Debut at Earls Court Motor Show in October 1951
Image: The original 356 coupe displayed on the Porsche stand at the 1951 Earls Court Motor Show is still on the road today. And enjoyed a starring role at the Icons of Porsche Sunstede Silverstone Edition
In October 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
Representation was first organised by entrepreneur Charles Meisl
AFN became the official concessionaire in 1954; Porsche Cars Great Britain was established as a formal subsidiary of Porsche AG in 1965
As the Porsche model range has grown, the sales and service representation in the UK has expanded to encompass a wide network of Porsche Centres nationwide, from Exeter to Aberdeen
Highlights of the year include unique anniversary summer party, Icons of Porsche Sunstede Silverstone Edition
Porsche was formally launched to the British public for the first time in October 1951 when the 356 made its debut in London, marking the beginning of a seven-decade success story. Over the course of this year, Porsche has been celebrating the 75th anniversary of its first car arriving in Great Britain, marking the milestone with events and celebrations.
“As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first Porsche sold in the UK, it is a good time 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 these past decades, 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 the new Cayenne electric and 911 Turbo S arriving with customers, plus our Icons of Porsche Sunstede Silverstone Edition festival in the summer, this year has been a very special one for Porsche Cars GB, colleagues in the Porsche Centre network and our loyal owners and enthusiasts to come together and celebrate. It has been great to meet so many fans, and share in their passion for Porsche.”
Reading, Great Britain. In autumn 1951, visitors to the Earls Court Motor Show in London were fascinated by a little German sports car, a stylish coupe whose sleek silhouette contrasted with the austerity of the times. Yet at the same time, in the same year as the Festival of Britain on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, it was representative of the new energy flowing through the motor industry and a hint to an exciting future.
The early years
The debut of Porsche at the Earls Court Motor Show began a relationship that over the next seven decades has seen the UK grow into the fourth largest market for the brand. This 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.”
Building a bond
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.
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.
Accelerating ahead
Charles Meisl 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, a 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. Every customer is invited here to explore the potential of their new car, and further develop their own skills behind the wheel, by participating in a bespoke driving experience around the unique tracks.
Recent new Centre developments 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 serving customers in Ireland.
The support delivered by the 49 points of representation spread throughout the Porsche Centre network 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 sees the immersive ‘Porsche Now’ pop-up concept returning soon.
Investing in the future
Porsche Centres currently have 200 apprentices throughout the network covering Technician, MET (Mechanical, Electrical and Trim - Bodyshop Technician), Parts, and Service Advisor roles. These are supported by training and development courses administered by Porsche Cars GB, managed through a dedicated Apprentice Training Centre at the Reading headquarters covering all the disciplines.
The company in addition supports its network of Porsche Centres with a steady supply of parts for service repair and maintenance via a new warehouse facility soon to open in Didcot, Oxfordshire. For nearly twenty years, the warehouse was based in Beenham, Berkshire, but the expansion of the Porsche business led to the search for a new site, and the move northwards into Oxfordshire also brings transport logistics benefits for the operation.
Talent development on the race track
Porsche Motorsport GB also invests in developing the next generation of GT racing drivers. Established in 2008, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Junior Programme is designed to identify and nurture young racing talent. The successful candidate joins a grid of identical 510 PS 911 Cup cars for a two year scholarship in the Carrera Cup GB. Alongside an £85,000 contribution per annum to their racing budget, the Junior Programme provides specialist support, with a mentoring package to foster a successful career in professional motorsport.
More widely, over the past 75 years Britain has played a high profile role in Porsche Motorsport success at home and abroad. The first Le Mans victory in 1970 was supported by Richard Attwood from Wolverhampton in the iconic 917, and with a triumph in the 2025 Daytona 24 Hours, Bedford’s Nick Tandy became the first and only driver in history to win all four major 24 hour endurance races (Le Mans, Daytona, Nürburgring and Spa), all while driving for the Porsche factory team.
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. Earlier in the summer, Porsche Cars GB welcomed thousands of enthusiasts and owners to Silverstone for the Icons of Porsche Sunstede Silverstone Edition; a two-day celebration of the marque at the Porsche Experience Centre and around the renowned Grand Prix circuit.
The event was marked by the unveiling of a unique sculpture in honour of the 75th anniversary. Familiar to anyone who attended the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, this Gerry Judah-designed structure that once graced the front lawn of Goodwood House now has a permanent home at the Porsche Experience Centre.
The dramatic 21-metre tall sculpture features six cars, each one a special 911, with a G-Series 911 Targa, a Type 964, Type 993, Type 996 Turbo, Type 997 GT3 RS, and a Type 991 GT3 Cup race car. The cars are painted in Guards Red, Carrara White and Barley Blue in a nod to the Union Jack.
Porsche Cars GB also partnered with revered triannual magazine The Road Rat to produce an exquisite special edition dedicated to the anniversary theme of 75 years of Porsche in the UK. As artful, culturally expansive and characterfully written as any regular edition of The Road Rat, the magazine acquired the ultimate in endorsements by gaining a Porsche part number. The final copies are still available to order from Porsche Centres.
Playing a lead role in the magazine – and bringing the 75 year story arc full circle – is the same 356 from the Earls Court Motor Show which is still on the road today, underlining the passion of owners and enthusiasts so typical of the Porsche marque.
Supporting the 2026 Esquire Better Men Honours
The place of Porsche in the cultural scene of the UK was underlined with the company supporting the 2026 Esquire Better Men Honours. The evening marked the launch of Esquire magazine’s celebration of positive masculinity, recognising leading public figures who represent a more thoughtful and open-minded approach to masculinity.
As the event’s official Car Partner, Porsche chauffeured British actor Tom Hiddleston in the unique Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo Soho House One. Created in partnership with the Porsche Sonderwunsch department at the factory in Stuttgart, the evening marked the first time the car was driven on the public roads and placed this extraordinary creation and the wider Porsche and Soho House partnership firmly in the spotlight.
Alongside Hiddleston, high-profile guests arrived at the awards in a mix of all-electric Porsche sports cars, each one displaying 75th anniversary motifs to bring the celebration of the Porsche Cars GB milestone into another major cultural setting.
911 GT3 Touring Earls Court 51 Edition
Working together with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur at the company’s factory in Stuttgart, Porsche Cars GB has created the 911 GT3 Earls Court 51 Edition in celebration of the 75th anniversary.
Unveiled to the public at Sunstede in June, just 51 examples of this limited series sports car will be produced, priced from £251,951.00 RRP – including matching Porsche Design Chronograph timepiece, leather overnight ‘Weekender’ bag, 1:18 scale model and commemorative book. Based on the 911 GT3 with Touring Package, the distinctive features of the new model include a specially developed exterior Paint to Sample Plus colour ‘Earls Court Green’ metallic inspired by the 356 coupe first displayed at Earls Court in 1951.
A reinterpretation of period materials and fabrics sees a mix of corduory and leather inside, a combination of Night Green and Chalk Beige leather (with Night Green stitching) offering an understated elegance that is luxurious and sporting. In addition, the interior boasts a number of exquisite design details, hallmarks of the craftsmanship of the Exclusive Manufaktur team. For example, when the door is opened on the driver’s side, there is an embossed silhouette of a 356 with the motto ‘driving in its purest form’, a translated tagline taken from the original 356 marketing in period.
The 1951 Porsche 356
In honour of the 356 models presented at the Earls Court Motor Show, Porsche Cars GB and the Porsche Manufaktur Sonderwunsch Classic facility near Stuttgart worked together to restore a 1951 356, similar to those early cars first shown in London 75 years ago.
Owned by Porsche Cars GB for many years, this very special car retains its original running gear, a 1.1-litre flat-four boxer engine developing 40 PS. It gained new brake lines, a fresh wiring harness, new fuel system and underwent modest body repairs to the front and rear. In addition, new brightwork, trim and window rubbers were fitted. But the primary focus in the workshop was applying a modern aesthetic to various styling details.
And many of these touches have either inspired or directly mirror those found on the 911 Earls Court 51 Edition. Most obviously, the 356 now wears the same Earls Court Green metallic paint. Similarly, its Chalk Beige interior trim with heritage-inspired leather and corduroy fabrics are shared with modern counterpart, and the roof headlining is leather in place of the original vinyl. And the distinctive ‘Karosserie Reutter’ emblem on the right-hand front wheelarch (signifying the assembly of the bodyshell at the Reutter factory in Stuttgart), is referenced in the design of the ‘Earls Court 1951’ badge on the rear engine grille of the 911.
