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Ferdinand Porsche played an important role in the development
of airplanes and racing cars, and the construction of tanks for
the Wehrmacht. He is an automobile engineer with more than
a thousand patents to his name. He was appointed chief engineer
at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart in the 1920s. Later on, he set
up his own engineering workshop and designed among others
the Volkswagen. At the plant where Volkswagen was made,
Wolfsburg, he was chief of operations and at the end of the war
he was interned by the Allies.

He was released a few years later and started building his first car
with his son, Ferry Porsche. The car was named the Porsche 356
and it was a sports car and a reminiscent of the Volkswagen.
It had the same four-cylinder boxer engine that was rear-mounted,
just like the VW. It was far from being a powerful sports car,
developing only 40 bhp and a maximum speed of 87 mph (140 km/h).
First produced as a convertible and later as a hard top it distinguished
by the very elegant and innovative body. It was developed in the
workshop of Erwin Komenda, a master of restrained streamlining
who had been in charge of sheet metal and design techniques at
Porsche since the VW Beetle. The new style of closed coupe was
designed by Komenda and it soon became the embodiment of the
sports car, thanks to its fastback.

This tradition was continued by Komenda and Ferdinand Butzi
Porsche, the founders grandson, with the 911.

The 911 became easily recognizable: it had attractive sloping
bonnet and what later became characteristic frog eye headlights,
curves running from the top edge of the windscreen to the rear bumper
and a straight waistline. From a functional and technical point of
view it was more like BMW 1500, although it retained the stylistic
features of the original Porsche. The new 911 will become the
foundation stone of Porsches identity, even though the design
was not always appreciated. During the 1970`s and 1980`s, the
designers attempts to distance Porsche from its legendary design brought
the company to the edge of disaster. The more modern 924 model,
a peoples Porsche, developed with Volkswagen, as well as the
928 were far from fulfilling the expectations.

In the 1990`s, the company realized that what for over twenty years
was perceived as a straitjacket, it was in fact a market
advantage. During the 1990`s, Porsche became highly
profitable since they now knew that the typical Porsche features
were timeless. Nearly forty people now worked in the design
department on further developments of the long-running 911.
These developments included the 911 GTI, a powerful combination
of sports and racing car, put forward by the in-house designer
Anthony R. Hatter. In 1999, chief designer proudly presented the
new Boxster which enabled Porshe to establish a second
independent range of models.

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Tags: Boxer Engine, Chief Engineer, Development Of Airplanes, Engineering Workshop, Ferdinand Porsche, Ferry Porsche, Foundation Stone, Frog Eye, Komenda, Maximum Speed, Mercedes Benz, Porsche 356, Porsche 911, Racing Cars, Rear Bumper, Stylistic Features, Vw Beetle, Waistline, Wehrmacht, Windscreen

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The Porsche 356 is the first Porsche production automobile
and it was sold from 1948 through 1965. Although many
consider Porsche 64 as being the first automobile produced
by the German company, the 64 was never mass-produced
and it was only a drivable test-mule. The 364 was created by
Ferdinand Porsche and his son, Ferry Porsche, designed by
Erwin Komenda and its engine features derived from the
Volkswagen Beetle, deigned by Mr. Porsche Senior.

The models available were initially coupe, cabriolet (luxury
convertible) and then roadster (a stripped down convertible).
Before being withdrawn in 1965, it went through several
changes. The most desirable versions were 356 Carrera
(often sold for well over $150,000), Super 90 and Speedster.
In the late 50`s, the original selling price for a Porsche was
$4,000.

In 1954, Max Hoffman, the only importer of Porsches into
United States needed a lower cost, racier version for the
American marker. Therefore, the company created 356
Speedster that became a instant hit thanks to the low, raked
windshield (easily removable for weekend racing), bucket seats,
and minimal folding top. These days, this car is still very
appreciated as it is sold for over $100,000 and it has been used
in several films, including 48 Hours, its sequel Another 48
Hours and Top Gun. In 1957, the production of Speedster
peaked at 1,171 cars. In 1959 it was replaced by the Convertible
D model, which featured a taller, more practical windshield,
glass side windows, and more comfortable seats.

Year after year, the basic shape of Porsche 356 remained the
same and was easily recognized and remarked, even though
changes were made, especially in the mechanical area. Coupe
and cabriolet models were produced every year up to 1965,
with the last 356B Roadster built in early 1963. The final model
build was 356 C that featured disc brakes and the most
powerful pushrod engine Porsche so far: the 95HP SC.

In the year that Porsche launched 911, 1964, Porsche 356 production
peaked at 14,151 cars. Still, the company continued to sell the
356C in North America through the end of 1965 as a lower-cost
vehicle. When the customers complained the price for 911 was
too high (almost twice the price of the 356), Porsche started
producing the 912, using the 356 engine. The 912model was
sold between 1965 and 1969.

56 years after the beginning of the production, Sports Car
International named 356C number ten on the list of Top Sports
cars of the 60`s. Today, the 356 is a respected car among the
collectors, as it stood the test of time. Worldwide, thousands of
356 owners maintain the tradition, preserving their cars and
driving them regularly.

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Tags: 911 Porsche, Coupe Cabriolet, Disc Brakes, Ferdinand Porsche, Ferry Porsche, First Automobile, German Company, Komenda, Mechanical Area, Porsche 356, Porsche 911, Porsches, Production Automobile, Pushrod, Pushrod Engine, Racing Bucket Seats, Side Windows, Test Mule, Volkswagen Beetle, Windshield Glass

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Ferdinand Porsche was around 72 years old when the first hand-made, hand-beaten Porsche 356 rolled down the road at Gmund. It was 1948 but Porsche had started his career before the turn of the century.

Just what was he doing for his first fifty years?

The one word answer is plenty. A slightly longer answer is designing some of the top motoring icons and fastest cars of the twentieth century. Or, getting all the experience, knowledge and skills needed to produce one of the hottest and most charismatic lines of sports cars in the world.

It all started in the late nineteenth century. Porsches father was a tinsmith, but young Ferdinand preferred the new-fangled electricity. He worked for an electrical equipment manufacturer before designing electric automobiles for Lohner. The Lohner-Porsche, with electric motors in the front wheel hubs, (one of the first front-wheel drives), was exhibited at the Paris exhibition in 1900 and won a Grand Prize for 25 year old Porsche.

Porsche kept developing the Lohner. Motors in all four hubs made it one of the earliest four-wheel drives and a petrol engine and generator instead of batteries made it one of the first mixed drive vehicles. Porsche himself raced one of the petrol-electric cars.

In 1905, Porsche moved from Lohner to Austro-Daimler where he became technical Director, and later Managing Director. His first petrol car there was developed into the sports model that won the 1910 Prince Henry Trial.

Cars werent the only mechanical designs of the self-taught automotive genius. In 1912 he designed a four-cylinder aero engine. Its layout was a flattened X, almost a flat four.

World War I had Porsche working for the military, designing gun tractors, motorized artillery pieces and an enormous road train carrying an 81-ton gun and pulling four trailers each with eight-wheel drive. Total weight was 150 tons! It used the Lohner-Porsche method of electric motors in the hubs with a 20 liter, 150 hp traction engine providing the power.

In 1917 he received an honorary doctorate from Vienna Technical University.

Porsche turned to small cars after WWI, designing the Sascha, which could hit 89 mph with a tiny 1100 cc engine. These cars came first and second in their class in the 1921 Targa Florio. However, differences of opinion with other directors of Austro-Daimler led to a move to Daimler in Stuttgart, as Technical Director with a seat on the board.

Here Porsche fixed the poor performance of Daimlers new two-liter supercharged race car, which went on to take the first three places in its class in the 1924 Targa Florio, including first place overall. Porsche was awarded another honorary doctorate, this time from Stuttgart University for his achievements.

At Daimler he designed one of the most famous cars of all time, the seven-liter six-cylinder supercharged Mercedes which progressed through the K and S series to the SS, SSK and SSKL. These cars dominated racing in 1928-30. As well, he worked on diesel engines for trucks and airplane engines.

Daimler merged with Benz in 1926, and the combined board rejected Porsches push for small and light Daimler-Benz cars. Porsche quit and moved to Steyr where he designed a large luxury car with a 5.3-liter straight-eight.

Steyr collapsed in the great depression though, and in 1930 Porsche was unemployed.

At the age of 55, when many people these days are taking early retirement, Porsche opened his own design bureau with a select group of engineers that he had previously worked with, including his own son Ferdinand Ferry Porsche.

His first job was the Wander W.17, a small medium-priced six-cylinder car. A small car for Zundapp followed. Named the Volksauto, it was an early ancestor of the Beetle, with a rear-mounted radial engine and fully independent suspension. It didnt go into production because of an upturn in Zundapps normal market of motorcycles.

In 1932 Russia offered Porsche the job of State Designer. It was an attractive offer, but he turned it down.

Another tilt at a small car came from NSU. The Zundapp was dusted of to give the basic ideas, but this time a flat-four air-cooled engine was used at the rear, along with torsion bar suspension and swing axles at the back. Three prototypes were built before the project was abandoned, but the VW Beetle was getting closer.

Hot racing cars were still on the drawing board, with the Porsche team building a real monster for Auto-Union. It had a 4.4 liter supercharged V16 mounted at the back. With the weight at the back, swing axles, skinny tires and tremendous power, (its reported they could spin the wheels at 100 mph) these cars were a handful to drive, but they won races!

Meanwhile, Hitler was also gaining tremendous power, and one of his ideas was for a peoples car. Porsche got the job of designing it, and all his previous experience went into the best selling car ever, the Volkswagen Beetle. Three Beetles were turned into lightweight sports coupes for the proposed 1939 Berlin-Rome road race.

The race never took place because the Second World War started.

During WWII the Beetle was turned into the Kubelwagen, the German equivalent of the Jeep. Porsche designed the Tiger, Ferdinand and Maus Tanks, which all used the mixed drive with an internal combustion engine driving hub-mounted electric motors.

The war ended and the French threw Professor Porsche, son Ferry, and son-in-law Anton Piech in prison as war criminals. (Totally unfounded). Ferry was released after a few months but the Professor was kept with France demanding 1 million Francs for his release.

Ferry and the design bureau took on new projects to pay the money. When the Professor was released, the design of the very first Porsche branded sports car was well under way. This car was the 356, the start of a line of exciting thoroughbreds which are some of the most desirable sports cars in the world today.

Ferdinand Porsche may have had a humble start in life but he was an automotive genius and for half a century he designed some of the most magnificent machinery ever. The Porsche cars of today continue his legacy.

Tags: 72 Years, Artillery Pieces, Austro Daimler, Electric Automobiles, Electrical Equipment Manufacturer, Fastest Cars, Ferdinand Porsche, First Fifty Years, Gmund, Mechanical Designs, Paris Exhibition, Petrol Car, Petrol Engine, Porsche 356, Porsche Porsche, Prince Henry, Road Train, Tinsmith, Wheel Hubs, Word Answer

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Ferdinand Porsche was an automobile engineer with more than a thousand patents to his name, and played an important role in the development of airplanes and the construction of tanks for the Wehrmacht as well. In the 1920s he was appointed chief engineer at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart and later set up his own engineering workshop. There he designed, among other things, the Volkswagen. He acted as chief of operations at the plant where the Volkswagen was made, Wolfsburg, and at the end of the war he was interned by the Allies.

He was released a few years later and immediately went to work building his first car with his son, Ferry Porsche. This car was named the Porsche 356, after Ferry, and was a sports car with styling reminiscent of the Volkswagen. In fact it had the same four-cylinder boxer engine, and wore it rear-mounted, just as the VW did. This meant that it was far from being a powerful sports car, boasting a mere 40 bhp and a maximum speed of 87 mph (140 km/h). Distinguished by its elegant and innovative body, the Porsche 356 was first produced as a convertible and then as a hard top. Father and son developed it in the workshop of Erwin Komenda, a master of restrained streamlining who had been in charge of sheet metal and design techniques for Ferdinand Porsche since the VW Beetle. This new style of closed coupe designed by Komenda soon became the embodiment of the sports car, due in part to its “fastback”.

Erwin Komenda and Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche, the founder’s grandson, continued this tradition with the 911.

The 911 became instantly recognizable: it had an attractive sloping bonnet reminiscent of the 356, what later became characterized as “frog eye” headlights, curves running from the top edge of the windscreen to the rear bumper, and a straight waistline. From a functional and technical point of view it shared more in common with a BMW 1500, but it retained the distinctive stylistic features of the original Porsche. The new 911 became the keystone of Porsche’s identity, even though the design was not always fully appreciated. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, many Porsche designers attempted to distance Porsche from its legendary design and nearly brought the company to the edge of disaster. The more modern 924 model, “a people’s Porsche”, developed with Volkswagen, as well as the 928 fell short fulfilling expectations, and failed to allow the company to branch out in new directions and styles.

However, in the 1990’s the company seemed to realize that what some perceived as a stylistic straitjacket was in fact a market advantage. During this period Porsche embraced the timeless nature of classic styling to become highly profitable. Nearly forty people now worked in the design department solely dedicated to further improvement of the long running 911. Such developments included the 911 GTI, put forward by the in-house designer Anthony R. Hatter as a powerful combination of sports and racing car. In 1999, Porsche’s chief designer proudly unveiled the new Boxster, enabling Porsche to establish a second independent range of successful models.

Tags: Boxer Engine, Chief Engineer, Development Of Airplanes, Engineering Workshop, Ferdinand Porsche, Ferry Porsche, First Car, Frog Eye, Komenda, Maximum Speed, Mercedes Benz, Porsche 356, Porsche 911, Rear Bumper, Stylistic Features, Top Edge, Vw Beetle, Waistline, Wehrmacht, Windscreen

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The story of Porsche could begin in 1950 with the introduction of the Porsche 356 to the United States by Max Hoffman. It could begin in 1948, when the first auto bearing the name of Porsche came out. However, to get a real grip on the heritage of Porsche, you must go back as far as 1875. In September of that year, Ferdinand Porsche was born in the bohemian village of Haffersdorf.

Ferdinand Porsche showed indications of his technical genius at the age of 18 when he wired the family home for electricity. His only formal education was received when he was a part-time engineering student in Vienna, although the title Doctor is often appended to his name. By the time he was 25, Porsche had gone into automotive design. The Viennese firm of Loyner & Co. accepted his first car design. Over the next twenty years, he successfully associated himself with every major car manufacturer in Germany, and he designed about a dozen of the most technically important automobiles in history at the same time.

When he worked for Mercedes-Benz, he helped to create the SSK series, while for NSU, he designed the Auto Union Wandered and the Type 32, which as an ancestor of the Volkswagen Beetle. His disagreements with Mercedes-Benz over the companys engineering policies prompted him to establish his own engineering group, which became Porsche A.G. He collected a premier group of engineers to work under the name of Doctor of Engineering Ferdinand Porsche, Inc. Construction Facility for Land, Air, and Sea Transportation in Stuttgart. His son, Ferry, was one of his employees, and his major interest was in sport and racing cars.

The elder Porsche and his engineers were busy. They developed for Steyr, a luxury sedan in Austria, but this vehicle did not make it out of the prototype stage. They also worked for Auto Union, which is now Audi, the firm that created the Front, the first front-drive economy car in the world. They also created the mid-engine Grand Prix cars and supercharged V-12 and V-16 engines. These, along with the racers from Mercedes-Benz, dominated European auto racetracks for almost ten years.

The company created its most well-known designs for NSU and Zundapp. Prototypes were characterized by Porsches torsion-bar suspension and rear-mounted engine. Neither of the firms manufactured the designs, so Porsche sold the idea to the German government. He then provided the oversight on the construction of a plant in Wolfsburg to build the design. He called it the Type 60, but the world knows it as the Volkswagen Beetle.

After World War II, the Porsche Company began to create the vehicles that now bear the name of Porsche. Almost one hundred years later, Porsche became the marque, and the family that developed the unique and lasting contributions to automotive design and engineering has gone down in history.

Tags: Construction Facility, Economy Car, Ferdinand Porsche, First Auto, Grand Prix Cars, Manufacturer In Germany, Mercedes Benz, Mid Engine, Next Twenty Years, Porsche 356, Porsche Automobiles, Premier Group, Prototype Stage, Racing Cars, Sea Transportation, Technical Genius, Time Engineering, Title Doctor, Type 32, Volkswagen Beetle

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Sold from 1948 through 1965, the Porsche 356 was Porsche’s first production automobile. Although many think of the Porsche 64 as being the first automobile produced by the German company, the 64 was never mass-produced. It was only an operable concept car and testing platform for the company’s design ideas. The 364, created by Ferdinand Porsche and his son Ferry Porsche, was designed by Erwin Komenda. Its engine features were derived from the Volkswagen Beetle, which was also designed by the senior Mr. Porsche.

Initially the models available were a coupe, cabriolet (luxury convertible) and a roadster (a stripped down convertible). The Porsche 356 underwent several changes before being withdrawn in 1965. The most sought-after variants of the car were the 356 “Carrera” (which often sold for over $150,000), the “Super 90″ and the famous “Speedster”. The original selling price for a Porsche was around $4,000 in the 1950s.

It was in 1954 that Max Hoffman, the only importer of Porsches into United States, told Porsche that he needed a lower cost, racier version of the 356 to entice the American driver. To this end the company created the 356 “Speedster”. It became a instant hit, featuring a low, raked windshield (easily removable for weekend racing), bucket seats, and minimal folding top. Today this car is still widely coveted and premium examples of the model have sold for over $100,000. It has also been used in several films, including “48 Hours”, its sequel — “Another 48 Hours”, and “Top Gun”. The production of Speedster peaked at 1,171 cars in 1957. It was replaced 1959 by the Convertible D model. This model featured a taller, more practical windshield, glass side windows, and more comfortable seats.

Even as the mechanical side of the Porsche improved year after year, the basic shape of Porsche 356 remained the same and was easily recognized. The last 356B Roadster was built in early 1963, but the coupe and cabriolet models were produced every year up to 1965. The final model built was the 356C, featuring disc brakes and the most powerful pushrod engine Porsche so far: the 95HP “SC”.

Porsche 356 production peaked at 14,151 cars in 1965, the same year that Porsche introduced the 911. The company continued to sell the 356C in North America through the end of 1965 as a lower-cost option to the higher-performance 911. When the customers continued to complain about the high the price of the 911, which was almost twice the price of the 356, Porsche started producing the 912. This car utilized the 356 engine and was sold between 1965 and 1969.

56 years after the beginning of its production, Sports Car International named the 356C as number ten on its list of Top Sports cars of the 60’s. Having stood the test of time, the 356 is a well respected and coveted car among collectors today. Thousands of 356 owners worldwide maintain the tradition, preserving their cars and through them the legacy of Porsche engineering excellence.

Tags: 356 Speedster, Another 48 Hours, Cabriolet, Concept Car, Coupe Cabriolet, Design Ideas, Engine Features, Ferdinand Porsche, Ferry Porsche, First Automobile, German Company, Mechanical Side, Porsche 356, Porsche Models, Porsches, Production Automobile, Racing Bucket Seats, Side Windows, Volkswagen Beetle, Windshield Glass

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It`s hard to say exactly which is the beginning of Porsche
story. It could be in 1950, when the famous Max Hoffman
introduced the Porsche 356 to the United States. Or in 1948
when the first automobile to bear the name Porsche was introduced.
But in order to understand Porsches heritage and its philosophy
we need to go back to 1875, when, in September, at the home
of a tinsmith in the Bohemian village of Haffersdorf, a son was
born. His name was Ferdinand Porsche.

Since his adolescence, Ferdinand Porsche showed glimpses of
technical genius: at the age of 18, he wired family’s home for
electricity in 1893. Still, he didnt show many signs of disciplined
engineering skills that will eventually become his trademark. Even
if the Doctor is usually appended to his name, it is in essence
honorary, since his only formal technical training was as a part-time
engineering student in Vienna.

By the age of 25, the young Ferdinand Porsche had entered the
field of automotive design. His first car design was already
accepted by Lohner & Co. of Vienna. Over the next 20 years,
Ferdinand Porsche, the temperamental but brilliant engineer
succeeded in associating with every major automobile manufacturer
in Germany. At the same time, he designed a dozen of the most
technically significant cars in history.

Working for Mercedes-Benz, he helped develop the most revered
Mercedes-Benz cars of all time: the SSK series. For NSU, he
designed Auto Union Wanderer and the Type 32, a precursor of the
Volkswagen Beetle.

After being dismissed from Mercedes for disagreeing with the firm’s
staid engineering policies, Porsche decided to establish what later
became Porsche A.G.: his own engineering consulting group. In a
small office in Stuttgart, the senior Dr. Porsche gathered a select
group of engineers to work under the dramatic name, “Doctor of
Engineering Ferdinand Porsche, Inc., Construction Facility for Land,
Air, and Sea Transportation.” One of his employees was his youthful
son, Ferry. His primary interest was one that any young man might
select: sports and racing cars

The senior Dr. Porsche and his team were kept extremely busy. The
consulting firm developed for Steyr (now the utility-vehicle wing of the
Steyr- Daimler-Puch combine), the Austria luxury sedan, but it did not
progress beyond the prototype stage. They worked a lot for Auto
Union, now Audi: the company developed the Front, the world’s first
front-drive economy car. They astonished Auto Union with the mid-engine
Grand Prix cars and their supercharged V-12 and V-16 engines
which, together with Mercedes- Benz racers, dominated European auto
racing for nearly a decade.

After that, the firm created its best-known designs for NSU and Zundapp.
The pair of prototypes was characterized by Dr. Porsche’s patented
torsion-bar suspension and a rear-mounted engine. Since neither
company moved rapidly enough to manufacture the designs, Porsche
sold the concept to the German government. Then, he oversaw the
construction of a plant on Wolfsburg to manufacture the design. His
drawings called the car the Type 60. The world came to know it as the
Volkswagen Beetle

After the second World War, the Porsche Company started to create vehicles
that beard its name, and so became knows world wide. Now, nearly a
century later, Porsche became the marque and the family that created
outstanding, often unique and surely lasting contributions to automotive
engineering and design.

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Tags: Automobile Manufacturer, Automotive Design, Brilliant Engineer, Car Design, Construction Facility, Dr Porsche, Engineering Student, Ferdinand Porsche, First Automobile, Lohner, Manufacturer In Germany, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz Cars, Porsche 356, Sea Transportation, Technical Genius, Time Engineering, Tinsmith, Type 32, Volkswagen Beetle

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