1948 Porsche 356 Prototype- Pebble Beach Concours August 2008

This low slung car is instantly recognizable as a Porsche. It is called Porsche Number 1. The mechanicals are mostly derived from the Volkswagen Beetle. However, the engine is in a mid-engine layout. This approach was reversed to the rear-engined layout when the 356 went into production to reduce costs. The rest is history. Rear-engined cars became a trademark of a "classic" Porsche despite the mid-engined 914, Boxter, and Cayman. Today, the 911 continues this rear-engined tradition as the best sports car in the world. In 2008, the rear-engined Porsche GT3 RSR won the SCCA World Speed GT Championship and the American Le Mans Series GT2 Championship beating, in alphabetical order, Aston Martin, Cadillac, Corvette, Dodge Viper, Ferrari 430 GT, Ford GT, Ford Mustang, and Panoz. Not bad for a flat-six with the engine in the "wrong place."