Cars Built By Porsche That Don't Wear A Porsche Badge – CarBuzz

Porsche is one of the most widely known car manufacturers, with a long history stretching back nearly a century and countless iconic cars built through the decades. However, over the course of automotive history, there have been some lesser-known cars which have been the product of Porsche engineering and design, but were not sold by Porsche.

Porsche

Porsche is a German sports car manufacturer and part of the broader Volkswagen Group since August 2012. Founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche, the brand is most famous for the 911 line of sports cars, which first launched in September 1963. But it was the Porsche 356 that came first, and subsequently, Porsche has expanded its model lineup to include a variety of sports cars, supercars, SUVs, sedans, and even EVs. Porsche has a rich history in motorsport, with 19 outright Le Mans victories to its name, among various other titles. 

The Stuttgart-based firm has offered its expertise to several other automakers, both in Europe and in the US, creating a number of unusual models from hot hatches to buses and even motorcycles. Let’s explore the vehicles built by Porsche over the years that did not sport a Porsche badge.

1 Studebaker Z-87 (Porsche 542)

The ill-fated Studebaker Z-87, a four-door sedan sometimes referred to by its alternate name of Porsche 542, was a collaborative project that never became a production reality. When Porsche built the first prototypes for Studebaker in the early 1950s, two different variants were built: an air-cooled example (the 542L) and a water-cooled one (the 542W), which had independent rear suspension.

Both versions were powered by the same engine. Around a decade before its eventual demise, Studebaker was already going through serious financial difficulties. This, combined with the prototype having several flaws in terms of handling and running refinement, meant the Z-87 project was eventually killed off for good in 1956.

2 Seat Ibiza (first generation)

The SEAT Ibiza might not be a familiar name to most people living outside of Europe, but on the Old Continent, it has been a beloved compact runabout for four decades. The model’s first generation, launched in 1984 at the Paris Motor Show, featured a generous dose of Porsche engineering in its powertrain, and came with a “System Porsche” badge on the engine block.

Interestingly, despite Porsche’s involvement, SEAT actually had to pay Porsche a small sum for each car (around seven German marks) to be able to include the “System Porsche” logo on the SEAT’s engine.

3 Lada Samara

This is one collaboration that Porsche doesn’t really advertise much: the Lada Samara, produced between 1984 and 2013 is primarily known for being a Soviet econobox with a sketchy reliability record. However, Porsche was involved in the powertrain’s engineering, though the details are vague. It certainly collaborated on cylinder-head design, but it’s commonly assumed the assistance ran much deeper. Though this resulted in a drivable vehicle, that’s about as much as can be said for the little Samara, whose record isn’t exactly stellar on just about any performance or comfort metric.

Porsche’s involvement didn’t stop with the best-forgotten production car, either: a rallying version of the Samara, driven in the Paris-Dakar Rally by Jacky Ickx in the early ’90s, was equipped with a 3.6-liter Porsche flat-six engine and a four-wheel-drive system borrowed from the Porsche 959.

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4 Volkswagen Vanagon (Porsche B32)

The Porsche B32 was a rare version of the VW van commonly known as the Transporter but sold in North America as the Vanagon, more specifically the third (T3) generation of the model. Based on the luxury Carat trim, the B32 was fitted with a flat-six engine borrowed from the Carrera, which fitted easily into the rear engine bay of the Vanagon, once the flat-four vacated it. It also had other Porsche-sourced components, such as the brakes and suspension.

The B32 was originally built by Porsche for testing purposes in the mid-1980s, and occasionally served as staff transport as well. With only ten units ever made, it is an extremely rare vehicle; some B32s were actually sold, with a Porsche VIN, to a handful of lucky customers.

5 Mercedes-Benz 500E/E500

The Mercedes-Benz 500E was a high-performance version of the W124, sold between 1990 and 1995 and created as a result of a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. Porsche’s engineering team was brought in to help figure out how to get a 5.0-liter V8 (the one already seen in the SL-Class at the time) into the W124 chassis.

Needless to say, the task was more than accomplished, with Porsche creating a sleeper sedan that is now a sought-after rarity. Each individual car took 18 days to be built by hand, being transported back and forth between Mercedes’ and Porsche’s facilities. At its mid-cycle facelift, the E in the model nomenclature was moved to in front of the “500”; this also applied to other E-Class models.

6 Audi RS2 Avant

One of the Audi RS2 Avant’s main claims to fame is that it was the very first car in Audi’s legendary RS series of high-performance models; the other is that it was the result of a collaboration between Audi and Porsche, which boosted the performance of its already-powerful turbocharged five-cylinder engine.

While 2,200 units were originally due to be built, high customer demand meant 2,891 RS2 Avants rolled off the production line. Sadly, however, the model never made it to the US, with most examples staying in Europe and a few being exported to Hong Kong, South Africa, Brazil, and New Zealand.

7 Opel/Vauxhall Zafira A

Developed in the mid-90s, during the MPV’s heyday, the Opel Zafira (sold under the Vauxhall brand in the UK and the Holden brand in Australia) is a practical but compact three-row MPV, ideal for transporting a family and cargo in an urban or suburban environment. Porsche contributed to the creation of the model’s first generation, the Zafira A, sold between 1999 and 2005.

While most of the Zafira’s parts were sourced directly from the Opel Astra, Porsche was involved in several aspects of the Zafira’s design. These include the chassis, suspension, and even the innovative “Flex 7” system that allows the third row of seats to fold into the floor, completely flush and hidden out of view. The Zafira was the first car to have such a system.

8 Subaru Legacy B4 Blitzen

This version of the Legacy is not very well-known globally, as it was only sold in Japan between 2000 and 2003. Then the top level trim of the Subaru Legacy lineup, the Blitzen was the result of a collaboration between Subaru and Porsche’s subsidiary, Porsche Design. The contribution from Porsche Design was mostly related to the bodywork and wheels, as well as some aspects of the interior and paint choices.

The B4 Blitzen’s signature feature, the split rear wing, was also the result of Porsche’s input. In 2015, Subaru revived the Blitzen name by introducing a one-off “Legacy B4 Blitzen” concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon, however Porsche was not involved with this particular car.

9 Renault Clio V6 RS (Phase 2)

This bonkers hot-hatch version of the Renault Clio, much loved by car enthusiasts all over the world, first went on sale in 2001, with the bulk of the engineering done by TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing). It wasn’t until the updated “Phase 2” version arrived in 2003 that Porsche’s involvement began.

It did not design any part of the car from scratch, but it was responsible for tuning the engine, which gave the new Clio V6 a power boost (from 227 hp to 252 hp). This made the Phase 2 Clio V6 the most powerful production hot hatch in the world when it was released. Only 1,309 Phase 2 cars were built in total, with production ending in 2005.

10 Daewoo Tosca/Chevrolet Epica

The Daewoo Tosca, marketed by Chevrolet and Holden as the Epica in some parts of the world, never made it to the US, being sold between 2006 and 2014 in Europe, Australasia, Korea and China. The contribution from Porsche comes in the form of the inline-six engine powering the car, which comes in two different variants (a 2.0-liter unit and a 2.5-liter one).

This made it stand out in the automotive market of the time, where the V6 was the preferred engine option for a mid-size sedan with a little extra oomph. However, the model’s life cycle did not last very long, and the Tosca went out of production in 2011 (for Korean-built models) and 2014 (for China-built models).

11 BONUS: Harley-Davidson V-Rod

The wildcard entry on the list is not a car, or even a bus; it doesn’t even have four wheels. The Harley-Davidson V-Rod is a unique motorcycle, as it features Porsche engineering at its heart. In 2002, Harley sought Porsche’s help to design the bike’s V2 engine; Porsche produced the water-cooled 1.1-liter unit that made the V-Rod so special.

Even though it represented a divergence from the more old-school motorcycles produced by Harley until that point, the V-Rod eventually became a beloved classic, and examples of it are still sought after today.

Sources:
automobile-catalog.com,
Porsche
,
Subaru
, Seat,
Volkswagen
,
Mercedes-Benz
, StuttCars.com.