We all have heard of, seen, and adored Porsche cars. The German automobile manufacturing company was founded by Ferdinand Porsche in 1931. Formally known as Porsche AG, the car-making company is today, a global giant. For about nine decades now, some of the world’s best sports cars, SUVs, and sedans have been birthed in Porsche warehouses. The cars are built in a unique grandeur and can be easily distinguished from other cars. The last 20 years have seen Porsche build highly modern and tech-equipped cars. This process of technological advancement began way back in the 1970s and 1980s.
During this era, the company advanced its engineering to make ultra-efficient cars that flaunt speed as well as style. More importantly, the popularity of Porsche shot into the sky with some models from the 70s. These cars carry a perfect mix of the vintage Porsche look with a dash of the reformative technological advancement that shaped the designs of Porsche cars for the next 5 decades. Some of these Porsche models have a legendary status today and fetch a huge price in the collectors market. Let's take a look at what made Porsche cars from the 1970s so special.
From Speed Machines To Fast And Luxurious Beasts
The 70s saw Porsche cars flaunt some unparallel features that attracted global attention. For instance, the 1974 Porsche Carrera RS 3.0 stunned the car world with its featherweight of only 1984 pounds. It was a stand-out model in an era of big giant cars. The car could cruise to a top speed of 152.2 miles per hour. The engine was reconstructed out of aluminium to aid in the pick-up and speed. If that wasn’t cool enough, the 1978 Porsche 935/78 was so popular, it was given the nickname “Moby Dick”.
The car flaunted a powerful turbo flat-six engine that could produce 845 horsepower and reach a bewildering top speed of 227 mph - and this was about 43 years back! Furthermore, the the1976 Porsche 936 Spyder was arguably the most epic Porsche from the 70s. The supercar flaunted a flat-six 2.1 litre turbo engine capable of producing about 540 horsepower. This, in turn, allowed the sleek beast to touch a wind-breaking speed of around 220 miles per hour. Another notable reference is the 1975 Porsche 930 turbo - the car which was tagged as the fastest production car on the planet when it came out. The 930 boasted an air-cooled 3.0 litre, six-cylinder engine, with a KKK turbo boost. The car came with rear wings that were flared to cut through the wind and of course, to add to the coolness quotient.
Racing Icon: The Porsche 917
The most iconic Porsche beast from the 70s though was released in 1971 itself. The 1971 Porsche 917 came with truly incomparable looks and characteristics. The car inspired the evolution of Porsche cars from fast speed machines to even faster aesthetically sound, luxury beasts as we see them today. This monster first came to the scene as a street racer with a 4.9 litre flat 12 engine with enough power to reach speeds just shy of the 250 miles per hour mark. It competed in the Le Mans and Can-Am in its debut year itself. The hyper-fast car screams Porsche and oozes success. The world was in awe as Porsche cars topped up several levels in the seventies, and then never looked back.
The Coolest Looking Cars On The Globe
In the 70s, Porsche decided to ditch the custom vintage look of its cars that were produced back then. Instead of going with traditional era-specific, curvy, heavy and smooth exteriors, the company chose to pursue more futuristic, sleeker and straight-up badass exteriors. The 1971 Porsche 917, for instance, looked nothing like any car you’ve ever seen. The bad boy came with a unique, curvy top that sloped downwards artistically to meet elevated fenders on the edges that sheltered the thick tyres. On the rear of the car was what seemed like a huge wing, with fins towards the top, just like you’d see on an aircraft. On the extreme other end was the tamed 1975 Porsche 930 Turbo. The car looked magnificently royal on the outside. It screamed 'the 70s' and yet was significantly different to its peer models.
It flaunted a backward sloping rooftop with a gently forward sloping bonnet that showcased the Porsche logo right in the centre. Moving on, the 1974 Porsche 991 RSR 2.14Turbo was a rustic, race monster. The car was the very first turbocharged 911. It came with oversized vents and a not too shabbily designed chassis. It was not the best looking Porsche model from the era, but it sure was unique. Porsche got everything right with the design of the 1977 Porsche 935/77. The beast resembled a speeding shark with flatly raised wings at the rear. Slightly curved all around, the 77 boasted overly stretched fenders that almost touched the ground. Needless to mention, the car was not very tall, though it did literally personify motor-car racing.
The best pick of the lot though has to be the 1976 Porsche 936 Spyder. The car almost looked like a fighter jet on four wheels. Even today, you’d think it’s probably a car from the future. With a flat, divided tail raised at the back, this monster kissed the ground all around with its down-to-earth body! It’s arguably the coolest car ever designed by Porsche. It would not be incorrect to say that the Porsche evolution from the 70s inspired the future generations of not only Porsche cars, but also its peers.