Porsche pays tribute to its motorsport history with a special exhibition

Seventy-five years ago, Porsche embarked on a chapter that continues to shape the company’s identity to this day: motorsport. With the works-supported Porsche 356 SL, the sports car manufacturer achieved its first class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the international stage. This marked the beginning of a spanning circuits, rallies, hill climbs and endurance classics – in both factory and customer racing, the latter remaining a key pillar of Porsche Motorsport to this day. The Porsche Museum dedicates the special exhibition “Raceborn – 75 Years of Porsche Motorsport” to this journey. “Porsche is motorsport. And motorsport has made Porsche what we are today. We are dedicating a special exhibition to this legacy and our mission for the future, showcasing the full spectrum of this special part of our DNA,” says Achim Stejskal, Head of Porsche Heritage and Museum.

With this special exhibition, the Porsche Museum adopts a new design concept: a red ribbon runs through the museum’s architecture like a racetrack, making speed and dynamism tangible. It follows the lines and inclinations of the building and guides visitors through six thematic areas of the exhibition: racing classes, diversity, innovations, milestones, people and regulations. Each perspective sheds light on motorsport from a different angle. They demonstrate why regulations drive development rather than merely restricting it, and why customer racing has played a significant role for decades.

“In the exhibition, visitors encounter 75 years of Porsche Motorsport from ever-changing perspectives,” explains Tanja Schleicher, Curator at the Porsche Museum. “We deliberately move away from a linear timeline and present motorsport as an identity-defining mindset – something that inspires and connects people. The exhibits themselves become part of a wider context: technically, historically, but also sensorially and narratively.”

Dialogue between origins and the present

A total of 31 vehicles form the basis of the special exhibition, but they are not viewed as individual objects. Each vehicle represents a context: a racing series, a technical challenge, an era, a regulation, a team. “Each vehicle tells its own facet of motorsport – from lightweight construction and aerodynamics to the robustness crucial in racing,” says Schleicher. Historical and contemporary racing cars are placed in direct dialogue throughout the exhibition.

The 356 SL stands for early international success, while the Formula E car 99X Electric illustrates how motorsport evolves under changing technical conditions. The Porsche 963 represents today’s prototype and endurance racing world. Studies such as the Cayman GT4 e-Performance give visitors an idea of how future questions are tested in motorsport. “These vehicles do not represent opposites of past and future – each offers its own answer to the demands of its time,” Schleicher explains.

Motorsport for everyone – no prior knowledge needed

The exhibition tour begins with a prologue and then leads into current racing categories such as Formula E, prototype and endurance racing, GT racing, one-make series and grassroots motorsport. A motorsport pyramid explains the structure of racing, while a motorsport glossary introduces terms that may seem familiar to enthusiasts but form the basis for deeper understanding for many visitors. The exhibition places concepts such as “Balance of Performance” in context and offers guidance through a complex subject. A lenticular installation opens up different perspectives on various racing regulations and their impact on vehicle concepts. A mini cinema provides insight into the work of the Porsche Museum and addresses questions that arise in the restoration of historic racing cars: what is preserved, what is renewed, and how can traces of use, technical authenticity and museum presentation be brought into harmony?

The exhibition is structured as a sequence of viewpoints. Its dramaturgy leads from experience to understanding and opens up multiple approaches to motorsport – visually, spatially and sensorially. “We do not aim to explain motorsport, but to make it tangible from different perspectives,” says Schleicher. “Only through the interplay of these viewpoints does a deeper understanding emerge.”

Supporting Program: Motorsports Talks and “Raceborn Kids”

On five evenings each year, the Porsche Museum invites visitors to motorsport talks which will be held in German. Guests discuss topics including historic racing cars, Formula E and the work behind the scenes in motorsport. More information about the guests and tickets is available on the Porsche Museum's website.

The exhibition is also specifically adapted for younger audiences. Under the title “Raceborn Kids”, the museum complements the exhibition with activities that make motorsport accessible in a playful way. Child-friendly facts at every station, interactive elements, sound and tactile experiences, as well as digital applications, pick up on the exhibition’s key questions: Why does weight matter? How does a team operate during a 24-hour race? Why do regulations change a racing car?