Ferdinand Porsche, Creator of 911 Sportscar Icon, Dies at 76

[csv8]

Ferdinand Porsche, Creator of 911 Sportscar Icon, Dies at 76
By Chris Reiter and Alex Webb - Apr 6, 2012 1:51 AM GMT+1000


Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the designer of the original version of the iconic 911 sportscar, died today in Salzburg, Austria. He was 76.
“As creator of the Porsche 911, he established a design culture that molds our sportscars still today,” Matthias Mueller, chief executive officer of Porsche AG, said in an e- mailed statement. “His philosophy of good design is for us a legacy that we will also honor in the future.”
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Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the inventor of the 911 sportscar, has died, at 76, Porsche AG said in an e-mailed statement today. Source: Porsche Design via Bloomberg
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A Porsche 911 Turbo sits on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show on Sept. 16, 2009. Photographer: Adam Berry/Bloomberg
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who created the original Volkswagen (VOW3) Beetle, designed the first 911 in 1962. He went on to develop racecars for the German automaker until leaving the Stuttgart-based company in 1972 with other family members when Porsche was transformed into a joint stock company.
The 911 remains the epitome of the Porsche brand, even as the carmaker, which is jointly owned by the Porsche SE holding company and Volkswagen AG (VOW3), expands beyond sports cars. The Cayenne sport-utility vehicle was the brand’s top seller last year, with triple the deliveries of the 911. The Macan, a compact SUV, is scheduled to start production next year.
Porsche unveiled the seventh generation of the $82,100 911 in September. The 350-horsepower sportscar has a top speed of 289 kilometers per hour (179 miles per hour) and surges to 100 kilometers in 4.6 seconds.
Porsche Design
“He was a very special man, and the company Porsche was his life and what he stood for,” said Guenther Molter, who co- authored his father Ferry Porsche's autobiography. “He carried on the work of his father in his own way. He realized the Porsche 911, which was his idea.”
After leaving Porsche, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche founded the Porsche Design Studio, where he devoted himself to developing watches, eyeglasses, writing utensils and other design projects. He was a proponent of clear, austere lines.
His credo was “design must be functional and the functionality must be visually implemented without gags that need to be explained,” according to the Porsche statement.
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche will be interred among close family members at a ceremony at Zell am See in Austria. A public ceremony will take place at a later date, Porsche said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Reiter in Berlin at creiter2@bloomberg.net; Alex Webb in Frankfurt at awebb25@bloomberg.net

[XP6]

A sad day indeed, he leaves a great legacy that will be remembered for many years too come!

[flappist]

A true visionary, rest in peace.

[Chopped]

He left an icon


Yes please.

[phillyc]

RIP Ferdi! What an icon you created. Not many people can ever say that they created an icon

[Resurrection]

The original 911 a classic from 1963 to 1996

[AndyXR6T]

What a legend!
It's been very hard for porsche to better a car that was already a spectacular vehicle. Rest in peace

[Grum]

Pretty sure he died on Saturday or Sunday? Not today.

[Polyal]

But it even goes back further than that, it really is an amazing story and not to many products can say they have remained largely unchanged for so long.

Ill throw some outlaw love in, lets face it a 356 is basically a 911 yeah?

[Grum]

Originally Posted by Polyal

But it even goes back further than that, it really is an amazing story and not to many products can say they have remained largely unchanged for so long.

Ill throw some outlaw love in, lets face it a 356 is basically a 911 yeah?

You will find that the 356 was designed by another Ferdinand Porsche ('Ferry' Porsche), in fact the father of the one who this thread is about ('Butzi' Porsche).

So this thread is really about the 911, something we wouldn't have without Butzi!

[Wild Inc.]

One of best shaped cars in the world, but I am a bit biased.
This is mine;

[FPVF6X201]

RIP Ferdi, thanks for the legend.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by Grum

You will find that the 356 was designed by another Ferdinand Porsche ('Ferry' Porsche), in fact the father of the one who this thread is about ('Butzi' Porsche).

So this thread is really about the 911, something we wouldn't have without Butzi!

Ill put my hand up as a rookie with Porsche's, just a fascination, I should have researched that. Still an amazing story though and an excuse to post some nice cars..hehe

[Tilley Racing]

Originally Posted by Polyal

Ill put my hand up as a rookie with Porsche's, just a fascination, I should have researched that. Still an amazing story though and an excuse to post some nice awesome cars..hehe

Fixed that for you...

[washoutbeach]

RIP but I could never understand why anybody wanted something whose nearest living species was a vw beetle when they could go out and buy a Lamborghini.

[Grum]

Originally Posted by washoutbeach

RIP but I could never understand why anybody wanted something whose nearest living species was a vw beetle when they could go out and buy a Lamborghini.

R E L I A B I L I T Y


The build quality of euro performance cars in the 70's-80's was questionable at best. I think the sheer number of classic and modern classic 911's still on the road would go a long way to answering your question.

[washoutbeach]

Originally Posted by Grum

R E L I A B I L I T Y


The build quality of euro performance cars in the 70's-80's was questionable at best. I think the sheer number of classic and modern classic 911's still on the road would go a long way to answering your question.

Sure -point taken- but I'd rather have a Lamborghini that worked some of the time than a porshe that worked all of the time! It still looks like a bug and there's no long posterior.

Originally Posted by eb2fairmont

Had an eb2 fairmont funnily enough, now have an xf ute and a Tdi golf. I owned the be from 98 through to 2003 and my brother had it for another couple of years thereafter





It was reliable, went well and handled anything we did with it with ease. Now for some interesting info about it.

The ea shell was a new body on xf underpinnings (except everything from the firewall forward was new.

The lower firewall is common to the xf-au

The distance between the sills is the same from xr through to fg.

[Mechan1k]

Wow ... i shuld venture out into the news sections a bit more.
A sad day no doubt.
As Flappist mentioned ... a true visionary indeed.
RIP.

[Resurrection]

Originally Posted by washoutbeach

RIP but I could never understand why anybody wanted something whose nearest living species was a vw beetle when they could go out and buy a Lamborghini.

The 356 was based on a VW but by the time the 911 arrived it was far removed from an VW models.

[Trek]

R.I.P. to a legend of the car industry.