Professor Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche is dead

Stuttgart. Dr Ing. h.c. F.Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is mourning the loss of Professor Dr. Ing. h.c. Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche. The founder of the Porsche sports car brand and honorary chairman of the supervisory board of Porsche AG died on March 27th in Zell am See, Austria, at the age of 88.

Professor Dr. Ing. h.c. Ferdinand Porsche made automotive history all over the world with his entrepreneurial achievements. Almost fifty years ago, he designed and built the first sports car bearing the name "Porsche" in Gmund, Austria. Ferry Porsche, a man who always lived modestly, developed these humble beginnings during the 50's into a company known and respected all over the world.

Ferry Porsche had already made major contributions to the development of the Volkswagen (1934), which would later be built in greater numbers than any other car in the world. He also participated in designing and testing the legendary 16-cylinder Auto Union Grand Prix racing car (1932).

Numerous international honours and prizes have been awarded to Prof Dr. Ing. h.c. Ferdinand Porsche over the past decades in recognition of his involvement in the further development of the automobile. He received the Grand Cross for Distinguished Service of the Federal Republic of Germany with star, the Citizens's Medal of Stuttgart, and was named an honorary citizen of his hometown of Wiener Neustadt.

The Porsche and Piech families, Porsche AG, its employees, and all friends of the Porsche brand are morning the death of Prof Dr. Ing. h.c. Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche.

Ferry Porsche will be laid to rest in Zell am See, Austria, in the presence of his immediate family. An official memorial will be held in Stuttgart at a later date.

"One could say that I was already born with the automobile", said Ferry Porsche about his childhood. He was born in Wiener Neustadt on September 19th, 1909, as his father Ferdinand Porsche was driving an Austro-Daumler to a class victory in the Semmering mountain race. He was baptised with the name Ferdinand Anton Ersnt, but people naturally almost always called him Ferry.

Ferry Porsche inherited his technical talent and passion for automobiles from his father, Professor Ferdinand Porsche. Ferdinand Porsche Jr. was behind the wheel of a car at the tender age of ten, and received his driving licence at the age of sixteen by special permission. His father, Ferdinand Porsche, who was by then a board member and technical director at Daimler-Motoren AG in Stuttgart-Unterturkheim, introduced his son to automobile technology when Ferdinand Porsche Jr. was still a youth. Ferry Porsche worked at his father's design office in Stuttgart from the day it was founded in 1931. He was made a managing partner of Porsche KG and simultaneously became director of the test department in 1938. After 1939 - his father was directing the construction of the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg at the time - he was the managing director of the Porsche company in Stuttgart Zuffenhausen; he assumed responsibility as the acting manger of the overall plant in 1940.

After July 1946, Ferry Porsche and his sister Louise shared responsibility for the welfare of Porsche, which had been managed from Austria after the war. Ferry Porsche was the creator of the original Porsche 356. The first vehicle bearing the name Porsche - the 356 No. 1, a sports car with mid-mounted engine. It was built under his supervision in Gmund, Karnten, in July 1948. Another fifty two Model 356 vehicles were hand built there out of Volkswagen parts. Ferry Porsche demonstrated a considerable talent as a team leader even then. He managed to hold together the old core team of highly qualified engineers while his father was still being held prisoner by the French. In 1949, he moved with them to Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen to venture a new beginning here. They performed development work for other companies and prepared series production of the 356, which began only one year later. Fast, reliable and high-quality sports cars of a high utilitarian value - those were the basic principles Ferry Porsche stipulated for the construction of vehicles bearing his name.

Success was not long in coming. Porsche expanded steadily under the management of Ferry Porsche, achieving one victory after another in motor sports. The successor to the 356 - the 911 - became an unparalleled success, and the contract development business thrived just as well. Further vehicle models expanded the corporate base. Pioneering technology, fascinating design, convincing safety, intelligent detail solutions and unmatched driving fascination have been the characteristics shared by all Porsche sports cars since the 356 No.1. In maintaining this tradition, Ferry Porsche always believed that, just as with racing cars, success has to be designed into a road vehicle.

Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche safeguarded the future of the company in good time. In 1972, he converted Porsche AG to a full public company in which the Porsche and Piech families are represented in the supervisory board.

Ferry Porsche served as chairman of the supervisory board of Dr. Ing. h.c.F.Porsche AG, Stuttgart until March 9th, 1990. He was the honorary chairman of the supervisory board until his death.

Facts and Figures

The life of Professor Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche in brief.

1909
Birth of Ferdinand Porsche, known as "Ferry", in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
School education in Wiener and Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt.
Technical training at Bosch in Stuttgart.

1931
Start of work as a designer in the development office of his father, Dr. Ing. h.c. Ferdinand
Porsche, in Stuttgart.

1932
Responsibilities extended to test monitoring and co-ordination, participation in design and development of the Auto Union Grand Prix racing car.

1934
Director of Volkswagen road tests.

1935
Marriage to Dorothea Reitz from Stuttgart (died in 1985). The marriage produced four sons.

1938
Director of test department. The design office was moved to the new building in
Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen the same year.

1940
Acting director of the overall enterprise.

1945
Director of the company, which was moved to Gmund in Karnten, Austria during the war.
Development of the Porsche 356, the first car to bear the "Porsche" name begins.

1948
The 356 No. 1 is ready in June. It is a 35-HP mid-engine sports car.

1949
After the first fifty-two Model 356 cars were built in Gumond, Ferry Porsche returns to
Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen with most of his employees. Reconstruction of the development
office

1950
Start of series production of the Model 356 in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.

1959
Ferry Porsche is presented with the Grand Cross for Distinguished Service of the Federal
Republic of Germany by President Theodore Huess.

1965
Awarding of the honorary title "Dr. techn. E.h." by Vienna Technical College.

1972
Ferry Porsche assumes the chairmanship in the supervisory board of Dr. Ing. h.c.F.
Porsche KG, which is converted to a full public company.

1975
Awarding of the Grand Golden Decoration of the Republic of Austria in Vienna.

1978
Awarding of the Wilhelm Exner Medal.

1979
Awarding of the star to the Grand Cross for Distinguished Service to the Federal Republic of Germany on the occasion of his 70th birthday by the chief minister of Baden Wurttemberg, Lothar Spath.

1981
Awarding of the Gold Medal of the Societe des Ingenieurs de L'Automobile, Ferry
Porsche is made honorary citizen of the town of Zell am See, Austria.

1984
Awarding of the title of "Professor" by chief minister Lothar Spath.

1985
Awarding of the title of "Senator E.h." University of Stuttgart.

1989
On September 19th the economics minister of Badhen-Wurttemberg, Martin Herzog, awards the Economic Medal for outstanding service to the economy of Baden Wurttemberg.

Awarding of the Citizens' Medal of Stuttgart on the occasion of his 80th birthday in recognition of his great contributions to the economic development of the state capital Stuttgart.

1990
Honorary chairman of the supervisory board of Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG Stuttgart.

1993
Honorary chairman of the supervisory board without mandate.

1994
Awarding of honorary citizenship of the town of Wiener Neustadt on September 21st in recognition of his distinguished service to the Austrian economies, but above in recognition of his service to the town.