| The roots of the Porsche motor vehicle go back as far as 1897 when Ferdinand
Porsche designed an electric motor for wheel hubs. After designing a variety of
other things, including early aviation engines, Ferdinand Porsche went on to develop
the legendary Mercedes SS and SSK for Daimler in the early 1920's. Branching out
on his own in 1931, he developed the Porsche Type 7 and then became heavily involved
in the design of the Volkswagen - the world's most produced motor car.
It wasn't until 1948, however, that a car carried the Porsche name for the
first time. It was the son of the founder, Ferdinand Porsche Jr., that oversaw
the development of the Type 356 Roadster. Unfortunately, the founder Ferdinand
Porsche Sr. lived for only a few more years, dying in 1951. 10 years later his
grandson, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, started to design the body of what would
become one of the world's most recognised cars - the 911. Other models soon followed
making the Porsche Marque the leading name in performance cars. |
