The revamped Porsche emblem, as part of the marque’s 75th anniversary celebrations, subtly reconfigures each element to ensure the emblem remains contemporary in the era of electrification.
Michael Mauer, the design wizard at Porsche, has meticulously overseen the creation of a brand new Porsche emblem, the latest iteration of a lasting and constantly evolving symbol of high-performance driving.
Ferrari isn’t the sole automaker to sport a rearing steed on its insignia. Although the Italian stallion was initially linked with 1930s Alfa Romeo racing, Enzo Ferrari’s erstwhile racing team, it has been intrinsically tied to Ferrari’s own vehicles since the debut of the inaugural Ferrari 125 S in 1947.
In the subsequent year, a new sports car manufacturer rose from the ashes of post-war German industry. Porsche’s emblem shares more resemblance with traditional heraldry than its Italian counterpart. The steed is drawn from the flag of Stuttgart, which means ‘stud garden,’ a name that hints at its horse-breeding heritage. The initial emblem featured the company’s name and its hometown, with the black and red hues and the deer antler motif borrowed directly from the crest of Württemberg-Hohenzollern, the state established in 1945 and later incorporated into Baden-Württemberg.
(Image credit: Porsche)
This unmistakably Germanic symbol was partly influenced by the influential car importer Max Hoffman, the man responsible for introducing Porsche to the USA. Hoffman desired that the new 356 sports car distinctly signify its origins, and the emblem was conceived in 1952, four years following the car’s debut.
The draftsman behind this iconic symbol was one Franz Xaver Reimspiess, an Austrian engineer credited with much of the mechanical innovation underpinning the Volkswagen Beetle. Rumor has it that Reimspiess was also the mind behind the Volkswagen logo in 1936.
The new crest maintains the original form and dimensions but refines each component. Mauer explains, “The ’75 years of Porsche sports cars’ anniversary provided us with the perfect opportunity to thoroughly reimagine this trademark. We reinterpreted historical elements and fused them with cutting-edge design features like a honeycomb structure and brushed metal.”
(Image credit: Porsche)
This emblem took three years to shape, both as a three-dimensional physical ornament for the vehicles and as a 2D logo that will be displayed digitally and in print globally.
(Image credit: Porsche)
The entire process was meticulously supervised by Joachim Paetzel, the expert in color and trim at the brand. Each aspect is distinctive, including a more subtle gold hue, a finely honed bevel around the perimeter, the incorporation of clear brushed metal surfaces behind the antlers, and a fresh 3D honeycomb pattern for the red stripes. The word ‘Stuttgart’ now adopts Porsche’s proprietary typeface, and the steed itself has been reimagined to be more robust and less stylized.
The original emblem was revamped in 1954, followed by updates in 1963, 1973, 1994, 2008, and ultimately in 2014. This new badge will make its debut on the upcoming Porsche Panamera, slated for release by the end of 2023. The company, however, continues to manufacture historical emblems, as the Porsche Classic restoration service requires access to every conceivable component. With 75 years of heritage to uphold, and high expectations for at least another 75 to come, brand identities are indeed cherished enough to warrant constant attention.