125 Years of AWD: How Porsche Made All-Wheel Drive a Performance Tool
Discover how Porsche’s obsession with traction shaped rally icons and EV flagships.
Credit Top Gear
In 1900, Ferdinand Porsche stunned the world with an electric car powered by wheel-hub motors, an all-wheel-drive marvel decades before AWD became commonplace. Ever since, Porsche has quietly led the way in AWD innovation, weaving breakthroughs into everything from rally beasts to electric sports sedans. In this article, we’ll explore four key chapters in Porsche’s AWD legacy: its electric beginnings, rally and sports-car dominance, the Traction Management revolution, and the latest AWD technology powering EVs like the Taycan and Macan.
Electric Beginnings
Credit: Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche’s first breakthrough came with the 1900 Lohner-Porsche, which featured electric wheel-hub motors in the front wheels. This system eliminated conventional transmissions and delivered about 3.3 hp per motor, allowing the car to reach approximately 20 mph (32 km/h). With brakes on all four wheels, it was a technical milestone for the era.
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