In conjunction with the 000 magazine charity auction, we took a deep dive into 000’s origins and how its founders came to create one of the greatest Porsche publications ever made.

50,000 hours studying, examining, and enjoying Porsches led to this: 000 magazine. What could easily be considered the greatest magazine focused on Porsche is the brainchild of founders Pete Stout and Alex Palevsky, and their dedicated team. Pete and Alex met in 1998 while working at Ross Periodicals, publisher of Sports Car International and Excellence. Pete would remain editor-in-chief of the latter title for 14 years, and was then hired to revitalize Porsche Panorama, the official magazine of the Porsche Club of America. Their friendship, meanwhile, never waned—and eventually led them to launch a print title of their own in 2016.

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000 CFO Rebekah Stout photographed by Clint Davis

Their mission is simple: 000 aims to elevate high-quality editorial journalism and engage Porsche enthusiasts in the company’s rich and diverse history. From the outset, founders Pete and Alex desired to create a periodical that emulates the subject matter it covers in terms of quality and experience. Given Porsche’s own high standards, this was an admittedly lofty goal, but one that has been achieved thanks to maintaining standards few can match. Editorials of often untold stories, print materials of the highest quality, and limited advertising provide Porsche lovers tactile engagement not found in the digital world or in other publications.

Pete explained, “000 from the start was a vision, and the whole business model was built on the idea of not having advertising paying for it. We called it a magazine to keep it approachable, but we knew it would straddle the lines between magazines and books.” As a result, readers are treated to 260 pages per issue, some 245 pages of which are new editorial content. Each issue offers readers insight into Porsche’s history, achievements, and partnerships. Embossed, suede-finish soft covers and premium 100 LB paper throughout offer a tangible experience more akin to a book than a periodical, with each issue weighing more than three pounds.

Photographed by Larry Chen and Naveed Yousufzai

Enthusiasts seeking additional exclusivity can look to 000’s hardcover Subscription S, of which only a maximum of 999 copies of each issue will be produced. All issues are hardbound by hand and come with a laser-etched aluminum plaque showing their individual subscriber numbers. Each annual subscription includes a hand-formed aluminum slipcase in a special color recognizing a historic Porsche hue. In addition, each annual Subscription S customer receives a unique yearly gift. The collection in the accompanying auction is the only complete S book set available to the public.

Although creating a quality product was top priority, the founders also desired to address the issue of wasted materials so often found in print. To help reduce waste, 000 magazine doesn’t overproduce editions. The result? Many issues are sold out, and the secondary market for 000 back issues has turned them into collectables of their own, especially the S Subscription editions.

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Photographed by Naveed Yousufzai

From the very beginning, Pete and Alex have shared the ideology that 000 magazine is, at least in part, a research project bringing to light the untold stories. Subjects include Porsche’s involvement in engineering projects for other manufacturers, members of the company, Porsche’s storied racing history, and some of the more unique models made over the last seventy years. 000 founders Pete and Alex even traveled to Stuttgart to discuss the project with Porsche prior to launch. While in Germany, they discovered that despite their combined 35-plus years’ experience working with Porsche, there was still a great deal of Porsche history to uncover. These chronicles will now be forever documented in print for future generations of automotive enthusiasts to discover and appreciate.

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Photographed by Trevor Ryan

Every issue is designed to allow current and future enthusiasts to “unplug” from our ever-increasingly digital world and all of its distracting links encouraging readers to “click here.” The sense of occasion when picking up an issue of 000 is not by accident, and is intended to emulate the feelings one likely gets when sitting behind the wheel of their favorite Porsche. Both subject and publisher are linked via their design simplicity and “more from less” ideology. Those endearing traits are part of what makes each company special in its respective category.

While many enthusiasts automatically think of the 911 when hearing the term Porsche, there is much more to the company than just their flagship sports car. During our interview, Pete and Alex mentioned more than once how many different aspects of the automotive industry have Porsche’s fingerprints on them. One such example was the involvement of Porsche’s engineering team in finalizing the Bosch engine management, steering, suspension, and braking systems for the last generation Jaguar XJS. When asked why by the board, then head of Porsche Peter Schutz stated Jaguar is not a competitor, it’s family, and if someone buys an XJS as their first sporting luxury car and has a bad experience, they’re likely to never come back to sporting luxury cars—so Porsche loses a customer too.

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Photographed by Larry Chen

The family mentality is not only part of Porsche’s philosophy, but also that of 000 founders Pete and Alex. It was decided early-on to donate the proceeds of the associated Marqued auction to charity. Pete explained, "We’ve selected the North Valley Community Foundation, which is based in Chico, California, and focuses on helping people rebuild after the devastating wildfires in 2021. This one hit close to home for 000, as we have family and team members in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Through them, we learned of NVCF’s good work—and 000 will direct all proceeds of this auction to support efforts to help communities bounce back from the Dixie Fire.” The contents of the auction include the only complete 000 Magazine Subscription S book collection ever offered publicly, number 055/999. Also included is a copy of the long unavailable softcover Issue 000 “Prototyp” as well as the first-year S gift, a sculpture by Stéphane Dufour. We encourage you to check-out the Marqued auction and bid with enthusiasm to support this great cause.

More about 000 Magazine

You can learn more about 000 Magazine through their website and by following them on Instagram (@000magazine).