Understanding Porsche Terminology Internal Model Code Description

Every automaker has its own internal terminology that identifies different models, but Porsche's is more elaborate than most. So Porsche recently revealed the hidden meanings behind the combinations of letters, numbers, and abbreviations that form the internal names for many of its models, and explained how it began using the alphanumeric system in the first place.

The numbering system that gave rise to the 356 and 911, among others, began in 1931 when Ferdinand Porsche decided to give new projects at his engineering firm consecutive numbers. The first vehicle under this system (a sedan from German automaker Wanderer) was actually numbered 7, and the Type 60 became the prototype for the Volkswagen.

On June 8, 1948, Porsche reached number 356, which became the first sports car in its newly launched production car division. Porsche used the system on subsequent models, including the 550 Spyder.

However, problems arose when Porsche began to consider collaborating with Volkswagen. Porsche's numbering system clashed with VW's numbering system. The solution was to start numbering Porsches with the 900 series, which VW was not yet using. The result was the 901, which became the 911 when Peugeot claimed trademark rights to the three-digit model name with a zero in the middle. Porsche replaced the zero with a one because the typeface had already been created.

Porsche then stuck to the three-digit number beginning with a "9" and eventually added secondary numbers to indicate the different generations of a given model, resulting in the 911 designations 964, 993, 996, 997, 991, and 992. In addition, Porsche sometimes uses type numbers to indicate a specific version of a given model, as in the 930 911 Turbo.

Today, Porsche also has a hierarchy of variants of each model, adding the Turbo, S, or GTS suffix. And let's not forget the hardcore RS versions of Porsche's sports cars, the Targa models, or the longtime staples, the Spyder and Speedster. Porsche has done away with some of these names over the years, including Clubsport, SC, and L, which was used for the "luxury" version of the 911 launched in 1967. Given the breadth of Porsche's current lineup, it is probably for the best.