades of passionate and loyal employees. PHOTO FROM PORSCHE

But the real star of the show is the 356 “No. 1” roadster. This car represents the model that started it all for the German brand. A piece of trivia: On June 8, 1948, a Porsche prototype for the 356—one with chassis number 356-001—“received its general operating permit.” And then, as they say, the rest is history.

The historical 356 'No. 1' roadster with some German dude named Walter Rohrl. PHOTOS FROM PORSCHE

The exhibit is open to the public seven days a week, from 10am to 8pm. Admission is free, which means you can have more European beer while you play Porsche-spotting in Germany. Hopefully not while driving on the autobahn, of course.



Vernon B. Sarne

Vernon is the founder and editor-in-chief of VISOR. He has been an automotive journalist since July 1995. He became one by serendipity, walking into the office of a small publishing company and applying for a position he had no idea was for a local car magazine. God has watched over him throughout his humble journey. He writes the ‘Spoiler’ column.



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