 The
passage below is from Porsche AG press article #12094, "The
Inception of the Porsche 911":
"When deciding on the name for the new models to debut in the 1960s,
Porsche initially based their choice on the Volkswagen spare part
number ranges. In view of possible future cooperation with the
VW plant, the new Porsche was to be compatible with the number
ranges used there. As the 900 numbers had not yet been allocated in
Wolfsburg, the decision-makers at Zuffenhausen chose 901 for the
six-cylinder version and 902 for a subsequent four-cylinder car.
[emphasis added] On 12th September 1963 the great day had arrived – Porsche presented
the prototype of the 901 at the International Motor Show (IAA) in
Frankfurt/Main. However, there was still a long way to go before the
vehicle was ready for series production and another year passed
until the Porsche engineers had developed the 901 from the prototype
phase to series production. The car was then launched on the market
in October 1964.
"In September 1964, the Porsche 901 was presented at
the very important Paris Motor Show. However, the show caused an
unexpected problem for Porsche. At the beginning of October 1964,
the astonished Porsche management received an objection from the
French manufacturer Peugeot which indicated that the type name 901
was in violation of French copyright and trademark protection laws.
This initially caused bemusement all round as the model name that
Porsche traditionally based on the relevant design number had, in
the case of the Type 901 as well, been rigorously researched by the
development department. Just one German lorry producer used the name
901, which was not viewed as a problem for Porsche. But Peugeot
stated that they had been using three-digit numbers with a zero in
the middle since 1929 and therefore owned the legal rights to all
similar number sequences in France. There was nothing left for
Porsche to do than rename the 901 right in the middle of the model
launch phase. On 22nd November 1964, after considering many
different options including using an affix such as “GTâ€, Ferry
Porsche decided to rename the vehicle “Type 911â€. The decision was
based on very practical considerations. Brochures, price lists and
manuals as well as the type number on the rear and on the glove
compartment lid were already being finalized, meaning that using the
typeface already created for the number “1†twice was the simplest
solution. There was just not enough time to create a new number, let
alone completely new lettering. In 1964, no one could have guessed
that this 911 emergency solution would one day become world-famous."
 Addition
Register note:
The 902 debuted to the public in April 1965, several months after the 901
was renamed the 911. Therefore, from the outset of production, Porsche marketed
and sold their new four-cylinder 900
series road car
as the 912. However, internally the official factory parts
list continued to utilize the "902" prefix for many Model
912-specific components . The illustration to the right is
a composite from multiple pages of the official 1969 Porsche Parts
Catalog, highlighting in the red box several parts with the "902"
prefix. [Click to enlarge, and note for certain parts the VIN
number starting point from ("F") which Porsche utilized those
parts.]
Related:
Official Porsche 1969 Parts Catalog (PET) 912/911 |
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