In 1951, the first Porsche sports cars arrived in the UK – a 356 coupe and a 356 convertible were displayed at the Earls Court Motor Show in London
From the earliest days, the appeal of the rear-engined sports car from Stuttgart blossomed quickly among UK enthusiasts
As the Porsche model range has grown, the sales and service network in the UK has expanded to encompass 47 Porsche Centres today, from Exeter to Aberdeen
Year of special events planned to celebrate the 75th anniversary, with more details to follow
This year, Porsche celebrates the 75th anniversary of its first car arriving in Great Britain. To mark this milestone, Porsche Cars GB is planning a series of special events, among them the company’s participation in summer’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. In what is shaping up to be a special year, 2026 also marks 75 years of Porsche Motorsport around the world.
In October 1951, a small car with a small engine - but big performance - caught the attention of visitors to the Earls Court Motor Show in London.
Described by The Autocar as a “beautifully streamlined rear-engined sports model”, the occasion marked the debut of this car – the first built by a German company that would quickly grow to become a revered global brand - here in the UK.
This humble coupé nestling among the proudly patriotic post-war products from Austin, Ford and Sunbeam, was, of course, the Porsche 356.
Show-goers were fascinated by the little German sports car, the stylish coupe contrasting with the austerity of the times. Already by this time in 1951, the 356 had made its debut in the Le Mans 24 Hours in June. This marked not only the premiere of Porsche in the revered French motor race, but the first of many triumphs at the track, winning the highly competitive 1,100cc class and finishing 20th overall.
Back in England, the 356 would have been a rare sight. Luxury taxes and import duties applied to the price ensured a very limited, albeit exclusive, appeal, but the development of the Porsche company accelerated. Customers were drawn to the sleek styling of the 356 and appreciated the company’s principles of design and engineering, which were combined with an emerging reputation for dynamic performance on road and track - traction aided by the rear-mounted ‘boxer’ engine - that belied the modest power output.
These attributes resulted in the 356 being adopted by a growing band of motor sport enthusiasts who were rebuilding racing culture in the UK, and the rear-engined coupe soon became a frequent sight on the sprint circuits, speed hill climbs and race tracks around the country.
By the late 1950s, the Porsche reputation saw drivers of the calibre of a young Jim Clark drawn to the 356 and were soon scoring their first wins. In 1965, the first right-hand drive 911 landed in the UK. Famously, in 1967, the 911 made motorsport history at Lydden Hill in Kent, winning the first ever rallycross event, driven by Vic Elford.
“As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first Porsche sold in the UK, it is interesting to reflect not just on how much has changed in those seven decades, but also what has remained a constant,” commented Krishan Bodhani, CEO Porsche Cars GB. “Over that time, Porsche has always evolved to remain relevant and to suit the varied demands and lifestyles of our customers. True to the company tradition, each model combines a breadth of performance with everyday usability.
“With exciting models such as the new 911 Turbo S and Cayenne electric arriving, this year is set to be a very special one for Porsche Cars GB and our colleagues in the UK Porsche Centre network. I look forward to meeting many customers and fans through 2026 and celebrating their passion for Porsche.”
65 years of the Porsche Club GB
While the post-war era was a boom time for the car industry, it was uncommon for sports cars to be seen on the roads of the UK in the early 1950s, and it would have been particularly rare to see new German products. Nevertheless, it took just ten years following the Earls Court premiere of the 356 for a group of likeminded enthusiasts to found the Porsche Club GB.
Organised around the mission to enjoy and celebrate the Porsche 356 which, race cars apart, was the only Porsche production model at that time, in October 1961, 30 356 owners attended the Club's founding meeting at the Chateau Impney Hotel in Droitwich, Worcestershire.
Now, the Club has grown into a factory-affiliated champion of owners and enthusiasts – and the largest officially recognised Porsche Club in Europe.
A brief history of Porsche in the UK
The first appearance of a Porsche car in the UK at the 1951 Earls Court Motor Show in London began a relationship that over the next seven decades has seen the UK grow into the fourth largest market for the brand.
The first public display was arranged by car salesman Charles Meisl. Born in Prague and fluent in German, Meisl was an early Porsche enthusiast. As he later admitted; “it was my admiration of Professor (Ferdinand) Porsche’s work that made me responsible for (that) appearance at Earls Court.”
Meisl’s passion for Porsche inspired him to call the company’s export manager in Stuttgart, who agreed to provide the demonstration models for the London debut. And the response to the appearance of the 356 at the show was very positive, with Autocar magazine commenting that the Porsche “has an excellent performance, and both convertible and saloon models, with striking lines, are displayed on the stand.”
This was just the start; Meisl was appointed an official Porsche importer in 1952, while working at Colborne Garage in Ripley, Hampshire. Dealing directly with Porsche in Stuttgart, Meisl started ordering one car at a time for his UK customers. He soon attracted the attention of Bill Aldington, who ran a successful sports car dealership, AFN. Meisl subsequently joined AFN, which signed an agreement to import Porsche cars to the UK in 1954. And sales of the 356 here soon grew.
In 1965, not long after the 911 went into production, the AFN Porsche operation became Porsche Cars GB, and in time a full subsidiary of Porsche AG in Germany.
Since then, of course, Porsche has enjoyed huge success in the UK, going from a single product (first the 356, then just the 911) to the current offering of six model lines, with powertrains ranging from internal combustion to hybrid and full EV. Meisl would be very proud.
The AFN story
When Charles Meisl joined AFN in 1954, he entered a business whose roots stretched back to one of Britain’s most characterful sports car makers: Frazer Nash.
The company had been founded in the 1920s by Archibald Frazer-Nash, whose chain-driven sports cars earned a devoted following for their lightweight design and lively performance. When Frazer Nash Ltd was restructured in the late 1920s, the Aldington brothers – HJ ‘Aldy’, Don and Bill – took over the sales arm, renaming it AFN.
By the time Meisl arrived, AFN was a focal point for car enthusiasts, revered for its engineering know-how and motorsport experience. It was the perfect environment for the Porsche sports car brand to establish itself in the UK.
Bill Aldington immediately saw promise in the 356 that Meisl had been championing, and the AFN base in Isleworth, West London, soon became the centre of Porsche operations in Britain.
Cars arrived from Stuttgart in small batches and were prepared in the AFN workshops before being sent out to customers. For many, a trip to Isleworth offered a first look at the unique Porsche approach to sports car design – compact, exquisitely engineered, and built with an attention to detail that stood out from many of the British marques of the time.
As the first 911 arrived in the UK in April 1965 (a right-hand drive prototype), AFN expanded its sales, service and motorsport support to meet demand. That year, the AFN Porsche operation evolved into Porsche Cars GB - led by HJ Aldington’s son, John – establishing a dedicated UK subsidiary and cementing Porsche in Britain for decades to come. The company moved to Reading in 1977 and has been in its current location in Calcot since 1985.
Porsche today
Alongside the continued commitment to benchmark dynamic performance on road and track, Porsche places equal priority on customer service and fan engagement. For Porsche Cars GB, this means focussing on imaginative and engaging retail formats supported by a strong Centre network, including the extensive roll-out of a series of new and distinctive Destination Porsche Centres. As well as the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone, which opened in 2008 and was the first such centre to be established globally.
New Centre developments in the past year include the expansion of the showroom and workshops at Porsche Centre Guildford and Porsche Centre Bristol, and the addition of Porsche Centre South Dublin in Dun Laoghaire, a satellite to the primary Dublin Centre.
The support delivered by the network of 47 Porsche Centres is fundamental to the continuing strong sales performance, and continued investment underlines the commitment to providing the best introduction to the Porsche brand. And this focus on innovative sales platforms extends to the continuation of the immersive ‘Porsche Now’ pop-up concept, which visited Liverpool last summer.
An exciting year of celebrations
The achievements by Porsche in the UK over the past 75 years have been built on the pride and loyalty of our customers and fans through every decade. And this enthusiasm underpins the continuing success of the company.
A major focus in this special year will be the people and the personal stories that have helped build, develop and nurture the passion for Porsche across the UK. More details regarding how Porsche Cars GB will celebrate its milestone anniversary will be announced in due course.
Ends
