As Porsche makes strides competing in Formula E and announces its intention to join Formula 1 in the 2026 season, we look back and explore some of Porsche's historic contributions to open-wheeled racing.

Designed by Porsche in Gmünd, Austria on behalf of Cisitalia between 1946-47, the Cisitalia Grand Prix or Type 360 featured a complex all-wheel-drive system powered by a 1.5-litre supercharged flat-12 engine. It was the large, upfront payment for this project that was used to free Ferdinand Porsche from prison in France, thus setting the course of history for the company.

In the late 1950s, new rules were issued for Formula 2 Grand Prix racers banning the entry of full-bodied cars. Engineers sought to convert Porsche's 718 RSK to a single seat open-wheel race car based on the ideal central location of its steering box. These designs made a successful racing debut in 1958 before the first purpose-built version was introduced for 1960 as the 718/2.

Porsche's first 8-cylinder engine was debuted in the Type 804 Formula 1 car in 1962. Producing nearly 180 HP, the flat-eight boxer designed by Hans Hönick and Hans Mezger helped the Porsche 804 achieve a single victory at the 1962 French Grand Prix with Dan Gurney behind the wheel.

Looking to improve their Grand Prix standings in the early 1980s, McLaren employed Porsche to develop and supply engines assisted by Techniques d' Avant Garde, or TAG. The resulting 1.5-liter turbocharged Vo produced nearly 1000 HP in qualifying setup and propelled the McLaren MP4/2 chassis to 22 wins over three seasons.

At the height of a successful decade in motorsports, Porsche tasked itself with the peculiar goal of dominating Indycar. The resulting Project 2708 was led by Norbert Singer and yielded a new V8 turbocharged engine designed by Hans Mezger, although a series of setbacks ultimately led to the project's abandonment in 1990.

AUTHOR: G_MUND

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