The winner of the Porsche 75th Anniversary class and the "Most Iconic Automobile" award was the "901 Prototype 'Quickblau'."

The 901 is the original designation for the 911 before it was renamed following a trademark protest from Peugeot, which had registered all three-digit numbers containing a "0" in the middle. It was unveiled at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show. Fewer than 100 units are said to have been produced. Furthermore, the car participating this year is its prototype.

The owner is Alois Ruf Jr., the second-generation head of RUFs, a company that has long manufactured high-performance cars based on Porsches in Bavaria, Germany.

"Quickblau means 'fast blue,'" Ruf explains to the author.

"This is one of the 13 901 test vehicles built between 1962 and 1964."

Each car was given a nickname, such as "Blaumeise" (Blue Titmouse) and "Freiermäuse" (Bat).

"Only two exist: car number 7, Barbarossa (Redbeard), is in the United States, and this Quickblau, car number 6, is the other."

Porsche conducted extensive testing using the Quickblau, with Ferdinand Piëch, then head of engine development, in charge.

Subsequently, from 1965, the vehicle was used as a company car for Hans Metzger, the designer of the 911 engine. It was later sold to a private individual in 1967, who then crashed the Quickblau.

"My father bought the damaged vehicle."

His father was Alois Ruf Sr., the founder of RUF. "He told me, 'This is your first Porsche. Fix it yourself,'" Ruf recalls.

However, Alois Sr. deemed the 911's flat-six engine too powerful for his son. "So, we swapped it for the flat-four engine from a 912." After the repairs, he enjoyed it for about three years.

Later, Ruf focused on developing his father's company, and the Quickblau fell into disuse.

However, while researching its history, he realized its significance to the 911 lineage, including being the first vehicle fitted with five instruments. He began a full restoration from 2020 to 2022. The engine was replaced with an early 911 unit he found. The paint color, named "Quickblau" (6403), a beautiful enamel blue, was also faithfully reproduced.