The successful record of Stuttgart’s sports-car manufacturer – Porsche is both the smallest independent German automaker and the world’s most profitable automaker – is based on decades of experience in automotive manufacturing and in motorsports. The history of Porsche sports cars begins in 1948 with the legendary Type 356 "No. 1,” but the conceptual basis of the brand is the result of the lifelong work of Professor Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951), which was continued by his son Ferry (1909–1998).

By establishing an independent engineering office in Stuttgart in 1931, Ferdinand Porsche laid the foundations for the House of Porsche, and he made automotive history by pioneering developments for his client companies. During the past six decades, Porsche has experienced many high points as well as low ones. But thanks to efficient production methods, distinctive positioning of its brand, and innovative models such as the 356, 911, 914, 924, 944, 928, and the Boxster and the Cayenne, the former sports-car specialist has developed into one of the world's most successful automobile manufacturers.

This unique history is both an honor and an obligation. Porsche customers, shareholders, and Porsche fans had often expressed their wish for an inspiring place in which to display the corporate history, and in July 2004 Porsche’s Management Board responded by approving the construction of a new museum at Zuffenhausen’s Porscheplatz. Since October 2005, construction has been underway on a museum that will be an architectural emblem of the Porsche brand and make history as the most spectacular building project ever undertaken by the company. The elaborate new museum will be completed near the end of 2008 and will become the central repository where the Porsche tradition will be preserved and displayed.