The iconic Porsche crest was created in part by the Czech
engineer who originally designed the Porsche, Ferdinand Porsche, partnered with
the US importer Max Hoffman in 1952. Xaver Reimspiess, the designer who created
the Volkswagen logo, was the one to fine tune and finish the design of the
crest. Xaver sketched a magnificent, golden crest that not only symbolized the
roots of the company, but expressed the dynamism and quality of Porsche
product.
The Porsche crest first appeared in late 1952 in the center
of the 356 Pre-A’s steering wheel. The crest now serves as their all-encompassing
logo, and can be seen on every Porsche steering wheel, nose, and wheel.The golden logo has been accentuated with stylized black antlers
and red and black stripes. The central part of the logo depicts a black horse
headlong, meant to be an expression of forward driven power and a connotation
of the origin city. Across the application of the Stuttgart horse, the Porsche
team created a clear symbol of the relations they built with the city. The
crest possesses the outer shape of a coat of arms, while the overarching
inscription ‘Porsche’ over the top of the logo deftly seals the strength of the
image.
In contrast to the current crest, the Porsche logo on the
original crest was only embossed and was not black. In addition, the red
elements of the crest were actually more orange in color to reflect the
Württemberg-Hohenzollern state colors. The Classic experts charged with
reproducing the crest went a lot further than merely ensuring that the colors
were true to the original. The crest is produced using special tools based on
original drawings. As with the original, it is gold-plated and the color and enameling
are meticulously applied by hand.
The traditional Porsche Crest has had to undergo
extensive quality testing. This involved an alternating climate test, for
example, and a stone impact simulation carried out at a ballistic firing range.
All of these challenging tests were passed with flying colors, thus proving its
credentials as a genuine quality product, 100 per cent "Made in
Germany". This symbol, steeped in history, signals a continued long life
for classic Porsche models.
