History of development
The emblem of the company is a coat of arms that carries the following information: red and black stripes and deer antlers are symbols of the German state of Baden-Württemberg (the capital of Baden-Württemberg is the city of Stuttgart), and the inscription "Porsche" and the prancing stallion in the center of the emblem remind of Stuttgart, which is native to the Stuttgart brand, was founded as a horse farm in 950. This logo first appeared in 1952, when the brand entered the US market, for better recognition. Prior to this, the hoods of the 356 simply had "Porsche" written on them.
HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT
1931-1948: from ideas to serial production
By the time the first car was released under his own name, Ferdinand Porsche had accumulated considerable experience.
In 1931 the enterprise Dr. ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH, of which he was the founder and leader, had already worked on such projects as the 16-cylinder Auto Union racing car and the Beetle, which became one of the best-selling cars in history.
In 1939, on the eve of World War II, the very first Porsche 64 was developed, in which the features of the future Porsche 356 model were already guessed. To build this instance, Ferdinand Porsche used many components from the famous Beetle.
Ferdinand Porsche Jr. became the successor to his father's work. Having received an education and the first skills of independent work, he moves to Stuttgart to work in a company just created by his father.
During the Second World War, the company was engaged in the production of military products - staff vehicles and amphibians. Porsche also took part in the development of the Tiger tanks.
1948-1965: first steps
Since the end of 1945, when his father was imprisoned in France, Ferdinand Jr. moved the family business to the Austrian city of Gmünd, and also independently led production.
Together with Carl Rabe, Ferdinand assembled a prototype of the Porsche 356 and began preparing the model for its mass production. In June 1948 this example was certified for public roads. Like nine years ago, units from VW Beetle were again used here.
The first production cars had a fundamental difference - the engine was moved behind the rear axle, which made it possible to reduce the cost of production and free up space for two additional seats in the cabin.
The main points in the design remained the same (rear engine and rear-wheel drive), but it was already a modern sports car with classic body lines in the spirit of the Porsche 356. Designed by Ferdinand Alexander "Butzi" Porsche, Ferry's eldest son. Initially, instead of the index 911, another one was to be used - 901. But the combination of three digits with a zero in the middle was reserved for Peugeot. The car began to be called 911, but the numbers 901 did not disappear anywhere: they began to call the 911th according to the internal nomenclature (1964-1973).
In 1966, a modification of the Porsche 911S Targa got on the conveyor.
After the end of the production of 356-series convertibles in 1965, those did not appear in the company's lineup until 1982.
1972-1981: Ernst Fuhrmann's reignIn 1972, the legal status of the company changed from a limited liability partnership to an open (public) one. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche KG ceased to be a family business and was now called Dr. ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG(full name Doktor Ingenieur honoris causa Ferdinand Porsche Aktiengesellschaft - Joint Stock Company of Honorary Doctor of Engineering Ferdinand Porsche) is a German automotive concern.
After the restructuring, the grandson of F. Porsche, Ferdinand Piech, moved to Audi, and then to Volkswagen, where he eventually rose to the position of general director of the concern.
first president Porsche AG became Ernst Fuhrmann, who had previously worked in the engine development department. One of his first decisions in his new position was to replace the 911th series with the 928th, a classic layout, with an 8-cylinder engine. Under his reign, another front-engined car, the Porsche 924, was put on the conveyor.
After debuting at the Paris Motor Show in 1974. "Turbo" modifications, the development of the 911 line (by that time the modernized 930 series went into production) (1973-1989) actually stopped until the early 80s, until Fuhrmann was removed from office. But cars continued to be produced further: the last front-engined models left the factory in 1995.
At the same time, the Porsche 911th Carrera model, somewhat lighter in price, appeared. In 1997, it was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and it became clear that she had a lot in common with her younger brother, ranging from almost identical front ends with “drop” headlights and similar interiors to the overall design of the engines. Such decisions made it possible to reduce the cost of development and production, since in those years the financial resources of the brand were still very limited.
1998 was a year of losses and gains. In the summer, the last "air" 911 left the gates of the enterprise in Zuffenhausen. In the entire history of these, 410 thousand were produced; the contribution to this figure of the 993rd is 69 thousand. At the same time, Porsche celebrated its 50th anniversary. And in the same year, in March, at the age of 88, Ferdinand Anton Ernst (Ferry) Porsche died.Porsche Cayenne
Enterprise Dr. ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH, originally engaged in the creation of components and assemblies for automotive companies, was founded in 1931. In those years, its founder Ferdinand Porsche had not yet thought about mass production of his own car. But he successfully began to do it for others. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, he worked on many third-party orders, creating, for example, such a legend as the KdF-Wagen (or, more simply, the Beetle, the legendary car that formed the basis of Volkswagen). Porsche's very successful developments include the so-called Type 22, a racing car commissioned by Auto Union AG. All the developments of that time and formed, in the future, the basis of the legendary Porsche cars.
In the same years, the Type 64 racing car (also known as the Volkswagen Aerocoupe) was commissioned by the Nazi government for the Berlin-Rome race in 1939. In total, three Type 64s were created, of which only one survived - the first was killed at the very beginning of the war, and the second was "stopped" by American soldiers, intoxicated with victory and looking for entertainment. The surviving copy even managed to participate in the post-war races, and successfully. Now it is in a private collection, so the company museum in Stuttgart has only a recreated copy of the body. When creating the Type 64, the designer actively used the same solutions as in the "Beetle" - the appearance is recognizable. All this gives reason to believe that the Type 64 was the first prototype for future Porsches.
During World War II, the brilliant designer was involved in the creation of military equipment. He participated in the development of tanks "Tiger", "Panther" and other types of military equipment. One of the most successful self-propelled artillery mounts (ACS) of that time, Ferdinand, was developed by none other than Ferdinand Porsche, it is believed that after him it was named after him. There were not so many of them, but our soldiers called any German self-propelled guns "Ferdinands", as a result of which many had the opinion that this "self-propelled gun" was one of the most massive.
After the end of the war, Porsche was accused of conspiring with the Nazis and sent to prison, where he spent 22 months. Freed, the designer was virtually out of work. At the Volkswagen factories, where he turned in the first place, other specialists were already working and did not need his services. And they didn’t really want to hire a person branded with the labels “unreliable” and “collaborated with the Nazis.” It is not known how everything would have ended if it were not for the son of an engineer - Ferdinand Porsche Jr. (in the family circle, just Ferry). It was he who undertook the revival of the company, completely building it on the foundation laid by his father.
In 1948, the Model 356 appears, many elements of which were borrowed from previous developments, and especially from the Type 64 and the Beetle. Many components of the Porsche 356 were made by Volkswagen, specifically to save and simplify production. The exceptionally successful design has won the respect of many fans of active driving.
In 1950, the company moves again. In German Stuttgart, where it is located to this day. Porsche 356s were produced for quite a long time, until 1965. During this time, many modifications have been introduced. Many of those models are still on the road today. In general, Porsche cars are not accidentally recognized as the most reliable - it is believed that more than 75% of the entire fleet produced over the years is still on the move.
And in 1951, Ferdinand Porsche dies. Death was due to a heart attack. It is believed that the reason was the years spent by the inventor in prison. He lived to be 75 years old.
One of the most important events in the history of Porsche took place in 1963 - the Porsche 911 was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The design of the car, which was destined to become legendary, was developed by Ferry Porsche's eldest son, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. The story has been preserved that the model was originally supposed to be called 901, but this was opposed by the French Peugeot, which owned the right to names of three numbers with a zero in the middle. The novelty was created in such a way as to have an updated design, but at the same time not deviate too much from the usual canons of the company. The result was recognizable forms that are successfully used to this day.
Interestingly, the creators themselves hoped to keep the 911 model on the market for at least 15 years. But more than 50 years have passed since the appearance of the model, and it still enjoys exceptional popularity. Moreover, according to Forbes magazine, the Porsche 911 is one of the cars that managed to change the world. Subsequently, the company created many more successful and very successful models, but not one of them has yet been able to repeat the success of the 911. But in general, it should be noted that over the years of its existence, the company has presented many very interesting models, a detailed description of which requires a separate book.
The beginning of the 21st century was marked by the start of work in new directions. The company began to produce not only classic sports cars, the principle of which was laid back in 1948, after the appearance of the 356 model, but also fundamentally new solutions. Such as the Porsche Cayenne sports crossover and the Porsche Panamera five-door sports car.
Since 2012, the Porsche brand has been wholly owned by the German automaker Volkswagen, whose appearance once also became possible thanks to the genius of Ferdinand Porsche. The deal was valued at just under 4.5 billion euros. Interestingly, initially it was Porsche who wanted to absorb Volkswagen. But it was not possible to do this, the company simply did not calculate its strength, as a result of which its financial position suffered.
On Porsche vehicles, the ignition key is on the left. This was originally done for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Thus, the rider could start the car even before he was fully seated in the seat and buckled up. Thanks to this, it was possible to win a few precious seconds.
Porsche has historically been engaged not only in the creation of cars, but also offered the services of its constructors and designers to other manufacturers. Quite famous is the fact that they took part in the creation of the VAZ 2108.
15 Apr 2013, Heading:PORSCHE (Dr. Ing. h. c. Ferry Porsche AG), a German automobile company. The headquarters is located in Stuttgart.
The company was founded by the famous designer Ferdinand Porsche Sr. as a design bureau in 1931 in Germany. In 1936, the Type 22 racing car was developed for the Auto-Union company. After the successful Auto-Union racing car, the first versions of the future “people's car” for all time were born - the famous Volkswagen Beetle, which had more name -Type 60.
In 1937, the “Third Reich” needed a racing car to participate and, of course, win the Berlin-Rome marathon, scheduled for September 1939. It was then that the Porsche project received the support of the National Sports Committee. Work boiled over.
It was for this event that on the same Zhuk base, or rather KdF (name until 1945), three Porsche prototypes Type-60K-10 were built with an “engine” forced to 50 “horses” ( instead of the standard 24 hp). But the war prevented this model from being published.
The war years were devoted to the fulfillment of state orders - the manufacture of staff vehicles, amphibians, tanks and self-propelled guns.
In post-war Germany in 1948, the company launches the first car under the name "Porsche" - a small sports "Porsche 356" with a forced Volkswagen engine and a streamlined coupe. Not having time to take its first steps, the car was able to win the race a week after the “birth”. Serial cars "Porsche-356" were already rear-engined. "356" was produced until 1965 and served as the basis for the Carrera model ("Carrera").
Considering the merits and good results shown in 1951 by the 356, Ferry tries to build a pure sports car. They became in 1953 the Porsche 550 Spider. It was this car that repeatedly won one victory after another. Thanks to his participation (and victory) in the Carrera Panamericana auto race in Mexico in 1953, the custom began to be called by this name the fastest models of the company.
By 1954, the first "Spider" appeared with a straight windshield and a soft top.
The very first Porsche Carrera saw the light of day in 1955. In addition, this modification received a power plant, fully developed by Porsche specialists. The same “heart” was transplanted to the “550” models. After that, the laurels fell down on the creators of the machine.
The coming year 1956 brought two events at once: an updated version of the “356th” appeared - model “356A”; in the sports series, a more “calm” modification “550A” appeared.
Two years later, a completely new, both externally and internally, Porsche 718 racing model was born. At the end of 1958, the Spider, so beloved by everyone, came to an end. Its place was taken by a more powerful model "356D".
In 1960, the latest version of the 550s dynasty, the 718/RS model, was released. In parallel, there was also a closed version of the joint development of Porsche and the Italian Abart.
As for serial cars, the most important step in the development of the range of models was the Porsche 356B, which was easily recognizable by its high bumpers with large vertical bulls. The car had three modifications. The most powerful one is “Super 90”.
In 1961, the 356 GS Carrera successfully competed in the Gran Turismo class. In the spring, the last and fastest car from the Carrera family appeared - the Carrera-2.
In 1963, a few more changes were made, and the model "356C" was obtained.
For about 15 years, the Porsche 356 has been one of the most prestigious sports cars in the world. However, over time, it became less and less consistent with modern requirements. Something completely new was needed, to match the times. This car turned out to be another masterpiece of Ferdinand Porsche - the world famous Porsche 911. Ferry's son, Ferdinand Alexander, took part in the creation of this car. The new car was first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963.
In the world of sports, too, there was a worthy replacement. The successor to the RS Spyder and 356 GS Carrera models was the 904 GTS, which had the features of a racing car. These features were continued in the next model - "906", created in 1966. In turn, it was she who became the ancestor of a large series of cars that achieved many successes in prototype competitions in the late 60s (models “907”, “908” and “917”) and were distinguished by exceptional reliability and good style.
In 1965, a cheaper modification of the Porsche 912 was released with a 4-cylinder Super 90 engine.
In 1967, the Porsche 911 Targa finally went on sale. Buyers were now offered a coupe, a Targa model (index “T” in the model name), a luxury model marked “E” and a modification “S” - especially for the USA, where the company returned after a year's absence.
In 1975, the Porsche 924 model was released, which was considered the most economical sports car in the world.
In March 1977, the “928” model was released (already with an “8-cylinder” of 240 hp), which also managed to become the “Car of 1978” in Europe.
In 1979, the more powerful “928S” model appeared with a 300 hp engine. The speed of the car reached 250 km / h, which is 20 km / h higher than the maximum rate of the “924th” model.
In 1981, the Porsche 944 became a further development of the 924 model. 220 HP also affected the speed - 250 km / h.
Three years later, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, a prototype of another masterpiece of minds was presented - the “959” model. Having collected everything possible and impossible, she personified the most modern sports car from Porsche.
Throughout the decade, the class of prototypes was replenished with new successful models: “936”, “956” and “962”, which repeatedly collected laurels in the 24 Hours of Le Mans races, “959th” reigned in the Paris-Dakar marathon .
To add variety and, to an even greater extent, to increase popularity in 1988, the Porsche 944 S2 Convertible was introduced to the auto community.
In the late 1980s, the 911 Spyder appeared. Three decades passed before the name "spider" was reanimated. As for the turbo version, it saw the light already in the new decade, or rather, in 1991.
In 1992, the Porsche family was replenished with another model with an engine in front - the 968. She replaced the entire 944 range, which by this time had ceased to be produced.
Another gift from the Porsche designers was the debut in 1993 at the Frankfurt Motor Show of a new generation of the 911 model - type 993. Two years later, a Porsche appeared with a 408-horsepower boxer turbo engine. In the same year, the “928” and “968” models, which did not justify the hopes, completed their journey.
In 1995, the Porsche lineup was replenished with the seemingly unusual Porsche 911 Targa with a glass roof that retracts electrically under the rear window.
In order to consolidate its post-crisis position in the sports car market and in the class of "inexpensive" cars, in 1996 Porsche introduced a completely new type of car - the Boxster model. The model has a soft (automatically folding) top. On request, you can get the option with a hard top. Finally, a “cheap” competitor of the great “911” has appeared.
July 15, 1996 was a significant day in the history of the company: the millionth Porsche was produced. They became "911 Carrera" in the police performance.
As for the company's field of experimental development, its concept cars, there were very few of them. Firstly, this is the Porsche Panamericana (1989) with a completely new body a la Targa, which has found its application in the modern 911 model with the same body, then the Porsche Boxster ( 1993), which subsequently influenced the birth of the serial version, and the C88 project (1994), which personified the next idea of \u200b\u200bthe “people's car” for the PRC.
The highlight of 1999 is the GT3 (in the back of the 996), which replaced the Spartan RS. The GT3 now leads the way in all road car and club races. In terms of dynamics, this model is very close to the great “turbo” - 4.8s.
Next year - the triumph of the new turbo based on the 996 model. With a modest 420 hp. it reaches “hundreds” in 4.2 s. And confirms its direct relationship to the rank of supercars.
The latest novelty is the Carrera GT. It's more of a prototype, like the 959. The ten-cylinder V-twin engine made of light alloy accelerates to hundreds in less than four seconds, and to 200 km / h in ten seconds. Think about these numbers for a second!
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Who owns car brands
The automotive industry has always suffered from the fact that the relationship between manufacturers was very difficult to understand. After the global financial crisis thoroughly crippled it in almost all countries, European and American auto giants began to frantically resell their brands. In this confusion, it became unclear who is now responsible for the famous brands. Let's trace the complex history of relationships between the largest automotive brands.
German Porsche is owned by the Porsche and Piech families, the heirs of company founder Ferdinand Porsche and his sister Louise Piech. The family clan owns shares of the company, giving the right to make key decisions, and a small part of the preferred shares listed on the German stock exchanges. By the way, the cunning family has a very significant impact on the German car market. So, for example, Ferdinand Piech (grandson of Ferdinand Porsche), from 1993 to 2002 headed Volkswagen.
In 2009, the first major foreign shareholder appeared in the family concern. It was the Qatari emirate, which bought out 10% of the holding's shares. By the way, Volkswagen itself is actually owned by Porsche, and vice versa - since 2009, Volkswagen has owned a 49.9% stake in Porsche AG. Initially, Volkswagen was a state-owned automaker. It was reorganized into a joint-stock company only in 1960, and the federal government of Germany and the government of Lower Saxony each received 20% of the shares in its capital.
In addition to its own production, the divisions of the Volkswagen Group are currently: Audi (acquired from Daimler-Benz in 1964), Seat (since 1990, the Volkswagen Group owns 99.99% of the shares), Škoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini (the company was acquired by subsidiary of Audi in 1998)
The Japanese Toyota Motor Corp., whose president is the grandson of the founder of the company Akio Toyoda, is 6.29% owned by The Master Trust Bank of Japan, 6.29% by Japan Trustee Services Bank, 5.81% by Toyota Industries Corporation, 9% are treasury shares.
Of all the Japanese automakers, only Toyota boasts a good "collection" of brands - Lexus, Scion, Daihatsu and Subaru. In addition, the truck manufacturer Hino is part of Toyota Motor.
Honda's achievement is much more modest. In addition to the premium brand Acura and the motorcycle department, the Japanese have nothing else to brag about.
The Peugeot-Citroen auto concern is still 30.3% (45.1% of voting shares) owned by the Peugeot family. The shares are also owned by employees of the concern (2.76%), there are also treasury shares (3.07%). The remaining shares are in free float.
By the way, Peugeot SA acquired a 38.2% stake in Citroën back in 1974, and two years later brought this share to 89.95%. So today, Peugeot almost completely controls the formerly independent Citroen.
Another world's largest automaker is the Renault-Nissan alliance, which owns such brands as Renault, Dacia, Nissan, Infiniti, Samsung. In addition, since December 2012, Renault-Nissan owns 50% + 1 share of AvtoVAZ, so from now on the Lada brand actually belongs to the French-Japanese alliance.
Concern "Reno" over the past 60 years is gradually getting out of state control. Until 1945, Renault was 100% privately owned. However, during the war, the company's factories were destroyed, and Louis Renault himself was accused of collaborating with the Nazis and convicted. A major businessman died in prison, and his company was successfully nationalized. However, over the years, the state share began to decline. And if in 1996 Renault was state-owned by more than half, then in 2005 it already owned only 15.7% of the shares. In 1999, Renault and Nissan entered into perhaps the most enduring automotive alliance. Nissan is 44.4% owned by the French manufacturer, and Renault, in turn, gave 15% of the shares to the Japanese.
The fifth largest automobile concern, DaimlerChrysler, was very fond of the Arabs. The owner of the top brands Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Smart, has the Arab investment fund Aabar Investments (9.1%) as the main shareholder, the government of Kuwait owns 7.2% of the shares, and about 2% belongs to the emirate of Dubai. Next to such brands, it is surprising to see our KAMAZ, a 10% stake in which Daimler acquired in 2008. The German automaker paid $250 million immediately for KAMAZ shares and left $50 million until 2012. As a result of the deal, Daimler received one seat on the board of directors of KAMAZ. In February of this year, the concern bought another 1% stake in the truck manufacturer.
The Bavarian concern BMW, which in 1959 actually single-handedly saved Herbert Quandt from the sale, still depends on his family. At the end of the 1950s, the rival company Daimler-Benz became interested in the unprofitable German brand, but Quandt did not sell it, and invested himself. Today, his widow Joanna Quandt and children Stefan and Susanna control 46.6% of BMW shares and live quite well. Stefan Quandt even served as vice chairman of the company's board for some time. Despite the fact that Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen, Honda and Fiat offered very lucrative deals at various times, Quandt's heirs refuse to sell, as they consider keeping the brand a matter of honor for the family.
In recent years, the Hyundai-Kia alliance has rapidly become one of the leaders in the global automotive industry. Currently, the alliance produces cars under the brands Hyundai and Kia, but in the near future, the Koreans plan to create a premium brand. According to unconfirmed information, it will be called Genesis.
Hyundai Motor "raised from its knees" a single person - Chung Mong Koo, the eldest son of the founder of the Hyundai industrial group. In the late 90s, he seriously took up the quality of cars. For some 6 years, the Korean was able to increase sales in the US market by 360% and take fourth place among imported brands.
Ford Motor is run by William Ford Jr., great-grandson of the famous Henry Ford. Henry Ford himself always dreamed of being the sole owner of the company. In 1919, Henry and his son Edsel bought the company's shares from other shareholders and became the sole owners of their offspring. There is no doubt that the shares were sold to them without any problems, because the first shareholders were: a coal merchant, his accountant, a banker who trusted the coal merchant, two brothers who had an engine workshop, a carpenter, two lawyers, one clerk , a dry goods store owner and a man who produced wind turbines and air rifles.
Until recently, Ford boasted two more British brands - Jaguar (Ford bought Jaguar for $2.5 billion in 1989) and Land Rover (in 2000 it was bought by Ford for $2.75 billion). dollars from BMW). In 2008, both brands were put up for sale due to huge debts. In June 2008 they were bought by the Indian Tata Motors.
Today, in addition to cars with its own name, Ford Motor owns the Lincoln and Mercury brands. Ford also owns a 33.4% stake in Mazda and a 9.4% stake in Kia Motors Corporation.
General Motors, which has long occupied a leading position in the automotive market, today is controlled by the state (61% of the shares). Its main shareholders are: the Government of Canada (12%), the United Auto Workers Union of the USA (17.5%). The remaining 10.5% of the shares were divided among the largest creditors.
The famous automaker still owns the Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac and Opel brands. More recently, he also owned a controlling stake in the Swedish company Saab (50%), but after the crisis, in January 2010, he sold the company to the Dutch sports car manufacturer Spyker Cars.
In the summer of 2008, General Motors decided to sell the Hummer brand, and for almost a year tried to sell it to the Chinese, then Russians, then Indians. As a result, the only promising deal with the Chinese Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co fell through, and on May 26, 2010, the last SUV of the brand rolled off the assembly line of the General Motors plant in the US city of Shreveport.
Since January 1, 2011, the Fiat Group has been divided into two subsidiaries in two sectors: Fiat SpA (passenger vehicles) and Fiat Industrial (industrial vehicles).
From mergers and acquisitions of recent years, I would like to note the transition of the Volvo brand under the control of the Chinese Geely and the purchase of the Indian premium brands Jaguar and Land Rover by the Indian Tata Motor. The most curious in this series is the acquisition by the tiny Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker of the Swedish brand SAAB.
From the once powerful British car industry now there are only memories. The most famous British automakers have long lost their independence, but even small English firms have passed to foreign owners. The legendary Lotus company is owned by the Malaysian Proton, and MG was bought by the Chinese company SAIC. At the same time, SAIC sold the Korean SsangYong Motor to the Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra. based on hhttp://www.km.ru
History of Porsche
Porsche is that rare case when the history of a well-known brand could end before it began. The Porsche lineup today is one of the most diverse among sports car manufacturers from companies such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati. Despite all the problems that have been in the history of Porsche development, the company was able to take a leadership position ...
Ferdinand Porsche was born on September 3, 1875 in Maffersdorf near Bohemia. The father of young Ferdinand was a plumber, and therefore his son followed in his footsteps, later continuing his undertaking - he gets a job as an assistant to his father, a plumber.
Porsche was initially purposeful, so he did not stay in companies for a long time in various positions. Thanks to this quality and a fortunate combination of circumstances in Stuttgart (Germany), the first small design firm of the young "creator" Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.
The well-known name of Porsche in the circle of automotive industrialists contributed to the imminent appearance of the first order for the newly minted company. In 1931, NSU placed an order for the construction of a car as part of a program to create a "people's car" for the people of Germany.And after two years of hard work, a car is born under the index 32, which will later become the predecessor of the famous Volkswagen Beetle. The features of the mass "Beetle" will also appear in the first sports model of Porsche itself - the Porsche Type 60 car.
Designed by Franz Reimspiess, the air-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine had to increase in volume from 985 to 1500 cc. The body of the "athlete" was designed by the author of the appearance of the "Beetle" Erwin Komenda (Erwin Komenda). Mathematician Josef Mickl, taking into account the high aerodynamic parameters of the body, the estimated weight and engine power, calculated the maximum speed - 145-150 km / h. Contrary to the plans of Ferdinand Porsche, the automobile plant in Wolfsburg did not want to produce a sports model: the board of the German Labor Front, the founder of Volkswagen-Kdf, was preparing the enterprise for war - there was no time for sports. Then Ferdinand decided to conclude a contract with the German Labor Front to receive the necessary automotive components from Wolfsburg. But this initiative was also rejected. It seemed that the Type 64 project was doomed to be buried. An unexpected continuation of the story occurred in 1938. The German National Sports Committee is funding the development of a sports car for the 1,300-kilometer Berlin-Rome auto marathon. The car race along the German autobahns and the Italian highways was a kind of demonstration of solidarity between the two countries. Naturally, Ferdinand Porsche jumped at this chance, and the bureau received a budget for the construction of three prototypes. An engine from the "Beetle" was installed on the marathon car - this was a double benefit. Firstly, the time and costs associated with the construction of a new power unit were reduced. Secondly, there was a great opportunity to shine at the race, showing the extraordinary abilities of the people's car. The engine displacement remained the same - 985 cc, but thanks to the installation of a new carburetor, an increase in the compression ratio and an increase in the diameter of the valves, the power increased from the original 23.5 to 50 hp. After wind-tunneling a mock-up of the original body, Komenda and Mikl made several improvements to its configuration. Then the drawings were transferred to the Stuttgart company Reutter, which produced 3 aluminum bodies.
So in the summer of 1939, the first Porsche car brands of the 60K10 model appeared. They did not have to participate in the race - the outbreak of war crossed out the plans for the marathon. The sports prototypes left without "work" passed into private hands: Ferdinand Porsche, his son Ferdinand Porsche (yes, the son was named after his father, however, in order to avoid confusion, the younger Ferdinand was called Ferry in the family and among the people), and the third went to Bodo Lafferenz, director of Volkswagen. In the first months of the war, the third prototype ceased to exist - Laffers fell asleep at the wheel and smashed the car to smithereens.
During the war, a couple more unpleasant events occurred: the building of the Porsche company was destroyed by bombs of the allies, where all the archives of the work carried out over the past twelve years burned down, and the house of the Porsche family. To save themselves from bombs regularly falling from the sky, the Porsche family, having captured the surviving equipment of the company of the same name, moved to Austria. At the beginning of May 1945, units of the 42nd Rainbow Division of the 7th US Army entered the Austrian city of Zell am See, which consisted mainly of prisoners from the Sing-Sing maximum security prison (amnesty was promised for service at the front). And they had to find one of the Porsche 60K10 sports prototypes in the premises of the flight school. The convicts, armed with metal shears, turned the racing coupe into a roadster, cutting off the roof, and then rushing around the airfield in a car. But, since they didn’t bother to check the oil level, the engine soon rattled, and the convicts were left without a toy, and the world lost one more of the first Porsches. The surviving last copy is now in a private collection.
The release of the 356th model, whose production scale was initially limited to only 500 cars, lasted until 1965; By this time, over 78,000 units of this model had been assembled.
The design of a new sports car, designated type 356, began in 1948 in the Austrian village of Gmund. The work was led by Ferry Porsche: his father, Professor Ferdinand Porsche, was imprisoned and could not leave the French occupation zone to help his son. During the construction of the car, many elements of the design of the people's car were used: the brake system, steering mechanism, non-synchronized four-speed gearbox, front suspension and, of course, the engine. By the way, the standard motor of the post-war "Beetle" had a volume of 1131 cc. After increasing the diameter of the valves and increasing the compression ratio from 5.8 to 7.0, the engine power was 40 hp. at 4000 rpm instead of the previous 25 hp The body was designed, as it was ten years ago, by Erwin Komenda, and Friedrich Weber, an excellent bodybuilder and longtime friend of the Porsche family, took up the implementation of his ideas in metal.
After two months of manual work, the aluminum sheet body was ready. Since there was no question of any wind tunnel - well, there was no such useful device in Austria - we had to limit ourselves to photographing a car rushing along the road from different points. To identify the directions of air flow, strips of fabric were attached to the body. Filled with high-quality gasoline, type 356 showed a maximum speed of 130 km / h. Not God knows what, of course, but do not forget that the engine developed a capacity of only 40 "horses". The first Porsche 356 had a roadster-type body, but at the same time a coupe was being developed. The coupe differed from the roadster not only in the presence of a hard top, but also in the frame - it was welded from steel box-shaped elements instead of pipes, and the weight increased from 590 to 707 kg required the installation of more powerful brakes: cable-operated mechanical brakes were replaced with hydraulic drum Lockheed of England. On March 17, 1949, at the 19th Geneva International Motor Show, the Porsche 356 coupe and roadster were presented to the general public for the first time.To organize a full-fledged production, Porsche moves back to its native Stuttgart, where it was sheltered in its premises by the bodywork studio Reutter, thus providing itself with a guaranteed customer. Porsche 356 began to be equipped with a 1300 cc engine, which could be found on the "Beetle". Only Volkswagen engines were thoroughly fine-tuned and balanced at Porsche, as a result of which the assembly of the engine by one master took 25 hours. Reutter treated the production of bodies with all responsibility: manual assembly, surface grinding with wet sand (special attention was paid to welds), coating only with high-quality paint and varnish. As a result, the body shone like a Christmas tree toy. An interesting detail: any Porsche car produced before 1952 is easily recognizable by ... the absence of an emblem! There was only a chrome-plated Porsche inscription, and that's it - in Europe this was quite enough. The year 1952 came, and Porsche cars began to be delivered overseas. Maximilian Hoffman, an American of Austrian origin, having received the rights of a Porsche dealer, once, having lunch with Ferry Porsche in one of the restaurants in New York, said: “Herr Porsche, your cars are excellent, but in order for them to sell really well, they need to get their original emblem." Ferry Porsche himself was well aware that the emblem is a necessary thing for a car. Therefore, in the evening in his hotel room, Ferry Porsche sat down at his desk and sketched out a sketch of the future emblem, which, upon arrival in Germany, was transferred to the design department. The emblem was the emblem of the city of Stuttgart with a rearing bay stallion, placed in the center of the Varangian four-part shield of the Württemberg house, in the first and fourth parts of which there are black stylized images of deer horns on a gold background, in the second and third - alternating stripes of scarlet and black colors. The upper part of the emblem is adorned with the word Porsche.
There are companies such as the Brazilian Chamonix, the French Boschetti and many others that offer buyers copies of the Porsche 550 Spyder.
If so, then we would not talk about it, but ... The fact is that there are such companies as the Brazilian Chamonix, the French Boschetti and many others that offer buyers copies of the Porsche 550 Spyder. Well, if there is a demand, we will have to tell you how this machine arose. The owner of the Porsche showroom in Frankfurt am Main, Walther Glekler, decided to create an extreme racing projectile from a sports Porsche 356. And since one Gleckler to master such work, due to lack of experience, is too tough, he invited one of the Porsche engineers as a partner. Partners, having conjured with the engine, were able to extract 58 "horses" from the bowels of 1131 cc instead of the prescribed 40 (for the Porsche 356, as you remember, the "Beetle" cost 25 forces).
The basis of the car was a space frame made of aluminum tubes, in the rear part of which a forced engine stood across. Soon the duo of enthusiasts turned into a trio - a master tinsmith from the Wiedenhausen body shop joined the business. It was this master who created the shell for the future conqueror of the tracks. The resulting machine with a barquette body (this is a roadster in which the “windshield” is replaced by a low windshield), small in size and goggle-eyed headlights, resembled the original Porsche 356 and at the same time completely different. The car was ready in 1953, and Gleckler, saddling the newcomer, threw himself into the maelstrom of racing. Having won several national championships, Gleckler put a 1.3-liter 90-horsepower engine into his car. So he caught the eye of Porsche employees. One of Porsche's engineers, Wilhelm Hild, redesigned the chassis of the racing car, but the body remained the same. An order for a batch of bodies was placed at the same Wiedenhausen studio, the master of which created the skin of a single racing copy. Car engines were, by those standards, high-tech products. Judge for yourself: the cylinder block and both of its heads (don't forget that the engine is boxer?) were made of aluminum alloy; the camshafts were driven by two short vertical shafts rather than a chain; each cylinder had two spark plugs - therefore, there were a pair of coils and distributors; there were also two carburetors - Solex 40PJJ with a falling stream. As a result of all these "bells and whistles" with a volume of 1498 cc, the engine gave 110-117 hp. at 7800 rpm. The total weight of the car was 594 kg, so the maximum speed was a very significant 235 km / h. The car, called the Porsche 550 Spyder, as already mentioned, is a racing car, and they did not plan to sell it, but there were originals who asked Porsche to make them the same car for their personal use. Well, how can you refuse an influential banker or a famous singer - a favorite of the public? So the American movie star of the first half of the fifties, James Dean, owned such a Porsche. Once, having lost control on a mountain road, the film actor crashed his 550 Spyder to death. Naturally, there were no stiffening elements or a safety cage on the racing Porsche, and the car was torn in half from the impact. By the way, it was this case that attracted the attention of Americans to an exotic German automobile brand.
But with the retirement of the 356th model, the story, of course, does not end. A milestone in it is 1963, when the first 911 was born. The car was created under the guidance of the son of Porsche Jr. - Ferdinand Alexander. The 911 was first presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show and a year later it was already on the conveyor. The first version of the new six-cylinder engine developed the same power as the 356 Carrera 2, namely 130 horsepower.
By the way, initially this model should have been called not the 911th, but the 901st. But the zero in the middle of the three-digit name has already been officially staked out by the French from Peugeot. So the Germans had to attribute one more unit.
For those for whom the “nine hundred and eleventh” turned out to be a little expensive, Porsche in 1965 released the 912 model. became the most popular car in the lineup. About 30 thousand of these cars were produced from 1965 to 1975. What can not be said about the beautiful Porsche Targa with a removable roof, added to the lineup in the autumn of 1966. In the same year, Porsche celebrated its anniversary - the 100,000th car was born. Anniversary was just the model 912, handed over to the German police.
And everything would be fine, but in 1975 the 912th had to be discontinued. The reason is simple: Porsche came up with a new, even cheaper to manufacture, car - the 914, developed jointly with Volkswagen. And for the price at which the 912 was offered, a 110-horsepower 911T began to be sold on the market. At the same time, a sports modification 911R appeared with a 6-cylinder engine with a capacity of 210 “horses” and a lightweight body structure. A total of 20 such machines were produced. A real rarity.
A legend is born - the first Porsche 911 Turbo, codenamed 930, saw the light of day at the 1974 Paris Motor Show. The powerful engine (260 hp) made this 911 one of the fastest cars of its time.
Porsche continued to expand its lineup with the introduction of the 924 in 1975 (later to be replaced by the 944). All with the same 4-cylinder engine, but from a light alloy. The designers created a wonderful car in all respects at a relatively affordable price, which was confirmed by the sales results.
The company needed not only an expensive and powerful 911, but also a more affordable car. The Porsche 914 is already outdated, and therefore the 924 entered the scene. A real Porsche for very adequate money.
In 1977, a front-engined version appeared - the Porsche 928. Its V8 engine boasted American dimensions (4.5 liters, 240 hp). The Porsche 928 was the first (and so far the only) sports car to win the Car of the Year award.
Three years after the appearance of the 944, the Porsche 959 was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This car was the embodiment of the most modern developments. In 1987, the company announced the production of two hundred of these machines. The 3.2-liter engine with two turbines developed 449 hp. It was a real supercar, a specially prepared version of which won the Paris-Dakar marathon in 1986.
Then came the turn of the new generation of the 911 model (body 964). The car received a completely fresh chassis: already without torsion bars, with power steering, anti-lock brakes and “intelligent” all-wheel drive for the Carrera 4. All 911s began to be equipped with an automatic rear spoiler that extended at a certain speed. The engine had six cylinders and a power of 250 horsepower.
The turbo version saw the light in the new decade. The new 911 Turbo hit dealerships in September 1990 with a 3.3-liter engine and 320 horsepower. In 1992, the Porsche family of cars was replenished with another model - the 968th. She replaced the entire range of 944s.
And in 1993, the premiere of a new generation of the 911 model (body 993) took place. The new Porsche differed from its predecessor in a more powerful (272 hp) engine, a fundamentally new rear multi-link suspension and “smooth” body shapes. Also, two types of boxes became available to choose from - a six-speed "mechanics" or a four-band "automatic".Unfortunately for the most loyal fans of the brand, this generation was the last of those whose engine was air-cooled.
Three years later, another premiere took place - this time in the class of inexpensive sports cars. The compact two-seater roadster was named Boxster and had quite impressive characteristics for its class (2.5 liters of volume and 204 hp). The engine is a brand new 6-cylinder boxer, with four valves per cylinder, which was installed in front of the rear axle with water instead of air cooling. This year was also significant in connection with the release of the millionth Porsche, it was - again, like the one hundred thousandth anniversary - the police 911 Carrera.
The Porsche Boxster mid-engined roadster made its debut in 1996 and became the brand's most affordable model. It was equipped with a 2.5-liter boxer "six", and after restyling, a 250-horsepower 3.2-liter Boxster S modification joined it.
In 1997, another premiere. To build on the success of the Boxster, the company is presenting the all-new 911 (postcode 996) in Frankfurt, which closely resembles the Boxster in appearance. A year later, the public was also shown a convertible based on it. The roof of the car was opened and closed hydraulically with a simple push of a button.
In 2000, the Turbo model was released - the flagship of the 911 series. The changes affected the body design and the power unit, which, with a volume of 3.6 liters, produced 420 horsepower. Of course, two turbines played an important role in this. The body was overgrown with many air intakes with aerodynamic elements that gave stability on the road even at a maximum speed of 305 km / h.And in 2001, a prototype of the Carrera GT was presented in Paris. The concept supercar received a V10 formula-type engine with a capacity of 558 “horses”. Since 2004, the car, already with a 612-horsepower engine, went into series. A total of 1270 cars were produced.
In 2002, an unexpected car for Porsche appeared - the Cayenne SUV. Its production in Leipzig accounted for nearly half of Porsche's annual sales. The top version of the Cayenne Turbo S carried a mighty 4.5-liter V8 with 521 horsepower. He made the Cayenne one of the fastest SUVs in the world.
In 2002, the 996 was restyled and received a “face” in the style of the 911 Turbo model. In addition, the engine capacity has increased to 3.6 liters, and the power of the basic versions has increased to 320 horsepower.
In 2003, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the 911, Porsche released a batch of 40 Fast Years anniversary coupes. They were distinguished by a special Carrera GT Silver color, polished 18-inch wheels, a new exhaust system and increased engine power to 345 “horses”. A total of 1963 cars were made - in honor of the year the first 911 was born.
In 2004, the production of the very Porsche itself started - the masterpiece Carrera GT roadster. The high-tech supercar was equipped with a 5.7-liter V10 with 612 horsepower and carbon-ceramic brakes. It was able to reach 200 km/h from standstill in 9.9 seconds. In total, it was planned to produce 1500 cars, but due to too stringent new passive safety requirements, the assembly was stopped, making 1270 copies.
The last generation of the 911 to date appeared in 2004. The engine of the base Carrera developed 325 hp, while the Carrera S already had 355 hp. Porsche also has grandiose plans for the future. The big flagship Panamera is getting ready for the release, the new generation of the crazy GT2 has just debuted. Fans are running circles on 911 GT3 RS versions…
Porsche is the rare case when a sports car manufacturer has such a huge lineup. And the followers of the great Ferdinand are not going to stop there.
