The plight of advertisers—finding that sensational quote, jingle, or design that will captivate the public enough to want to purchase their products. The truly great stand the test of time (as we’re sure there’s already one or two that have crossed your mind since that first line), as they somehow remain timeless in a world constantly barraged with logos and slogans. Porsche certainly stands as one of those timeless greats when it comes to their catchy designs and ad copy. The German marque was fortunate enough to have hired some brilliant designers, most notably Erich Strenger and Hanns Lohrer, whose posters still remain highly sought after today. Of course, Porsche collectors do truly love to obtain Porsche collectibles of all sorts, as we’ve seen with The White Collection and most currently, The White Collection | Online. But they’re not just seeking these posters for the collectible aspect. They seek them because of the timeless aesthetic and/or quippy lines that have graced these branded advertisements, which truly encapsulate the fun of owning and driving a Porsche. Here are ten of our favorite Porsche posters on offer in The White Collection | Online sale.
1. Porsche Steering Wheel, 1961
Designer Erich Strenger was brought on to illustrate Porsche’s posters in 1951 and continued to create those beloved posters until his retirement in 1987. While his counterpart, Hanns Lohrer, was also known and cherished for his incredibly memorable designs, Strenger is often credited with creating work that left a lasting legacy for Porsche around the world. This poster is actually utilized as the cover for the book, “Erich Strenger & Porsche: A Graphical Report,” featuring his work with the German automaker.
2. “I too, prefer Porsche”, 1960
Speaking of Hanns Lohrer, he too, had incredible influence in the Porsche poster designs. His work through the ‘50s and ‘60s featured bold coloring and designs, as well as some unconventional inclusions. One of his most notable posters includes this one, “I too, prefer Porsche,” with the black poodle peeking out of a large purse. The poodle would make an appearance in several of Lohrer’s Porsche adverts, starting just a few years earlier with the 1958 356A brochure, where the red cover is graced with a woman’s gloved hand reaching for a shifter, and in the bottom corner, a woman is walking with a black poodle. The copy reads, “Powerful elegance guided with ease.”
3. “Porsche offers you a world of pleasure”, 1963
Another look at Lohrer’s bold color choices, utilizing green, red, and blue to paint a “world” of color, with the 356 nestled into one of the quarters of the globe. The camel silhouettes in the red allude to that of the warmer climates, while the green and blue also appear to feature animals appropriate for what would be milder and bitter cold climates, making for a simple representation of truly seeing all parts of the world—and hopefully seeing them in a 356.
4. 1958 12 Hours of Sebring Porsche Racing Poster
One of Strenger’s important tasks while at Porsche was designing the race posters, post-race. That meant typically trying to design most of the poster during the week and adding the last touch and literal “winning” elements to it on Sunday so that the posters could make it to print on Monday. For something like this poster, it might have been designed earlier in the week with the text added in the final hours.
5. “1000 Kilometer-Rennen Nürburgring 1969”
For Strenger to create a poster like this, he might have had some of the German flag coloration already included and designed, as well as the race title and, of course, the red “PORSCHE” lettering at the bottom. The photos, however, would have to be developed immediately, then sent to Strenger for his selection to be included/designed into the poster.
6. “1600 Another step forward…”
Not only does this poster feature some of Strenger’s love for playing with fonts, bold colorings, and branding colors, but it also features another element credited to Strenger: Porsche’s emblem. The designer would be the one to mock up the first prestigious Porsche shield.
7. “Superb Sporting, Sporting Superb”
Certainly a play on the idea of “win on Sunday, sell on Monday,” but the playful alliterative use of “superb” and “sporting” play this hand even better. The half-dirty race car is ideally the same car we’re driving to work on Monday. Superb sporting is a Porsche, but it is also a “sporting superb” winner.
8. “It’s not a rational decision. Love never is.”
Following the retirement of their brilliant poster and advert designers of the first nearly 40 years of Porsche, there’s a pivot in the automaker’s approach. But the soul of what had made Porsche advertising so spectacular, remained. Here, you can see the bold colors inspired by Lohrer and Strenger’s designs are still there, with a quippy little note, specifically for this 968 ad. The same for the other poster included here, and many other fun ads of the ‘90s.
9. F1 McLaren TAG Porsche Turbo
Take one of the most recognizable racing series in the world, take a brand that stands at the same level, and then celebrate their winning achievement in a not-so-common approach. This poster is a deconstructed, avant-garde creation of McLaren F1’s winning car and its powerhouse, Porsche’s turbo V-6. That engine carried McLaren F1 to three Drivers’ Championships and two Constructors’ Championships. If you look on the right side of the poster, the drivers’ names, Niki Lauda and Alain Prost, are listed in order with the year in which they claimed their Championship victories.
10. “Start in eine neue Porsche-generation”
The advertisements for these last few decades have really played more with Porsche’s stunning car photography. And while most feature one or two cars, this particular poster for the 911 Carrera 4, although technically features one car, the posing of the same Carrera, in all the same color, in concentric circles gives this a fun, pop art feel. The one car leaving to “start a new generation” is just the last detail to make it something wall-worthy. A car advert or art poster—it can be both.
