The Porsche Museum has finished restoring its oldest 911 or the 901

From a time when the 911 was called the 901, this classic is now brand new

The Porsche Museum has a brand-new 911 to show off. It’s also the oldest 911 in its collection. And, it’s not even a 911, actually. Confused yet? Allow us to explain.

Back in 2014, a German TV crew filming a documentary about barn finds stumbled across two dilapidated Porsches you-know-where. One of them was the shape of a 911, and carried the chassis number 300507. This got some people back in Stuttgart very excited. The 57th 911 ever made had been rediscovered.

Except, back in October 1964, when the red coupe was built, the Porsche 911 was not yet a name that was known to millions of sports car fans the world over. Porsche originally intended to badge its new sports coupe as the 901. A matter of weeks before production was due to kick off, Peugeot lodged a trademark complaint against Porsche, saying it owned the rights to all car names with a zero in the middle (a claim maintained today with the likes of the 208, 308 and so on). Read more