38 Facts About Ferdinand Porsche

Ferdinand Porsche was an Austro-Bohemian automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche AG.

An important contributor to the German war effort during World War II, Porsche was involved in the production of advanced tanks such as the VK 4501, the Elefant self-propelled gun, and the Panzer VIII Maus super-heavy tank, as well as other weapon systems, including the V-1 flying bomb.

Ferdinand Porsche was a recipient of the German National Prize for Art and Science, the SS-Ehrenring and the War Merit Cross.

Ferdinand Porsche was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1996 and was named the Car Engineer of the Century in 1999.

Ferdinand Porsche was born to Anna Porsche and Anton Porsche, in Maffersdorf in northern Bohemia, part of Austria-Hungary at that time, and today part of the Czech Republic.

Ferdinand Porsche showed a great aptitude for technology and was especially intrigued by electricity from a young age.

Ferdinand Porsche was already attending classes at the Imperial Polytechnical College in Reichenberg at night, while still helping his father in his mechanical shop by day.

Besides attending classes there, Ferdinand Porsche did not complete any formal engineering education.

In 1934, either Adolf Hitler or Joseph Goebbels made Ferdinand Porsche a naturalized German citizen.

The vehicles achieved speeds of up to 56 kilometres per hour, broke several Austrian speed records, and won the Exelberg Rally in 1901, with Ferdinand Porsche himself driving a front-wheel drive hybrid.

In 1905 Ferdinand Porsche was awarded the Potting prize as Austria's most outstanding automotive engineer.

Ferdinand Porsche served as a chauffeur to Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination has been credited with contributing to the start of WWI.

Ferdinand Porsche's best known Austro-Daimler car was designed for the Prince Henry Trial in 1910, named after Wilhelm II's younger brother Prince Heinrich of Prussia.

Ferdinand Porsche created a 30 horsepower model called the Maja, named after Mercedes Jellinek's younger sister, Andree Maja Jellinek.

Ferdinand Porsche successfully continued to construct racing cars, winning 43 out of 53 races with his 1922 design.

In 1923, Ferdinand Porsche left Austro-Daimler after differences ensued about the future direction of car development.

Ferdinand Porsche left in 1929 for Steyr Automobile, but due to the Great Depression Porsche ended up being made redundant.

Ferdinand Porsche financed the project with a loan on his life insurance.

The chairman of the Board of Directors, Baron Klaus von Oertzen wanted a showpiece project, so at fellow director Adolf Rosenberger's insistence, von Oertzen met with Ferdinand Porsche, who had done work for him before.

In June 1934, Ferdinand Porsche received a contract from Hitler to design a people's car, following on from his previous designs such as the 1931 Type 12 car designed for Zundapp.

Since being engaged by the National-Socialist authorities in building the Volksauto, Ferdinand Porsche was praised as the Great German Engineer.

Hitler considered Czechs subhuman and Ferdinand Porsche was urged to apply for German citizenship in 1934.

German racing driver Hans Stuck had met Hitler before he became Chancellor, and not being able to gain a seat at Mercedes, accepted the invitation of Rosenberger to join him, von Oertzen and Ferdinand Porsche in approaching the Chancellor.

Ferdinand Porsche produced a heavy tank design in 1942, the VK4501 known as "Tiger ".

The Ferdinand Porsche was driven by a hybrid electric powertrain, and was armed with a long barrel development of the 88mm anti-aircraft gun.

In November 1945, Ferdinand Porsche was asked to continue the design of the Volkswagen in France and to move the factory equipment there as part of war reparations.

Ferdinand Porsche then was located in Gmund in Carinthia, where they had relocated from Stuttgart to avoid Allied bombing.

Ferdinand Porsche started manufacturing the Porsche 356 in an old saw mill in Gmund.

The Ferdinand Porsche family returned to Stuttgart in 1949 not knowing how to restart their business.

Ferdinand Porsche asked the dealers to pay for the ordered cars in advance.

When Ferry Ferdinand Porsche resurrected the company he counted on series production figures of about 1,500.

Ferdinand Porsche was later contracted by Volkswagen for additional consulting work and received a royalty on every Volkswagen Beetle manufactured.

In November 1950, Ferdinand Porsche visited the Wolfsburg Volkswagen factory for the first time since the end of World War II.

Ferdinand Porsche spent his visit chatting with Volkswagen president Heinrich Nordhoff about the future of VW Beetles, which were already being produced in large numbers.

Ferdinand Porsche did not fully recover, and died on 30 January 1951.

In 1996, Ferdinand Porsche was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and in 1999 posthumously won the award of Car Engineer of the Century.

Ferdinand Porsche visited Henry Ford's operation in Detroit many times where he learned the importance of productivity.

Ferdinand Porsche was surprised at how the workers and the managers treated each other as equals; even he, as a visiting dignitary, had to carry his own tray in the cafeteria and eat with the workers.