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Inside Porsche's Library of Vintage Blueprints

  • <p>Deep in a basement in Weissach, Porsche keeps a secret library full of reams of old blueprints, schematics, and illustrations from the automaker's early days. Here's a peek at what's lurking in that windowless room.</p>
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    Deep in a basement in Weissach, Porsche keeps a secret library full of reams of old blueprints, schematics, and illustrations from the automaker's early days. Here's a peek at what's lurking in that windowless room.

    Porsche
  • <p>The caretaker of these priceless documents is Uwe Geisel, who says that his team has been working on digitizing the material since 2002 to ensure everything survives. Yet after all these years, new material is still appearing.</p>
    2/11

    The caretaker of these priceless documents is Uwe Geisel, who says that his team has been working on digitizing the material since 2002 to ensure everything survives. Yet after all these years, new material is still appearing.

    Porsche
  • <p>"This technical drawing shows an early Carrera logo dating back to 1952."</p>
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    "This technical drawing shows an early Carrera logo dating back to 1952."

    Porsche
  • <p>Won't be lost.</p>
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    Won't be lost.

    Porsche
  • <p>"There's a lot of interesting details on this one, which was produced in 1948 for the Cisitalia <em>(a single-seater that Ferdinand Porsche designed in 1946)</em>. See the steering wheel? It makes another appearance in the Porsche 356-001."</p>
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    "There's a lot of interesting details on this one, which was produced in 1948 for the Cisitalia (a single-seater that Ferdinand Porsche designed in 1946). See the steering wheel? It makes another appearance in the Porsche 356-001."

    Porsche
  • <p>A complete guide to the steering wheel.</p>
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    A complete guide to the steering wheel.

    Porsche
  • <p>An engineer's dream.</p>
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    An engineer's dream.

    Porsche
  • <p>"This drawing shows the delicate bodywork of the 356. It was sketched out on a drawing board in 1950."</p>
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    "This drawing shows the delicate bodywork of the 356. It was sketched out on a drawing board in 1950."

    Porsche
  • <p>Need more info on the 959? Here you go.</p>
    9/11

    Need more info on the 959? Here you go.

    Porsche
  • <p>How about motorsport brake rotors?</p>
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    How about motorsport brake rotors?

    Porsche
  • <p>No greasy fingers, please.</p>
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    No greasy fingers, please.

    Porsche
<p>Deep in a basement in Weissach, Porsche keeps a secret library full of reams of old blueprints, schematics, and illustrations from the automaker's early days. Here's a peek at what's lurking in that windowless room.</p>
<p>The caretaker of these priceless documents is Uwe Geisel, who says that his team has been working on digitizing the material since 2002 to ensure everything survives. Yet after all these years, new material is still appearing.</p>
<p>"This technical drawing shows an early Carrera logo dating back to 1952."</p>
<p>Won't be lost.</p>
<p>"There's a lot of interesting details on this one, which was produced in 1948 for the Cisitalia <em>(a single-seater that Ferdinand Porsche designed in 1946)</em>. See the steering wheel? It makes another appearance in the Porsche 356-001."</p>
<p>A complete guide to the steering wheel.</p>
<p>An engineer's dream.</p>
<p>"This drawing shows the delicate bodywork of the 356. It was sketched out on a drawing board in 1950."</p>
<p>Need more info on the 959? Here you go.</p>
<p>How about motorsport brake rotors?</p>
<p>No greasy fingers, please.</p>
Máté Petrány

Over the past 70 years, Porsche has amassed more than 100,000 pages of designs, sketches and data. It's all kept in a basement in Weissach.

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