Sheds often become places to store unwanted things, forgotten and abandoned. They become warehouses of dust and cobwebs, where history sleeps in its bottomless nooks and crannies. But sometimes, when oblivion seems endless, something amazing happens – history awakens. That’s what happened to the world’s first Porsche electric car, which was discovered in a barn after more than a hundred years of neglect.
Let’s go back to 1898. The young Ferdinand Porsche, only 22 years old, was working in the firm of Jakob Lochner in Vienna. This company specialized in the production of carriages, but young Porsche saw more. He believed in the future of the automobile industry and was convinced that the future belonged to electric cars.
That’s why he decided to create his own electric car. For a year Porsche worked on his project, and in 1899 his labors were rewarded – he won first place in the electric car race. His car was named Porsche P1 (Porsche, No. 1) and was the first step towards creating a legendary brand.
The Porsche P1 electric car was great not only for its victories on the race track, but also for its technical equipment. Even then it was equipped with an electric motor that allowed a top speed of 21 miles per hour, which roughly equaled 34 kilometers per hour. This was an incredible speed for the time.
However, despite its success, Porsche decided to put his automobile aside for preservation. In 1902, he left his creation in a barn in Austria and forgot about it. Years passed, and the Porsche P1 became dust and cobwebs in the corner of an abandoned room.
But fate had other plans for this rarity. In 2014, the car was accidentally discovered in a shed that no one had visited for a long time. Opening the doors of the premises, people found a forgotten car disguised as a pile of old things. It was decided to restore the Porsche P1 and bring it back to life.
Today, this first Porsche electric car can be seen in a museum in Stuttgart, Germany. It has become a witness to history, a symbol of how dreams and the pursuit of innovation can transcend time and awaken from oblivion.
