From Posters to Social Media – Entering the Porsche world then and now

For many Porsche fans, there was an event in their lives that turned them from young people into car enthusiasts. For some, it was a cover photo in a car magazine, while others saw a Porsche parked on the street, had a poster of one on their bedroom wall, or saw one in a movie. Let’s take another trip down memory lane and look at some stereotypical experiences – how different generations found their way into the world of Porsche.

In the radio generation, motor racing sounded like medium wave radio

Long before anyone could type “Zuffenhausen” into Google, motorsport was primarily a sound. In the 1950s, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was not broadcast on television, but on the radio. Young and old sat in front of crackling transistor radios and listened to the raspy voice of the commentator on one of the old medium wave frequencies.

When Hans Hermann, Paul Frère or Huschke von Hanstein were mentioned, silence fell over the room – and then, again and again, that word: Porsche. The early racing heroes drove the first Porsche endurance racers of the 356 and 550 Spyder calibre. Their sound through the radio was distorted and shrill, while the reporters raised their voices to compete with the roar of the engines.

Historic pre-1965 Porsche racing cars offered on Elferspot

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Those who had the opportunity to see these cars on the road with their own eyes were fortunate. Most enthusiasts had to content themselves with brief black-and-white glimpses or a mention in the evening news. Sometimes it was an uncle who reported that “the Porsches” had once again achieved a class victory. The brand was more of a myth than a tangible product.

When pictures learned to run – The TV-generation

With the spread of television, the myth suddenly took on a visual form. In the 1960s and 70s, it was individual sports broadcasts and magazine programmes that brought the Porsche name into living rooms. Only few programmes showed short clips from the circuit: blurred telephoto shots from Le Mans, a Porsche 917 in Gulf livery, and later the first 935s with their monstrous spoilers.

But even outside of motorsport, cars were becoming increasingly prominent on television. Car tests attracted more and more viewers. At that time, very comprehensive vehicle tests with lots of measurements were a central part of evening entertainment. In the late 1970s, TV shows like Top Gear were the only opportunities to see the latest cars in action for many, unless you were involved with them professionally.

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Broadcast times were limited, and the motorsport coverage even smaller. Anyone who wanted to see Porsche had to be patient and study the TV programme. When a short film clip from Le Mans, the Targa Florio or the World Sportscar Championship was announced, it was a must-see. For many, the fascination arose in precisely those few minutes: a brief commentary, a picture of the winner’s podium, a 911 with a start number in the parc fermé. That was all there was, but it was enough to anchor the brand in people’s minds.

Porsches in car magazines – dreams used to smell of printing ink

For many, Porsche became truly tangible through commercial car magazines. In the 1970s and 80s, magazines such as auto motor und sport and Autocar were the most important gateway to the world of sports cars. Many eagerly awaited the publication date, wanting to be the first to get their hands on the magazines, still fresh with the smell of printing ink. They leafed through comparison tests between the 911 SC and Ferrari, studied tables with acceleration values and read driving reports in which test editors described the cars’ characteristics.

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Those who bought such a magazine didn’t just read it through and put it away. They were lent out, tests were read several times, technical drawings were traced with a ruler. People learned what “oversteer” meant, why a 911 demanded respect in wet conditions, and why a 911 G-Model reacted differently to a saloon car on country roads. They searched the classified ads for used 911s, even though their own budgets were far from sufficient. The magazine became a bridge between everyday life and dream cars – and often remained on the shelf for years.

The first Porsche on the bedroom wall – The Poster & Cinema Generation

As magazines increasingly became glossy publications, Porsche simultaneously conquered children’s bedrooms. In the 1980s, posters of the 930 Turbo, 944 and 959 were a fixture in many car magazines and, as a result, in many teenagers’ bedrooms. Petrol stations, newsagents and tuning shops sold large-format glossy prints. The use of Porsches in films and series proved to be a particular box office hit. It felt like every third teenager’s bedroom in the 90s had a Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 from Bad Boys hanging on the wall. The Porsche 928 in Scarface and Risky Business became cult figures.

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These motifs were much more than mere decoration. For many children and young people, they defined what a sports car should look like. The perspective, the colour, the rims – all of this shaped the image of the perfect Porsche. When they woke up in the morning, they saw the same Turbo on the wall. When they turned off the light in the evening, they took one last look at the Speedline rims. Access to the brand was very direct during this phase: only a sheet of paper stood between the fan and the car.

Thanks to computer games, kids of the 90s and 2000s were able to drive their first few metres in a Porsche from the living room

The triumph of game consoles and PCs brought with it a new way to access the world of Porsche: video games. At first, licensed Porsches were rather rare. In the most famous game of the 1990s, the Gran Turismo series, only RUF models were available to drive. But by the time Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed was released in 2000, the 911, Transaxle, 356 and even Moby Dick had finally arrived in the gaming world.

For the first time, even kids without a driving licence could send a 911 onto virtual race tracks, change gears and search for braking points. The driving physics weren’t perfect, but the effect was profound: a Porsche went from being a distant dream to an interactive object. Its colour, rims and performance level could be changed in the menu, and damage could be reversed at the touch of a button. Many of those who drive real 911s today experienced their first 911 on a console. There are now even virtual Porsche Cups, which Porsche Motorsport itself monitors very closely in order to scout for talent.

From brochures to browser tabs – The Internet and Social Media Generation

Manufacturers soon recognised the advantages of virtual access to cars. The first configurators appeared on the internet almost immediately – what used to be possible only at the car dealership now moved to the web browser. Now anyone with a computer and internet access could put together their own personal dream car.

What used to be possible only at the car dealership has now moved to the web browser.

The path from initial interest to a very concrete idea of owning your own car was thus drastically shortened. At night, you could click through countless different colour variations of the Porsche 911, compare equipment combinations and make the dream of “owning a Porsche someday” as vivid as if you had already ordered it.

With the advent of social media, all hell broke loose, so to speak. Videos, images and short clips on virtually all Porsche models have been available on smartphones at any time since then. Modifieds, Backdates and hot rods reached an audience of millions virtually overnight, opening up the world of Porsche to everyone.

How will AI and virtual reality change the future?

What unites all the different paths into the Porsche cosmos is the same passion for automobiles. Whether we followed the racing battles of Le Mans on the radio in our youth or drove our first laps in a Porsche on the Nordschleife on the PlayStation, we have all fallen for the Porsche legend. We love the same things – emotional sports cars from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.

Rider Porsche 356 Speedster

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It will probably soon be possible to use AI to design your own dream Porsche and view and drive it directly in virtual reality in a simulator. And thanks to modern manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing, many more customised modifications will certainly be possible in the future, giving every Porsche fan even more options for making their very own dream a reality.

One thing is certain: most of us Porsche enthusiasts will still remember decades later how we first came into contact with the brand. It doesn’t matter whether it was through a model car, a television report or a ride in a 911 Junior. What matters is that it touched us deeply and left a lasting impression on us for many decades.

© cover image: Carrera Sport Classics