More with less. When the little guy triumphs over the giants, he’s bound to have the crowd on his side — one reason, undoubtedly, why Porsche has thrilled its fans from the outset. It all began with Sascha. Known to his friends by this affectionate form for Alexander in Russian, Count Alexander Kolowrat-Krakowsky not only played a pioneering role in developing the Austrian film industry, but also inspired a small race car built by Austro-Daimler in 1922. The car was named Sascha in honor of the count. The car was to be the highlight of Ferdinand Porsche’s work as the head designer for Austro-Daimler in Austria.
Above all, the valve drive stood out as a masterpiece of technical prowess. Thanks to two overhead camshafts with vertical shaft control, the tiny four-cylinder generated a remarkable 45 hp with just over a liter of displacement (1,089 cc). That power was enough to accelerate the car to over 140 kilometers per hour — an exceptional speed in the early 1920s. With its overall weight of less than 600 kilograms, the compact race car had an outstanding power-to-weight ratio. This made Sascha ideally suited to curvy races, such as the renowned Targa Florio in Sicily. Four Sascha cars from the Austro-Daimler factory team entered the race in 1922, and 432 kilometers later posted an exciting one-two finish in the 1.1-liter class. These highly efficient cars left half of the entire field in their dust, including race cars with over seven liters of displacement.
