Earlier this month, Porsche revealed a surprise new special edition of the Porsche 911 Targa 4S dubbed the "Porsche 911 Targa 4S Heritage Edition". The first in its new line of Heritage Edition models, the special-edition Targa pays tribute to the German automaker's heritage.

Among the retro-inspired touches include five special paint colors inspired by Porsche models from the 1950s and 1960s, unique wheels and badging, gold-colored logos, and a vintage Crest logo adorning the wheel centers, hood, and headrest. Featuring a distinctive red-orange color, this version of the iconic Porsche Crest logo was used on the original Porsche 911 between 1964 and 1973. Now, Porsche is looking back at how one of the most iconic logos in the automotive industry was created.

While the Porsche logo was used on the company's first car, the 356, in 1948, the Porsche Crest wasn't created until 1952. In March 1951, Porsche launched a competition for German art academies inviting artists to create a company logo in exchange for DM 1,000. However, none of the designs were approved by Porsche's executives.

The next year, a designer named Franz Xaver Reimspiess, who created the Volkswagen logo in 1936, created a fantasy crest that "symbolized the company's roots while illustrating the quality and dynamics of its products", using a prancing horse taken from Stuttgart's Coat of Arms depicted within the contours of a golden shield.

Positioned above it was the name 'Stuttgart' as a reference to the company's home location, while the surrounding red and black state colors and the stylized antlers are taken from the Wurttemberg-Hohenzollern crest. These elements were positioned below the Porsche lettering, which forms a protective arch.

After it was registered with the German Patent Office, the Porsche Crest was first seen on the horn button at the end of 1952, before being applied to the hood handle of the Porsche 356 Speedster in November 1954. In 1959, it also adorned the hubcaps of its Zuffenhausen sports cars. Since then, every Porsche model has featured a crest on the hood.

Porsche Classic can also reproduce the original Porsche Crest logo for some of the automaker's historic models using special tools and referencing original drawings. To make it authentic, the Crest is gold-plated, while the colors and enameling are all applied by hand. The original Crest also has some key changes compared to the current version: the original logo was embossed instead of being finished in black like the current Crest, and the red color looked more orange as a reference to the state colors of Wurttemberg-Hohenzollern.

In 1974, the Crest was updated with a golden Porsche logo, embossed Stuttgart lettering, and a red-transparent glow. From 1994, the Porsche logo has featured slim black letters, the word Stuttgart is recessed and the Porsche Crest is red-transparent.