Rallies
     Porsche began its racing history in city races, or rallies, that took place mainly in public roads and not the circuits that we know today. While recent years have seen the decline of the once-popular road race, the 50s and 60s defined Porsche racing in road courses such as the Innsbruck city race and the Targa Florio.

1948
Debut of the Porsche 356 in racing. The 356 number 1 won a class victory at the Innsbruck city race, driven by Herbert Kaes. The 356 No. 1 was a two-seater sports car based on VW parts, the first automobile bearing the Porsche name. It ranked as Type 356 according to the tradition of consecutive numbering of all designs. The very first Porsche was a mid-engine car, whose engine - a modified VW unit - was mounted ahead of the rear axle. With 35 bhp and a driving weight of 585 kg, the Porsche No. 1 ran up to 135 km/h.

1953
The Porsche 550 Spyder, with its newly developed four-cylinder, four camshaft engine, is presented at the Paris Salon. At the Mille Miglia, Hans Herrmann / Erwin Bauer take first place in the 1500 cc standard sports car class in a Porsche 356 1500 S. A dual victory is scored in the 1600 class at the Carrera Panamericana: José Herrarte in a Porsche 550 in front of Fernando Segura in an almost standard Porsche 356.

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