Porsche Museum Debuts Its Oldest 911, An Original 901

The Porsche  Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, is one of the most sought after destinations for Porsche enthusiasts. Home to some of the rarest, most expensive German sports cars ever built, the company today debuted another unique addition to its collection – one of the first Porsche 911s ever built.

Porsche will display the candy apple red 911 coupe as part of the special exhibition dubbed "911 (901 No. 57) – A Legend Takes Off." As its numerical designation suggests, it's one of the earliest examples to ever come off the factory floor, and will be shown to the general public for the first time nearly 45 years after it was originally built.

The vehicle is one of a handful of original models produced under the original 901 designation. Due to a trademark dispute, the vehicles were eventually renamed to the iconic 911 nameplate we know and love today, but until now, Porsche had yet to have one of the original 901-branded vehicles on display.

The car was uncovered, alongside another classic Porsche, by a TV crew in 2014 while it was valuing a collection of items in an abandoned German barn. The crew quickly contacted the Porsche museum, which discovered that chassis number 300.057 was one of the original models built before being was renamed. The museum bought both vehicles, and set out restoring them to original spec.

The restoration project for the 901/911 took a total of three years to complete, bringing the rusty sports car back to showroom quality. A number of genuine parts were used in the reconstruction, taken from a few different period-correct vehicles. The engine, transmission, and interior were repaired to original factory spec.

After three years in the shop, customers can finally enjoy this beautiful restoration in person. The handsome 911 will be on display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart from December 14, 2017, until April 8, 2018.