Porsche is really one of the top car manufacturers in the entire world. As of 2020, they are making about 10 billion cars a year, which is an extraordinary number. They are also the most successful brand ever on motorsport arena and one of the oldest still existing car manufacturers from Germany.
Meaning and History
In terms of their logo, however, Porsche created just one version back in 1931 and never changed it. They are content with it, and rightfully so – it’s lovely. It was created by a renowned engineer called Franz Reimspiess, who incidentally also created the logotype for Volkswagen.
1922 – 1945
In those years, the Porsche logo contained the Wurttemberg coat of arms, which was supported on both sides by two deers. There were stylized branches of a tree decorated with a ribbon below the coat of arms. Deers, branches and ribbon were depicted in yellow in a black outline.
The shield was divided into 4 parts. The upper right and lower left parts were filled with alternating black and red stripes, separated by yellow frames. These borders also surrounded the shield itself and formed a cross separating the parts of the shield.
The other two parts were also yellow with three furrows on them. The furrows were also covered with rather large spikes. They were taken from the eponymous Wurttemberg house, which ruled the country more than a hundred years ago. As for the black and red combination, this is the flag of Wurttemberg, at least since 1803.
1938 – 1948
The logo was a coat of arms shield, where a rampant black horse was depicted on a yellow background.
1948 – 1952
During that period of the brand’s history, the logo was a coat of arms divided into 4 parts. The upper right and lower left parts were filled with alternating black and red stripes, separated by yellow frames. These borders also surrounded the shield itself and formed a cross separating the parts of the shield.
The other two parts were also yellow with three furrows on them. The furrows were also covered with rather large spikes. They were taken from the eponymous Wurttemberg house, which ruled the country more than a hundred years ago. As for the black and red combination, this is the flag of Wurttemberg, at least since 1803.
1952 – 1963
During that period, the two previous logos were merged. At the same time, the logo of 1948-1952 became the background, and in the center was the logo of 1938-1948. And the yellow color was replaced with golden.
1963 – 1994
The new logo looked like a more luxurious version of the previous one. The yellow color was replaced by golden and even antlers had golden accents and the red and black stripes were separated by golden lines. With an exception of a smaller shield with the horse, the golden background also had a pattern that appeared to have volume. Actually, the whole emblem appeared three-dimensional with some elements being added on top of the shield rather than looking flat. The emblem itself had a rounded top and pointed bottom and was not as elongated vertically.
1994 – 2014
The golden color was gone and the emblem looked flat again. The designers, though preserved the rounded top and “V” shaped bottom. Unlike the previous versions, the name was now printed in black, which made it stand out more against the light background and looked great in combination with other black elements. The darker red and muted yellow gave the logo a sophisticated, high-end feel without going over the top.
2014 – 2023
The recipe behind the emblem of Porsche is very simple. It’s a combination of two historical symbols plus two company names – one on top and the other beside them.
The first historical symbol is a coat of arms of Wurttemberg, one of the historic regions of South-Western Germany. When the logo was created, the coat of arms of Wurttemberg depicted a shield with two deer hugging it on the left and right. The company only used the shield, though.
The shield was separated into 4 parts. The top right and the bottom left were filled with four alternating black and red stripes divided in-between by thin golden borders. These borders also enclosed the shield itself and made up a cross that separated the parts of the shield.
The other two parts were also golden (or bronze) with three sables on them. The sables were also covered in rather large thorns. These were taken from the likewise named house of Wurttemberg that ruled the land over a century ago. As for the black and red combination, it’s been the flag of Wurttemberg at least since 1803.
At the top of the shield a separate plaque is placed. It holds the company name, which is written in a very slim black font. Because the top of the shield is curved, as per the heraldic rules, the text has also been given a slight curve so as not to look out of the ordinary.
At the center of the shield there is the second historical symbol – the coat of arms of Stuttgart, the capital of the land. Naturally it’s a yellow shield that depicts a horse on its rear legs. In this instance, the yellow is replaced with bronze/gold. There is a word ‘Stuttgart’ written at the top of this shield in the similar slim font.
The key difference of this Stuttgart horse from its prototype is the realistic design. While the historical animal was highly artistic, this one has been intentionally drawn in a realistic way – to inspire Porsche’s love for detail, quality and power.
2023 – now
In an updated logo, the gold backing was made smoother, the red honeycomb increased in size, and the black horse the emblem is known for was slightly redesigned. The word Stuttgart was added above it in black letters. That is it. The logo was kept very recognizable and preserved its look since it was created in 1952.
Symbol and Emblem
The emblem part is used as a car badge on all Porsche vehicles since 1931. They may have slight differences, like the shade of the colors and the texture of the surface (the current logo is usually depicted as having bumps all over the surface of the shield. However, these versions are still almost identical.
The Legends
Porsche constructed a lot of successful and iconic cars, but they are also the most successful constructor of racing cars in history. From Porsche 917K and to Porsche 919 Hybrid, they’ve won 19 races at Le Mans. The second place is claimed by Audi, but they are nowhere near Porsches with their 13 overall wins.
Porsche is really the reason why Italians no longer dominate the world motorsport area – not only at Le Mans, but also at rallies all over the world. Formula One, IMC, WRC – they are winning in big leagues every year.
