Ferdinand Porsche was an automotive engineer with over a thousand patents to his name and also played an important role in developing aircraft and building tanks for the Wehrmacht.
In the 1920s, he was appointed chief engineer at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart, then founded his own engineering workshop. There he designed, among other things, Volkswagen. He worked as operations manager at the factory where Volkswagen was manufactured, Wolfsburg, and at the end of the war was arrested by the Allies.
He was released after a few years and immediately set to work building his first car with his son, Ferry Porsche. Named the Porsche 356, after Ferry, this car was a Volkswagen-style sports car.
In fact, it had the same four-cylinder boxer engine, and it carried it in the back, just like the Volkswagen. That meant it was far from a powerful sports car, with 40 horsepower and a top speed of 87 mph (140 kph). Distinguished by its elegant and innovative bodywork, the Porsche 356 was first produced as a convertible and then as a hard-top.
Developed by father and son in the workshop of Erwin Komenda, master of understated minimalism who has been responsible for sheet metal and design techniques for Ferdinand Porsche since the Volkswagen Beetle. This new Komenda-designed closed coupe style quickly became the epitome of the sports car, in part because of its "Fastback".
Erwin Komenda and Ferdinand "Pozzi" Porsche, grandson of the founder, continued this tradition with the 911.
The 911 became instantly recognizable: it had an attractive, sloping bonnet reminiscent of the 356, which was later described as "frog's eye" headlights, curves extending from the top edge of the windscreen to the bumper back and a straight waist.
From a functional and technical point of view, it shares many points in common with the BMW 1500, but has retained the distinctive stylistic features of the original version.
Porsche. The new 911 has become a cornerstone of Porsche's identity, although the design has not always been fully appreciated. During the 1970s and 1980s, many Porsche designers tried to steer Porsche away from its legendary design and nearly dragged the company to the brink of disaster.
Later models of the 924, the "People's Porsche", developed together with Volkswagen, as well as the 928 did not live up to expectations, not allowing the company to develop in new directions and styles.
However, in the 1990s the company seemed to realize that what some saw as stylistic limitations were actually a market advantage. During this period, Porsche embraced the timeless nature of classic design to become highly profitable.
Nearly forty people now work in the design office dedicated solely to the continuous improvement of the long-standing 911. These developments included the 911 GTI, touted by interior designer Anthony R. Hatter as a potent mix of sports car and racing car.
In 1999, Porsche's chief designer unveiled the new Boxster, allowing Porsche to create a second independent line of successful models.
0 Comments