Porsche used the name Porsche 911 for the sports car originally unveiled as the 901 in 1963.
Porsche presented the new rear-engined sports car at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show under the designation 901. Before series production began, Peugeot objected because it claimed rights to car names containing a zero between two other digits.
Porsche therefore changed the name to 911, replacing the middle digit while retaining the general numbering concept. The first production examples reached customers in 1964. The car used an air-cooled, rear-mounted flat-six engine, a layout that became central to the model’s identity.
The earlier Porsche 356 was not renamed 911; it was the model that the 911 succeeded. Another common confusion involves the 912, which arrived later with a four-cylinder engine derived from the 356. The 911 name has remained in use through many generations.