Porsche's Technological Innovations Part 11: Continuous Evolution

The story of Porsche and its technology could fill entire books. We will therefore limit ourselves to highlighting a few of the most significant milestones along the journey that has brought us to the present day. In 1989, the 959 was born from an idea that dated back six years earlier, in 1983 to be exact, when the Gruppe B prototype was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The decision to finalize it and put it into production stemmed from the desire to compete in the Group B rally championship, which was, however, canceled in 1986 due to excessive danger.

The 1983 Porsche 959 Gruppe B developed to compete in the World Rally Championship against Audi, Lancia, and Peugeot.

The technological effort was nonetheless rewarded both in sports and commercially. In fact, the car raced and won, with Rene Metge and Dominique Lemoine, the 1986 Paris-Dakar Rally and achieved great commercial success. When Porsche designed the 959, the goal was perfect traction. The PSK all-wheel-drive system was the technological crown jewel of the 959, allowing for variable torque distribution between the front and rear wheels. The system’s default setting was 40% front and 60% rear. During acceleration, the PSK system adjusted the ratio to deliver 80% of the torque to the rear wheels. In slippery conditions, the ratio changed to 50:50. The 959 also featured a height-adjustable suspension system with three different settings. The height could easily be changed via a knob on the dashboard. Above 80 km/h, the ground clearance automatically adjusted to the lowest setting. The small 911 had thus taken another giant leap forward in history.

Rene Metge and Dominique Lemoine won the 1986 Paris-Dakar with the Porsche 959 in the legendary Rothmans livery.

Another major technological step came with the 996 in 1997, when in Stuttgart, at Porsche’s headquarters in Zuffenhausen, the fourth generation of the 911 was born, following the 993. The real innovation was under the engine cover: the classic air-cooling system, due to the need for more powerful systems driven by increased power output and stricter environmental regulations, gave way to a new system capable of handling the power demands of both the present and the future. Production of the Porsche 996, the first of a new breed of Porsche 911, continued uninterrupted from 1997 to 2005. During those years, despite expected nostalgia for the classic system among the most loyal Porsche customers, a remarkable 175,262 units of this successful model were produced.

The 996 marked a pivotal change for Porsche, transitioning from air-cooling to water-cooling.

For its first road-legal mid-engine supercar, Porsche placed carbon fiber at the heart of its design. In collaboration with Italian company ATR Composites, the Stuttgart engineers developed a full carbon fiber monocoque chassis, contributing to performance thanks to its lightness and rigidity. The same material was used for the engine support frame and the entire bodywork. This meticulous work was tested in competition in 1998 with the 911 GT1, the first Porsche race car with a carbon fiber chassis. A long development process was necessary to bring the Carrera GT to life, presented as a concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2000 and entering production in 2003.

The Porsche Carrera GT is the brand’s first road-legal mid-engine supercar, with a 5.7-liter V10 engine producing 612 hp.

It was a shock to discover that Porsche was preparing an SUV to be called the Cayenne. It was 2003, and this new vehicle category had only recently emerged in the automotive world. The first to launch its SUV was Mercedes in 1997 with the ML, followed by BMW’s X5 in 1999, and then Porsche’s Cayenne in 2003. In 2003, Porsche’s product lineup consisted of only two models: the 911 and the first-generation Boxster, both two-seat sports cars offered in various versions. The Cayenne was something entirely new. It weighed nearly twice as much as a sports model but—contradicting the purists—it was a resounding success, even though its understated design didn’t evoke the traditional shapes or style cues. Today, after 21 years, with an expanded range and a wide choice of engines, it has taken over a significant portion of the German manufacturer’s market.

The 2003 Cayenne was a shock to Porsche purists but became a major commercial success.