Most Porschephiles know that the first production Porsche was designed and built by Ferdinand Porsche’s son “Ferry” in a small sawmill located in Gmund Austria and marketed as the type 356. However, not everyone realizes that Ferdinand Porsche founded the company we’ve come to know today as Porsche AG on April 25, 1931 under the name of “Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (Gmbh), Konstruktion und Beratung für Motoren- und Fahrzeugbau (loosely translated in English to “Dr. Ing h.c. F. Porsche company with limited liability, construction and consulting services for engines and vehicles” or “Porsche Engineering”). In other words, Ferdinand originally offered engineering services to other automotive and industrial companies. In fact, Porsche’s first designs date back as far as 1900 with the Lohner Porsche and progress onward from there. (If you can’t see the video below in your email, be sure to click on the title of the post above to visit the site and watch it).
As Porsche GmbH grew it won more and more prestigious commission such as the Wanderer limousine, the legendary Auto Union Grand Prix racing car and the VW Type 60 (which later became known as the Beetle) to name but a few. Then, after the launch and success of the 356 in 1948, Porsche GmbH continued onward until the company went public in 1972 and was officially registered in 1973 as Dr. Ing h.c. F. Porsche AG. However, that was not the end of “Porsche Engineering”.
Today, the original and exciting design work is carried on by the Porsche Engineering Group GMBH, based in Weissach. Porsche Engineering’s work consists of complete designs like the Linde forklift built back in 1981 to internal components and engines such as the “Revolution Engine”, a new V2 motor used for the “V-Rod” model of US motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson in 2002.
The 80th anniversary of the founding of the Porsche design bureau in 1931 is one of this year’s central themes for the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. From 21st June to 11th September 2011 the special exhibition entitled “Porsche Engineering – 80 Years of Porsche Designs” will honour the most important and interesting customer developments from the last eight decades. It will display around 20 special examples ranging from whole vehicle developments, through engines and gearboxes to extraordinary industrial projects in the present. The ten vehicle customer developments on display include a Wanderer Limousine from 1931, the legendary Auto Union Grand Prix racing car and the Audi Sport Quattro S1 with Porsche dual clutch gearbox (PDK). The Porsche Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 am to 6 pm. Further information is available on the internet from www.porsche.com/museum.
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[Source: Porsche AG]