What Is the Porsche Logo?
The Porsche logo is a crest: a black rearing horse on a gold shield, framed by red and black stripes and stag antlers, with the name PORSCHE arched across the top. It belongs to Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, the sports-car maker that Ferdinand Porsche founded in Stuttgart in 1931 as an engineering office and that sold its first car, the 356, in 1948.
Porsche also uses the PORSCHE lettering on its own, the form its name took on the first cars before the crest existed. The crest is available as the Porsche logo SVG.
Porsche Logo Facts
| Designer | Franz Xaver Reimspiess |
| Introduced | 1952 |
| Symbol | A rearing horse from the Stuttgart city seal, with the antlers and colours of Württemberg |
| Logo type | Emblem: crest with the PORSCHE and STUTTGART names |
| Earlier mark | The word PORSCHE in separate letters, from 1948 |
| Owner | Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG |
What the Porsche Logo Means
Every part of the crest points to Porsche's home. The horse comes from the seal of the city of Stuttgart, and the name STUTTGART sits right above it. Around the horse, the red and black stripes are the state colours of Württemberg-Hohenzollern, and the stylised antlers come from that state's traditional coat of arms. The PORSCHE name forms an arch over the whole design.
The old Württemberg arms disappeared when the state of Baden-Württemberg was created in 1952, the same year the crest was drawn. Their design lives on in the Porsche badge.
Porsche Logo History
The first Porsche cars carried no crest at all. In 1948 the word PORSCHE alone served as the brand mark on the 356 "No. 1" Roadster.
In 1951 Porsche ran a logo competition among German art schools, but none of the entries satisfied the company. Late that year, Ferry Porsche's American importer, Max Hoffman, asked him for a logo over dinner in New York.
Franz Xaver Reimspiess sketched the crest in early 1952. After it was registered with the German Patent Office, it first appeared on the horn button at the end of 1952. It moved to the bonnet handle of the 356 Speedster in November 1954, and onto the hubcaps from 1959.
In 1961 Porsche's dealers complained that the crest was too detailed, and artist Hanns Lohrer drew replacements, but none was adopted.
The crest has been refined rather than replaced. In 1974 the PORSCHE lettering turned gold and the red took on a translucent glow. In 1994 the lettering became slim and black and the horse was drawn more elegantly. In 2023 Porsche introduced the sixth version, with brushed metal, a honeycomb texture in the red fields, a refreshed horse and a softer gold.
Two Prancing Horses
Porsche is not the only sports-car maker with a horse on its badge. Ferrari's black horse on a yellow ground came from Francesco Baracca, a First World War pilot who had painted it on his plane, and Ferrari first used it in 1932 (compare the Ferrari logo). Porsche's horse has a civic origin instead: it is the horse of Stuttgart.
For more brands like Porsche, browse our car logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there a horse on the Porsche logo?
The horse comes from the seal of Stuttgart, the city where Porsche was founded and where its Zuffenhausen headquarters stands.
Who designed the Porsche crest?
Franz Xaver Reimspiess sketched it in early 1952, working with Porsche's head of publicity, Herrmann Lapper.
What do the antlers on the Porsche logo mean?
The antlers, like the red and black stripes, come from the coat of arms of the former state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern.
When did the Porsche crest first appear on a car?
On the horn button at the end of 1952, and on the bonnet of the 356 Speedster from November 1954.