The Transparent Revolution of Porsche and Nike

Before the breakthroughs of 1986-1987, both Porsche and Nike were companies at crossroads, each fighting their own battles against convention and market pressures. Their parallel journeys would culminate in two designs that forever changed how we think about performance and innovation.

In the early 1980s, Porsche was far from the powerhouse we know today. The company built its reputation on the 911, but by 1980, the rear-engine design had lost its appeal to most consumers. Sales were declining, and Japanese sports cars were offering similar performance at lower prices. The experimentation during that time produced some of the brand’s least popular models including the front-engined 928 that was intended to replace the 911, failed to capture enthusiasts' hearts.

Porsche's savior came in an unlikely form: Peter Schutz, an American-born executive who became CEO in 1981. Though his tenure was relatively short lived, it’s fair to say that if you’re an automotive enthusiast, you owe Peter a “thank you.” His first major decision, one that would drastically change the current landscape of sports cars, was to reverse the planned cancellation of the 911. "The car could be improved," he argued, "but its basic concept was timeless." This philosophy would later influence the 959's development and come to embody the fundamental approach of Porsche to this day: embrace heritage while pushing technological boundaries.

The 959 project began as "Gruppe B" in 1983, led by Helmuth Bott, Porsche's legendary head of R&D. The chief designer, Benjamin Dimson, faced an immense challenge: create something revolutionary while maintaining clear visual links to Porsche's heritage. What many don't know is that early 959 prototypes looked radically different, with a more angular design that gradually evolved to include more traditional refined Porsche elements.

Meanwhile, in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike was fighting for market relevance. Founded as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964 by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, Nike had revolutionized running shoes with the Waffle Trainer in the 1970s but trends sent the footwear industry in a different direction. By 1985 they were losing ground to Reebok, which had captured the aerobics boom while Nike remained focused on performance running.

The company's Air technology, first introduced in the 1978 Tailwind, had become just another feature rather than a differentiator. Frank Rudy, the NASA engineer who developed the Air system for Nike, had always envisioned it as visible technology, but manufacturing limitations kept it hidden inside the midsole. Then along comes an aspiring young designer by the name of Tinker Hatfield, whose path to sneaker design sounds like a movie. An architect by training and a former pole vaulter at the University of Oregon, Hatfield joined Nike in 1981 to design retail spaces. He caught the eye of Nike's leadership through his innovative store designs, and in 1985 was asked to try his hand at footwear design, which if you’re reading this, you know exactly how that turned out.

The 959's development team was a dream team of automotive engineering before the term dream team was even a thing. Its revolutionary all-wheel-drive system, which could continuously vary power distribution between front and rear wheels is technology that's standard in modern performance cars. Nissan even purchased a 959 to reverse engineer and create what would become the modern Skyline GT-R’s AWD system. Hans Mezger, the architect of Porsche's most successful racing engines, created the twin-turbocharged flat-six engine with sequential turbochargers, eliminating the lag that plagued other turbocharged cars of the era.

At Nike, Hatfield worked closely with David Forland, the technical genius who made visible Air possible. Their breakthrough came after Hatfield's visit to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, where the building's inside-out architecture inspired him to expose the Air unit. Forland spent two years developing new manufacturing techniques to make this possible, including a revolutionary thermal forming process for the urethane Air units.

When both products launched, they represented radical departures from convention.

The Porsche 959 featured:

• A twin-turbocharged 2.85-liter flat-six producing 444 horsepower

• Sequential turbocharging for progressive power delivery

• Six-speed manual transmission (when five-speeds were standard)

• Adjustable ride height and damping

• Variable all-wheel drive

• Aluminum and Kevlar composite body panels

• Run-flat tires with automatic pressure monitoring

• Zero to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, making it the fastest street-legal car of its time

The Nike Air Max 1 introduced:

• The first visible Nike Air unit

• A revolutionary multi-layered upper design

• Engineered mesh panels for breathability (before it became marketing lingo)

• A radical new approach to color blocking

• Outsole patterns designed for both performance and aesthetics

• Premium materials previously unseen in running shoes

There Was No Warm Reception

Initially, both innovations faced skepticism. Porsche dealers worried the 959's technology would be too complicated for service departments, while Nike's own technicians feared the visible Air unit would fail catastrophically. Thankfully for all of us, both concerns were quickly proven wrong.

The 959, despite its limited production of 337 units (292 for road use), influenced every Porsche that followed. Its technology trickled down to the 964 and 993 generation 911s, while its all-wheel-drive system became the foundation for the Carrera 4. Today, pristine examples can go for over $2 million at auction. Not to mention that Bill Gates and his 959, which took a decade to get through customs, changed the way cars are imported today.

The Air Max 1's influence was even more immediate. It launched a revolution in sneaker design that continues today, with visible technology becoming Nike's signature. The original red/white colorway has achieved iconic status, with original pairs fetching over $10,000 in perfect condition and even beat pairs going for thousands.

Both the Porsche 959 and Nike Air Max 1 proved that showing your innovation could be as important as the innovation itself. They demonstrated that the future belongs to those willing to not just create something new, but to proudly display their technological achievements. As we enter a new era of innovation in both automotive and footwear design, these legendary cars and kicks remind us that true progress often means having the courage to make the revolutionary visible.

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