Luxury Life Design: Porsche 911: 50 years

For five decades, the 911 has been the heart of the Porsche brand. Few other automobiles in the world can look back on such a long tradition and such continuity as the Porsche 911.Few other automobiles in the world can look back on such a long tradition and such continuity as the Porsche 911.

The Porsche 901 prototype was unveiled in 1963 as a successor to the 356. The production version - renamed 911 - followed in 1964; the earliest models had a 126bhp six-cylinder engine.

Porsche launched the 997 version of the 911 in 2004; it marked a return to more classic styling cues, including a move away from the previous model's 'fried egg' headlights.

Today it is considered the quintessential sports car, the benchmark for all others. The 911 is also the central point of reference for all other Porsche series. From the Cayenne to the Panamera, every Porsche is the most sporting automobile in its category, and each one carries a piece of the 911 philosophy.

Over 820,000 Porsche 911s have been built, making it the most successful sports car in the world. For each of its seven generations the engineers in Zuffenhausen and Weissach have reinvented it, time and time again demonstrating to the world the innovative power of the Porsche brand.

For Porsche, the 50th anniversary of this iconic sports car is the central theme of 2013.The company is also sending an authentic 1967 model 911 on a world tour. Over the course of the year, this vintage nine-eleven will travel to five continents where it will be shown in places like Pebble Beach CA, Shanghai, Goodwood UK, Paris and Australia.