A History Of Porsche
Ferdinand
Porsche was born in 1889. He was a genius when it came to
technical endeavours. When Porsche was 25, he honed his interest
to automobile design. Loyner & Company adopted his first design.
Over a twenty-year period, Porsche successfully associated
himself with just about every major auto manufacturer in
Germany. At the same time, he designed several well-known luxury
automobiles, including a stint with Mercedes Benz, where he
helped in the design of the SSK series. He also designed the
Type 32 and the Auto Union Wanderer, ancestors of Volkswagen
Beetle. After an argument with Mercedes over policies involving
engineering, he established Porsche A.G., his own engineering
group.
Porsche touted thousands of patents named by him. He was also a
key player in the development of tanks and airplanes for
Wehrmacht. Porsche was named chief engineer at Mercedes Benz in
the early 1920s, and went on to open an engineering workshop of
his own. In the workshop, he designed the Volkswagen and served
as chief of operations in the Wolfsburg factory where
Volkswagens were manufactured.
By the end of the war, Porsche did an Internship under the
Allies. After that he worked with his son, Ferry, to build his
first automobile. The car was called the Porsche 356 after his
son. It was a flashy sport car that had a four-cylinder boxer
engine that was rear mounted. The styling was quite similar to
the Volkswagen. It boasted a speed of 87 miles per hour and 40
bhp, and was the first convertible style. Porsche and his son
created the Porsche 356 in Erwin Komenda’s workshop. Komenda was
a genius when it came to restrained streamlining, and was once
in charge of design techniques and sheet metal for Porsche since
the Volkswagen Beetle. The closed coupe design style Komenda
created was the true embodiment of this sports auto because of
its fastback.
The
end of the 356 came in 1965, but the engine of the 356 remained
intact with the introduction of the 912, which was replaced by
the 914 in 1970 and the 924 front engines in 1976. The new 928s
were introduced in 1978, holding 250-hp V8. On sale in 1982, the
944 debuted with a four-cylinder, Porsche built engine, followed
by the super 959 in 1985. By 1987, the 250,000 911 rolled off
the line.
Following the 911 tradition
The
tradition of the fastback lived on through Komenda and Ferdinand
Butzi Porsche (founder’s grandson,) with the introduction of the
911. The 911 showed off an eye-catching sloping bonnet,
characterized as an auto with frogeye headlights, a straight
waistline and curves that ran from the top of the windscreen to
the rear bumper.
A major player in Porsche’s identity, the 911 did not receive
the support expected, and throughout the 1970s and 1980s some of
Porsche designers tried to steer away from the classic design.
This attempt fell short and almost put Porsche out of business.
By the 90s, the company realized the timelessness of the
original style of the 911 was far more marketable than other
attempts at different designs like the 924 and the 928. Going
back to its original design, the 911 GTI was introduced followed
by the Boxster in 1999. Basically, Porsche now offers four
market models – the 911 Carrera, Cayman, Cayenne Sports SUV and
the Boxster. The Porsche Panamera made its debut in 2010.
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