| 1875 |
On
September 3, Ferdinand Porsche is born in the Bohemian town
of Maffersdorf. In 1889, after attending grammar school
there and the Staatsgewerbeschule (State Vocational School)
in Reichenberg, he entershis father’s business as an
apprentice plumber. |
| 1900 |
The
Lohner-Porsche electric car is presented at the World Fair
in Paris. The wheel hub engines of the young engineer
Ferdinand Porsche bring him international attention. In the
same year, he develops an all-wheel-drive racecar, as well
as a hybrid petrol/electric vehicle – a world first. |
| 1906 |
Ferdinand
Porsche becomes Technical Director at Austro-Daimler in
Wiener Neustadt. At the age of only 31, he is responsible
for the model range of one of Europe’s largest automotive
concerns. |
| 1923 |
As
Technical Director and Board Member of the
Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Stuttgart, Ferdinand Porsche
designs the legendary Mercedes Compressor Sports Car. The
following year, the 2-litre racecar developed under his
aegis wins the Targa Florio. The Mercedes-Benz S-Type models
dominate international motorsport from 1927. |
| 1931 |
Crowning
his career, Ferdinand Porsche opens an office for
‘engineering and consultation on engine and vehicle design’
in Stuttgart on April 25. Created for such renowned
manufacturers as Wanderer, Zündapp and NSU are not only
entire vehicles, but such trend-setting detail solutions as
the Porsche torsion bar suspension. |
| 1933 |
For Auto
Union, Porsche develops a Grand Prix racecar with a
16-cylinder engine in mid-ship configuration. The
rear-engine vehicle concept designed for the compact car
(Type 32) developed for NSU is ultimately incorporated in
the Volkswagen Beetle. |
| 1934 |
The company
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche KG receives an official order for
the design and construction of a German Volkswagen. Only one
year later, the VW prototype is test driven. The ‘Ur Beetle’
is assembled in the garage of the Porsche villa in
Stuttgart. |
| 1936 |
Parallel to
road trials of the Type 60, production facilities are
erected under the direction of Ferdinand Porsche for the
Volkswagen renamed the ‘KdF-Wagen’. |
| 1939 |
Under the
designation Type 64, three racing coupés are developed at
Porsche in Zuffenhausen. Built for long-distance endurance
competition, the ‘Berlin–Rom-Wagen’ are considered the
forefathers of all later Porsche sports cars. |
| 1944 |
Owing to
wartime conditions, the Porsche KG engineering office moves
to Gmünd in the Austrian province of Carinthia. |
| 1946 |
Under the
direction of Ferdinand Porsche’s son Ferry, design of an
all-wheeldrive Grand Prix racecar – the ‘Cisitalia’ (Type
360) – is begun for Italian industrialist Piero Dusio. |
| 1948 |
The 356 is
the first sports car to bear the Porsche name. ‘No. 1’ is
roadcertified in June. Only one month later, the lightweight
mid-engine roadster wins its first class victory at the
Innsbruck Stadtrennen. |
