PORSCHE
By Adrian Schachter
Ferdinand Porsche in 1931, an Austrian engineer, started the company PORSCHE. He was working in the automotive industry in Germany and helped to create the first Volkswagen, the Beetle, which has sold millions and millions (Hitler actually stole the design from Josef Ganz when he discovered he was Jewish and handed over the brief to Porsche, though Ferdinand Porsche and his son only got to fully enjoy their success after they were released from internment for war crimes, which facts I happened to leave out of the school version). After World War II the Porsche Company began as an independent company with a rear-engined sports car called the 356, and the legend as we know it today was successfully launched. By fostering a program of development for motor racing, which Porsche came to dominate in many sectors, the road cars directly benefited from the advancements. The saying goes, race them on the Sundays, sell them on Mondays.
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe introduced in 1963 and designed by the son of the company founder; since then it has undergone continuous development over the years, but the basic concept has remained little changed throughout its evolution over nearly 50 years. The classic Porsche 911 was developed as a much more powerful, larger, more comfortable replacement for the company’s first model, the 356. Originally the car was to be known as the 901 but the company Peugeot filed to own the rights to any car designated by a number with a zero in the middle! After i eat a big meal I sort of resemble a snake that ate a mouse which pretty much is the shape of a Porsche 911; maybe that’s why i respond so much.
What makes the 911 and Porsche Company so great is that they have enjoyed a degree of reliability and excellence in engineering unrivaled by any company in the history of car making. The company is driven by engineering rather than flashy design or other tricks to make it fashionable and desirable employed by other carmakers. The consistency in design is I feel not a drawback to the company over the years, though some people might argue that the company has not really strayed too far over the many years making nearly what appears to be the same car over and over again. But this is not so as there have been subtle refinements over time reflecting technological developments from style and engine changes to new environmentally sound hybrids.
Personally, I love these cars (my dad has a few classic old ones from the 1970’s so I have seen, been driven in and smelled them a lot!), because they are cleanly designed, simple and elegant, and are incredibly well made. The colors of the early cars are wild and adventurous, like signal yellow, tangerine and viper green which you wouldn’t ordinarily associate with the brand, but they speak of the time and they are like big art pieces. Though Ferrari’s are louder, way more attention grabbing, and say more about how much money you have then how you like to drive, a Porsche is more about your relationship to the road and experience behind the wheel. Also, even the old cars, if well maintained, will never fail to start with a twist of the key! (Funny, the day this was handed in to teacher my 1969 911E, just off boat from US, conked out leaving a gas station followed by a 1963 shiny red Ferrari Dino driven by a French woman-that was embarrassing. Also, first time in 15 years a Porsche failed to function; perhaps payback for assisting son shirk homework).
This reason the company is so successful, at times the most financially successful car company on the planet, is precisely because of the consistency of the product, the continuity of the design and excellence of engineering. Rather then stressing newness just for the sake of satisfying some marketing campaign, as people always seem to want the next thing, Porsche continues to innovate and invent but within a solid framework of delivering great reliable and desirable to own cars!! And unlike most companies and consumers, Porsche thinks that less is more (light weight and simplicity), instead of more is more.
Adrian: Amazing, this is a top piece of work. You clearly have an interest into Porsche. You should consider a career as a motoring journalist! Grade A