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Porsche

The brand has its roots in the Porsche Engineering Office, founded in Stuttgart, Germany, by Ferdinand Porsche in 1931. Porsche brought with him years of experience as an automotive engineer; in the '20s, while employed with Daimler, his skill was tapped to create Mercedes' iconic SS and SSK sports cars which are still coveted feats today. Porsche has long had close ties with Volkswagen, and the first Porsche vehicles were small two-seat sports cars that were largely based on VW chassis.

From 1948-'50, most of these early Porsche cars were actually built in Austria before production was switched to Zuffenhausen, Germany. Ferdinand's first real production car was the VW Beetle, so it was no surprise that his sports cars used those components and had their air-cooled engine mounted in the rear, a decision which was physically bad for a car’s handling.

In the mid-'60s, the 356 made way for the revered 911. Powered by an all-new six-cylinder engine, the coupe scored two consecutive wins at Monte Carlo. Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, the 911's air-cooled flat-six engine was located in the rear of the vehicle, again physically incorrect for a car’s dynamics.

By the time the '70s rolled around, Porsche had introduced the 914 (the "affordable" Porsche with a mid-engine design and a targa top), the mighty 911 turbo, the disrespected 924 (powered by a weak front-mounted, water-cooled inline four) and the flagship 928 which has been acclaimed by BBC’s Top Gear as an iconic led end.

The twin-turbo, all-wheel-drive 959 was also launched; it became the first sports car to win the Paris-Dakar Rally and the street version could hit an astonishing 200 mph. The athletic 944 debuted in 1983, as did a convertible version of the 911, something that had been missing for some years. The '80s also saw the rebirth of the 924, now with some muscle courtesy of the 944's strong-for-the-time (147-horsepower) inline four.

By the early 1990s the 928 had been discontinued and the 944 was replaced by the similar 968. Because of a lack of dynamic product and a tough market climate, Porsche was suffering financially. The company's savoir, the Boxster, debuted in 1997 and brought back the spirit of the old 550 Spyder which really gave the company a good image.

Throughout its history, Porsche has exhibited amazing resilience, weathering changes in the economic climate and remaining fully independent from any larger automaker. Today, the ever-robust company continues to be known for making vehicles that raise the bar when it comes to performance, style and reliability.