Slipstream - April 2018

The center area of the exhibit is dedicated to The
Porsche Club of America. Large graphic images of
Panorama cover pages adorn the walls, and there is a large
display of historic artifacts from the club. Many years’
worth of historic radiator badges are displayed. The
Also displayed in this area is the very limited 2016
991 GTS Club Coupe. The very existence of this vehicle
demonstrates the close relationship between Porsche
and the Porsche Club of America (PCA). This car was
produced in honor of PCA’s 60th anniversary.
The next section was my
personal favorite: a collection
of Porsche racing cars. The first
vehicle in the display is the 1955
550/1500 RS Spyder, Chassis
0073. The mid-engine Spyder
was the first production Porsche
specially developed for racing.
The aluminum body and tubeframe
chassis reduced weight,
while the 110 horsepower fourcam
flat-4 engine gave racewinning
performance. Porsche
also utilized wind tunnel testing
to perfect the shape of the
Spyder and improve the airflow.
The 550 was an overall success
on the track, including this example
which finished second in
points in its SCCA class for the
1956 season.
Other race cars on display
include the 1966 Carrera 6, 2008 RS Spyder, 1983
956, and a 1985 959 “Paris Dakar.” Two iconic 24
Hours of Le Mans-winning models are also included:
a Gulf-livery 917K, and the more recent 2015 919 Hybrid
that was part of the team that kicked off the most
recent “Hat Trick” of successive wins at Le Mans in
2015, 2016, and 2017. Power in the 919 comes from
a 500-horsepower four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline
engine and a 400+ horsepower electric motor that derives
power from a combination of reclaimed braking
and exhaust energy. This chassis came in second in
the 2015 Le Mans race and won the 6 hour events at
COTA, the Nürburgring, and Fuji.
Clockwise from oppostite page: 550 Spyder 1500, 2016 991 GTS
Club Coupe, 917 in Gulf Livery, 1955 356 Continental. View the
entire catalog: http://bit.ly/porscheeffect
120,000-member-strong club (over 144 regions) makes
this club unique among fans of automobile marques in
both size and complexity. The “Porsche Parade,” an
annual national convention of PCA members, is often
staged in smaller American cities where the dramatic
influx of members and their vehicles creates the
maximum “Porsche Effect.”
The exhibit also includes several interesting prototypes,
historic advertising, Porsche Design products,
and company contributions to other pursuits such as
cycling and snow sledding. The Petersen Automotive
Museum exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to
examine a purposefully selected array of Porsche vehicles
whose designs both celebrate and challenge the
firm’s engineering tradition. Together
they provide a means to understand
how so small a company has come to
wield so large an influence, an influence
that can only be described as
“The Porsche Effect”
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