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Photo: Courtesy Porsche Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Image 2 of 7 The car was called the Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton and had a 3-horsepower electric motor. The car was called the Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton and had a 3-horsepower electric motor. Photo: Courtesy Porsche Image 3 of 7 Porsche’s electric car had a range of about 50 miles and in 1899 beat all other comers in a race for electric cars in Berlin. Porsche’s electric car had a range of about 50 miles and in 1899 beat all other comers in a race for electric cars in Berlin. Photo: Courtesy Porsche Image 4 of 7 A closeup look at some of the Phaeton's gauges. A closeup look at some of the Phaeton's gauges. Photo: Courtesy Porsche Image 5 of 7 Image 6 of 7 It was designed by Porsche and made for a carriage manufacturer who had the foresight to figure out that the horse-and-buggy era was coming to a close and maybe it was time to use electric- or gasoline power to get this carriage down the road. less It was designed by Porsche and made for a carriage manufacturer who had the foresight to figure out that the horse-and-buggy era was coming to a close and maybe it was time to use electric- or gasoline power ... more Photo: Courtesy Porsche Image 7 of 7 The ultimate barn find — a 114-year-old Porsche. Yes, Porsche. 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

It’s been locked away in a shed for some 112 years and is only now coming to light, according to the Jalopnik Web site. It was the original Ferdinand Porsche’s first design and he stamped “P. 1,” for Porsche Number One, all over it.

The car was called the Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton and had a 3-horsepower electric motor. It was designed by Porsche and made for a carriage manufacturer who had the foresight to figure out that the horse-and-buggy era was coming to a close and maybe it was time to use electric- or gasoline power to get this carriage down the road. The Phaeton was recently found in a warehouse in Austria. (Note of irony here: decades later, Volkswagen, the firm closely allied with Porsche, would make a luxury VW called the Phaeton. Great car that it was, it failed utterly because buyers were not exactly lining up for a luxo-Volkswagen.)

The old Phaeton, the 19th century model, hit the streets of Vienna on June 26, 1898, according to this NPR story, and managed to go as fast as 22 mph. Porsche’s electric car had a range of about 50 miles and in 1899 beat all other comers in a race for electric cars in Berlin.

Of course, most of us look at the 1948 introduction of the first street-ready 356 Porsche as the start of Porsche-car history (and even that date is sometimes debated.) The 356 was around until the early 1960s (the last 356 sold in the U.S. was model year 1965) and was followed by the 900-series cars, which have retained pretty much the same form for the past 50 years. And there are still some barn find Porsches out there (the odd 1958 Speedster that’s been on blocks for 40 years.)

The Phaeton will be on display this weekend (Feb. 1-2, 2014) at the Porsche museum in Stuttgart. Bring your new Cayman S and have a look.