In 1963, skier Egon Zimmerman made a daring leap over a Porsche 356. The photo, thanks to its evocative canyon of snow carved out after an avalanche, has been used time and again in promoting the German brand.
Porsche decided that this year, they would recreate it with the help of Norwegian skier Aksel Lund Svindal. Both Zimmerman and Svindal wore the number 7, have earned gold medals in downhill skiing at the Olympics, and shared a passion for Porsches.
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“The photo was simply perfectly done. There’s a lot of Porsche in it. For me as a kid, as a Porsche fan,” says Svindal. “It’s the message to be bold and try new things. And that’s exactly what we are doing now.”
This time, Porsche chose another car that marks a new beginning. Placed in a canyon of snow carved out of a snowy road on a mountain, Svindal would recreate the picture that has become so famous with a Taycan.
“This new interpretation of the historic photo, the jump, represents tradition,” says Lutz Meschke, deputy chairman of the executive board of Porsche AG. “But of course we are also moving full speed ahead in developing innovations for the future. So the whole enterprise is also more than just an homage to the jump by Egon Zimmerman. For us, it symbolizes the bridge between the past, present, and future.”
For the jump, Porsche invited Egon’s younger brother, Karlheinz, and his nephew, Michael to witness the photo being taken. The result is a really rather sweet shot of them gazing in wonder as someone leaps far overhead. As for the picture, it’s a thrilling success, and Svindal’s reaction is perhaps the sweetest.
“Okay, that did turn out cool, huh,” he says, seeing the photos side by side, clearly taken aback. “I’m really satisfied with it, if I may say so. It really turned out cool.”