An impressively curated collection of historic Porsche automobiles wasexhibited at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this August. There were historic race cars, a very early Pre-A, and other significant Porsches on display to comprise a special class to commemorate the brand’s 75 years in business. At the end of the row was a rather unassuming blue car that at first glance appeared to be an early 911. On close inspection and after a few questions, it was revealed to be the oldest 911 variant in existence. This 901 Porsche is prototype car number six.
What Exactly is a 901?
On the lawn at Pebble Beach
In 1963, Porsche introduced a new car to replace the 356, initially naming it the 901. However, French automaker Peugeot objected to the name. Peugeot’s car models used three-digit names at the time, such as 203 and 403. The companyinsisted that it held a trademark for automotive names with three numbers and a zero in the middle. Porsche had built less than 100 901s before Peugeot convinced the German company to change the branding on the car. According to Porsche, Peugeot sent a “friendly but distinct letter” telling Porsche to choose a different name for their new car.
