Page Dimensions

Approx. 15 1/2" x 10 1/2" (39cm x 26cm)

Story and Details

What do you get when you combine the pinnacle of German engineering, a photographer with a lifelong obsession for Porsche, and Fallon McElligott & Rice’s unmistakable wit? You get perhaps the most well-known Porsche advertisement of all-time. Of course, Porsche is responsible for creating and engineering the 930 Turbo - or “Widowmaker” as it’s eerily known. But it was the creatives at Minnesota ad agency Fallon McElligott & Rice in the late 1980s who conceived those bold one-liners that are now synonymous with Porsche.

Just like the witty remarks of 80’s action movies, these ads transformed the 911 into an action star to remember. But an iconic star with equally indelible dialogue (or a tagline in this case) needs a memorable scene to really make it all stick. Enter Jeff Zwart - a freelance photographer whose early work was featured on the covers of Road & Track magazine. Inevitably he got a call from Fallon to shoot print ads. It could be argued that this Porsche ad, originally published in 1988, is more famous for the photo than the headline… The story goes that Jeff only had two takes to get a shot of the car “jumping” - and he somewhat miraculously nailed it on the last go. This panoramic, “Never lift” capture was pure poster material. And in fact, the ad and image was turned into a poster. A poster that appears in Jerry’s apartment on some episodes of Seinfeld.

Just like how one box-office hit can launch the career of a movie star, it can do the same for its director. Jeff Zwart’s career continued to “rocket” after this ad, becoming the celebrated director of Porsche TV commercials, and creating campaigns for the majority of well-known car brands today. Just like how a movie poster entices you to go and watch the movie, this mini-poster ad teases you with what’s in store for you when you sit behind the steering wheel of a Porsche. Because if they can design the rockets which went to the moon, then they must be able to design one heck of a car. Jeff surely understood that the first time he drove a Porsche.