For Porsche, 2019 was all about electric mobility. But there were also some highlights away from the Taycan. A look back.
January
2019 starts in sports mode. Three years after the premiere of the first Cayman GT4 Clubsport, Porsche now unveils its successor: The new 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport represents a consequent further development of the successful model from Weissach. For the first time, the near-standard mid-engine racer comes in two versions ex-works: the “Trackday” model for ambitious amateur racing drivers and the “Competition” variant for national and international motor racing.
February
One of the strongest number sequences ever produced by Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year: the Porsche 917. The Porsche Museum is celebrating the landmark birthday with plans to restore the first 917 ever made to its original condition, as it was when first unveiled 50 years ago. The 917-001 underwent various changes over time.
March
Porsche launches three new sports models at the 89th Geneva Motor Show. The highlight is the new 911 Cabriolet. Alongside the rear-engined 911 Cabriolet, Porsche also unveils the 718 T, a mid-engined driving machine in Boxster and Cayman forms to the audience gathered in Geneva. The Macan S completes the debuting trio as a bestseller in the model range.
April
It was a success Petra Kvitova has had to wait a long time for. In front of a capacity 4,400 crowd in Stuttgart’s Porsche Arena on Sunday, the Czech finally won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at her seventh attempt. In a high-class final, she defeated Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 7-6(2) to earn herself a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet as the main prize.
May
The 911 Speedster already caused a sensation when it was presented as a concept vehicle. Now Porsche is putting the open-top two seater into production. Exactly 1,948 units have been manufactured until the end of the year at the Porsche plant in Zuffenhausen, Germany.
June
The Porsche works drivers Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre have won the drivers’ world crown in the FIA World Endurance Championship at the season finale at Le Mans. The Project 1 customer squad won the GTE-Am class and at the same time claimed the drivers’ and team championship titles in the FIA WEC. Porsche had already secured the manufacturer’s world championship title in advance.
July
Garden party with plenty of horsepower: For the first time, Porsche is adding an electric sports car to its line-up on the legendary Goodwood hill. The debut is part of the Porsche Triple Demo Run, in which the Taycan will make three appearances on three continents in three weeks. At Goodwood, the prototype will compete with a union flag graphic on the roof and Mark Webber at the wheel.
August
Porsche continues to consistently focus on e-mobility, with the Cayenne range following the Panamera series in now featuring a plug-in hybrid as its new flagship model. Like all Porsche plug-in hybrids, the new top-of-the-range model in the Cayenne family is also one of the sportiest vehicles in the premium segment – not in spite of its hybrid powertrain but because of it.
September
Porsche presented its first fully-electric sports car to the public with a spectacular world premiere. The Porsche Taycan’s world premiere took place simultaneously in North America, China and Europe. The most important sales markets of the new electric sports car are on these three continents
Only a little later the next highlight was on the agenda: Porsche has opened the new factory for the Taycan under the watchful eye of 320 guests from politics, business and media. The new production facility sets new standards in terms of energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.
October
It was only in September that the new electric sports car from Porsche celebrated its high-profile premiere on three continents simultaneously. Now, the company is already presenting the third version of the sports saloon with the Taycan 4S.
November
Start to the Formula E debut season: A strong second place for Porsche works driver André Lotterer in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship 2019/2020 season-opener and valuable experience gathered in the second Diriyah E-Prix race was, overall, an encouraging debut for Porsche in the fully-electric race series.
December
Designers from Porsche AG and Lucasfilm Ltd. have joined forces to develop a fantasy starship that brings together the design DNA of the two brands. Over a period of two months, the project team worked together at their respective design studios in Weissach and San Francisco to create initial ideas and drafts before finally coming up with a concrete concept. The fantasy starship, named Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter, was presented as a detailed model measuring 1.5 metres (5 feet) in length at the film premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in Los Angeles.
