The first Porsche-designed vehicle was unveiled Monday in Stuttgart, Germany, after having for more than a century collected dust in an Austrian shed unbeknownst to the famous car maker.
Designed by the company's founder, Ferdinand Porsche, the car is officially the
1898 Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, commonly referred to as the P1, USA Today reported.
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The electric-powered four-seat vehicle operates on a 3 horsepower engine propelled by a 44-cell, 1,103 pound battery mounted in the rear of the car that lasts 3 to 5 hours.
The automobile's top speed is 21 mph, Fox News reported.
Much like the horse-drawn carriages of the time, the P1 had an open car with front and back seats. Transparent replicas of the absent parts were installed by Porsche on the vehicle on top of the original wooden chassis for display purposes, Fox News noted.
In 1899, the vehicle reportedly won a 24-mile race across Berlin, finishing 18 minutes ahead of the second-place racer.
After the car was discovered, it was purchased by members of the Porsche family and is currently on display at Porsche's museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
The Porsche company would not say how the 19th century model car remained intact all these years,
telling Yahoo Autos that the person who uncovered it wished to remain anonymous.
According to Wired.com, just four of the model were built.
It was reportedly designed by Porsche while he was employed by car builder Jacob Lohner.
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