At the 1963 Paris Motor Show-the 50th anniversary of the event— the Porsche 901 made its debut. Reaction was mixed. So big! So fat! And while the scribes nattered about the Porsche's girth compared to the 356 it would replace, Peugeot executives notified Porsche that its 901 nomenclature would violate Peugeot's trademarked "XOX" monikers. Rather than get the lawyers involved, Ferry Porsche (eventually) made the decision to simply change the name, and voila! The Neunelfer, das 911, the sports car all others want to be when they grow up, was born. Production began in September 1964, with just over 80 units tagged 901 before the name was changed.
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