Oh just look at that old-timer. What a beauty! It’s the grandfather of all Porsches! The Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton model, or simply known as the Porsche 1 (P1), is the first car ever built by then 23-year old founder Ferdinand Porsche.
It’s a long, long, loooong departure from the Porsches we’re used to seeing. It doesn’t have the sexy façade nor the furious speed of today’s models, but back in the day, this was a badass ride.
This gas-hybrid electric motored car hit top speeds of 22 miles per hour and had a range of 50 miles without needing to refuel or recharge. Under the hood, it had a 3 horsepower engine that had an ‘overloading’ mode, giving it the ability to kick in 2 additional horsepower. In September 1899, Ferdinand beat out all competitors in a 40-kilometer EV race by 18 minutes.
Sadly, the P1 was kept hidden in a shack in Austria for a century until it got discovered. Now it sits in the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, where it will live the rest of its days in peace, alongside other Porsche classics.