After sitting in a warehouse for 111 years, the first Porsche is back.
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Also known as the "P-1," this design would become the first vehicle from Ferdinand Porsche in 1898. Three years later it was wheeled into a warehouse where it sat for over 111 years. Recently recovered, the P-1 is now on permanent display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Continue through the gallery to see how the unrestored electric vehicle looks today.
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After 111 years...
The Porsche P-1 sat out most of the 20th century in a warehouse, likely because it resembles an old wooden horse-drawn carriage.
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Old-school dashboard
The P-1 sports a definitively steampunk dashboard, but those gauges are actually measuring the energy left in the lead-acid batteries it once ran off. Carrying over 1,100 pounds of batteries, this car could cover a range of almost 50 miles.
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The original electric roadster
The P-1 was powered by a super-compact octagonal electric 3 horsepower engine weighing less than 300 pounds. Not quite a Tesla Roadster, but after a century, the family resemblance is still there.
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Definitely a Porsche
To ensure credit was given for his design, Ferdinand Porsche engraved "P1" for "Porsche 1" in many of the vehicle's parts.
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Back home
The unrestored P-1 is on permanent display at the Porsche Museum in Germany, beginning February 1.
