Not quite a 918 Spyder, is it? First ever Porsche is revealed as a wooden crate on wheels that had an ELECTRIC engine and a top speed of just 21mph

The P1 was designed by Porsche founder, Ferdinand Porsche, in 1898
The model, designed more than 30 years before the car brand was founded, was discovered untouched since 1902 in an Austrian garage
The car, which has wooden wheels, is on display in the Porsche Museum

By William Turvill
PUBLISHED: 09:24 GMT, 29 January 2014 | UPDATED: 11:57 GMT, 29 January 2014

With wooden wheels, a top speed of 21mph, three horsepower and an electric engine, this is hardly the sort of model you'd associate with a renowned car maker.
But this vehicle, resembling a wooden crate on wheels, was the first car ever designed by the founder of Porsche, Ferdinand Porsche, when he was 22 years old in 1898.
The model, released more than 30 years before the Porsche brand was founded in 1931, was recently discovered in an Austrian garage, where it had remained untouched since 1902.

This car, resembling a wooden crate on wheels, was the first model designed by the founder of Porsche

On the road more than 100 years ago, the model, which had a top speed of 21mph, is a far cry from Porsche's modern day offerings, such as the 918 Spyder (pictured)

The P1 model, short for ‘Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton model’, has now been put on permanent display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
Mr Porsche designed the model for car maker Jacob Lohner.
According to Automobile magazine, the model weighed 287 lbs, had wooden wheels and, with a 12-speed control unit, could make speeds of up to 21mph when in overdrive mode.

The P1, with a 1,100-lb battery pack, also had an impressive electric range of 49 miles.

The model even managed to win a 40km (25-mile) race between electric vehicles in Berlin in 1899 – by a margin of 18 minutes.
More than half of the competitors failed to cross the finish line.

The P1 model has now been put on permanent display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany

Ferdinand Porsche founded his now famous brand in 1931 - more than 30 years after his P1 hit the Vienna roads (Porsche 991 pictured)

The vehicle was one of the first to be registered in Austria, according to Porsche, and took to the streets of Vienna in June 1898.
Another unique feature of the model at the time was that, because of its alternating vehicle body, it could be used in summer and winter.
The P1 model will be unveiled to the public this weekend to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Porsche Museum.

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