'Porsche By Design' exhibition charts Porsche design history

Some of Porsche's rarest and most iconic cars will be showcased at the North Carolina Museum of Art's new exhibition, ‘Porsche by Design: Seducing Speed'.

The collection, which consists of 22 cars dating back to 1938, is designed to explore the history and development of the Porsche lineup up until the present day.

Amongst the models are a 1938 Type 64 Berlin-Rom racer, a 1963 Type 901 Prototype, 1969 Type 917 16-Cylinder Spyder Prototype and a 2010 Type 911 Sport Classic Carrera.

You'll also find Steve McQueen's 1958 Porsche speedster, a rare Type 804 Formula One racecar – one of only four ever built – that won the 1962 French Grand Prix and Janis Joplin's Type trippy 356C Cabriolet.

The collection is curated by automotive journalist and former director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles Ken Gross, the man behind the Nashville Frist Center for the Visual Arts show earlier this year that featured classic 1930s Art Deco cars.

The ‘Porsche by Design: Seducing Speed' exhibition opens at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, N.C., on 12 October and runs until 20 January.

Head over to the its website for more images, videos, details and to book tickets.

By Rufus Thompson