Porsche Is Celebrating 70 Years of Sports Cars

Ferdinand Porsche founded his engineering office in 1931, but the first car to bear the Porsche name—the Porsche 356—made its debut on June 8, 1948. That’s where the Porsche brand’s story began, and this year marks its 70th anniversary. Only 70 years? I’d somehow imagined it had been around longer.

The original Porsche 356 is now on display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. (I took this photo myself when my husband and I visited Germany.)

The 911, introduced as the 356’s successor, has become synonymous with Porsche. More than one million have reportedly been built to date. Incredible.

Porsche 70th Anniversary Events Around the World

It sounds like anniversary events are planned around the world.

To mark this milestone year, Porsche has a packed calendar of events around the globe. On February 3, “The Porsche Effect” opened at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. In Germany, the first “70 Years of Porsche Sports Cars” exhibition will be held at DRIVE. Volkswagen Group Forum in Berlin from March 20 to 31. The Porsche Museum will also open a special exhibition on June 9. That same day, Porsche will host “Sportscar Together Day” for sports car fans worldwide. Over the weekend of June 16–17, employees, residents of the Zuffenhausen district and customers will be invited to official celebrations at and around the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. The anniversary will also be celebrated at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK from July 12 to 15, and at Rennsport Reunion in California from September 27 to 30. The year’s festivities are set to conclude with the first-ever “Sound Night” at Porsche Arena in Stuttgart on October 13.

Excerpted from GetNaviweb: “Porsche Sports Cars Celebrate Their 70th Anniversary”

February 3 onward: “The Porsche Effect: 70 Years of Porsche Sports Cars,” Los Angeles, USA
March 20–21: “Sportscar Together Day,” Berlin, Germany
June 9: “Official Celebration” and “Sportscar Together Day,” Stuttgart, Germany
July 12–15: “Festival of Speed,” UK
September 27–30: “Rennsport Reunion,” California, USA
October 13: “Sound Night,” Stuttgart, Germany

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…Umm… so there’s nothing happening in Japan? (-_-)??

I wondered, so I checked the Porsche Japan website… Oh, there’s something here?

From June 8–10, 2018, we will celebrate Porsche’s 70th anniversary around the world as “Sportscar Together Day.” Numerous Porsche events will be held in countries across the globe, bringing together sports car drivers, enthusiasts and fans.

And that’s it.

…

…I know that already! (-_-)/

Maybe they were planning something at Fuji Speedway? I checked the event calendar, but there was nothing scheduled for those dates.

My husband often says, “Porsche just doesn’t put much effort into Japan. There are models sold in Europe and the US that never make it here, and Taiwan got a huge Panamera launch event while Japan got nothing. It happens all the time.” This really brought that home.

…Come on, Porsche Japan—you can do it!

Come to think of it, H., the salesperson at our Porsche dealership, has been pursuing us with impressive enthusiasm lately. Maybe Porsche Japan is stepping up its efforts to boost sales here, I wondered.

Then I Realized Something Important…

At “The Porsche Effect” at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, a special exhibition featuring more than 50 rare sports cars from around the world is running through January 27, 2019. I was thinking, “That looks amazing—I’d love to see it!” when it suddenly hit me.

Every year in late July, my husband travels to the San Francisco area on business. He’d asked, “Why don’t you and the kids come along this year?” and we were planning to go.

This is my chance! ∵. ！！

I thought San Francisco and Los Angeles must be close, so I quickly checked Google Maps. Okay, the Petersen Automotive Museum’s address is… “6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, United States.”

…

…And there it is!

10 hours and 20 minutes!! ( ﾟ∀ﾟ)･∵.!!

Why was I checking the travel time from Japan? I’d forgotten to change the starting point. Phew.

Okay, let’s try San Francisco to the Petersen Automotive Museum…

…

…And there it is!

Six hours and 17 minutes by car!!

Seriously? That’s quite a drive—about as far as going from our house to Fuji Speedway.

By plane, it’s just one hour and 20 minutes. Flying would be the way to go.

Admission is $16 for adults, which seems pretty reasonable. With Porsche’s 70th-anniversary celebration taking place in Los Angeles—and with how rarely I get the chance to visit the US—I absolutely want to go.

Time to discuss it with my husband!