When was Porsche founded?
318945#14
During the 1930s, Stuttgart had already established itself as a center for the automobile industry. Germany's most important car companies had settled in the region by then. It was thus an ideal location for the new Porsche design company. When Porsche senior opened his offices in April 1931, his son Ferry (then age 21) was by his side. The firm was called "Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche GmbH Konstructionsbüro für Motoren, Fahrzeuge, Luftfahrzeuge und Wasserfahrzeugbau", meaning that Ferdinand Porsche's firm specialized in construction and consultation for engines, automobiles, airplanes, and motorboats. Porsche GmbH was founded in 1931 by Adolf Rosenberger, Ferdinand Porsche and Dr. Anton Piëch. While Rosenberger was the financial backer, he also brought technical knowledge and racing skill to the equation. Father and son were accompanied by renowned engineers.
Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
24365#1
Ferdinand Porsche founded the company called "Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH" in 1931, with main offices at Kronenstraße 24 in the centre of Stuttgart. Initially, the company offered motor vehicle development work and consulting, but did not build any cars under its own name. One of the first assignments the new company received was from the German government to design a car for the people, that is a "Volkswagen". This resulted in the Volkswagen Beetle, one of the most successful car designs of all time. The Porsche 64 was developed in 1939 using many components from the Beetle.
Porsche
36123282#0
The Porsche Club Hohensyburg is an organization of Porsche enthusiasts in Germany. It was founded on May 26, 1952 in Westphalia and was, when created, the first Porsche enthusiasts' organization in the world.
Porsche Club Hohensyburg
4254029#5
After the family decided to change the company's legal form and to keep the family out of its management, Ferdinand Alexander founded his own industrial design company, Porsche Design, in Stuttgart, Germany, which was later moved to Zell am See, Austria, where the Porsche family owns an estate called Schüttgut. The first product Porsche Design created was a chronograph wristwatch made by Swiss watchmaker company Orfina. Its design started while F.A. was still working at the Porsche Style bureau. It was launched in 1973 and was different from other chronograph wristwatches, as its case and bracelet were made out of matte black chromed steel. It was intended as accessory for Porsche drivers and sold by the Porsche dealers. It operated the then-new Valjoux 7750 movement, which is today still the most widespread mechanical movement for chronograph wristwatches. As many customers would have liked a normally-coloured watch, a version with bead-blasted stainless steel was issued. Later the movement was changed to the Lemania 5100, which was a simple and rugged movement mainly used for military watches. The Porsche Design Chrono I was made in different versions — color of case and straps, print on dial — for several country's air forces, as well as the NATO alliance.
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche
67720#22
Since being engaged by the National-Socialist authorities in building the "Volksauto", Porsche was praised as the "Great German Engineer". Hitler considered Czechs subhuman and Porsche was in 1934 urged to apply for German citizenship. A few days later, Porsche indeed filed a declaration giving up the Czechoslovak citizenship at a Czechoslovak consulate in Stuttgart. In 1937, Porsche joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party (becoming member no. 5,643,287) as well as the SS. By 1938, Porsche was using the SS as security members and drivers at his factory, and later set up a special unit called "SS Sturmwerk Volkswagen". In 1942, Porsche reached the rank of "SS-Oberführer". During the war, Porsche was further decorated with the SS-Ehrenring and awarded the War Merit Cross. As the war progressed his proposed solutions to new developments became more complex and Ferdinand Porsche gained a reputation in certain circles as a "mad scientist" especially with Albert Speer (mainly due to his new found affinity for "pointy" designs).
Ferdinand Porsche
67720#16
In April 1931, Porsche returned to Stuttgart and founded his consulting firm "Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche GmbH, Konstruktionen und Beratungen für Motoren und Fahrzeugbau" (designs and consulting services for engines and vehicles). With financial backing from the Austrian advocate Anton Piëch and Adolf Rosenberger, Porsche successfully recruited several former co-workers he had befriended at his former places of employment, including Karl Rabe, Erwin Komenda, Franz Xaver Reimspiess, and his son, Ferry Porsche.
Ferdinand Porsche
318945#17
Porsche developed a relatively "amicable" relationship with Adolf Hitler, ever since the firm became involved in military projects. In fact, historical evidence points out that Porsche's firm was probably Hitler's favourite. Porsche readily and eagerly worked for the regime and designed the most effective tanks used in World War II, which effectively undermines any attempts to portray the Porsche family as having a pacifist outlook. Some accounts have Porsche assisting a Jewish employee to escape Germany. Those accounts are interesting because while there is a grain of truth to them, though they play up Porsche's supposed independence from the Reich they obscure the important role of that Jewish "employee", who was actually Adolf Rosenberger. It's quite likely that Porsche GmbH would not have existed were it not for Rosenberger, who was Porsche's partner and financial backer, not his employee. Despite Rosenberger's contribution to the development of German automobiles and German auto racing when Hitler came to power in Germany, Rosenberger, a Jew, was arrested for "Rassenschande" (racial crimes), and imprisoned at KZ Schloss Kislau near Karlsruhe. He was released, supposedly due to unconfirmed efforts on his behalf by Porsche, but he was forced to leave Germany immediately. While in France, Rosenberger represented Porsche GmbH's business interests.
Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche
4339252#3
The Porsche Design Studio (now "Studio F. A. Porsche") was established in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1972 by Prof. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, (nickname Butzy), Grandson of the Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche and designer of the Porsche 911. The Porsche 911 (originally 901) is just one example of the many objects Prof. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche designed throughout his career, supposedly off the simple principle that "If you analyze the function of an object its form often becomes obvious."
The Design Studio was relocated to Zell am See, Austria, in 1974. Porsche has been producing car-related accessories since the 1950s, with luggage series, purses, T-shirts, calendars, model cars and buttons being offered in the "Porsche Boutique". In the decades that followed, numerous classic accessories such as watches, sunglasses, and writing utensils were created and marketed worldwide. At the same time a large number of industrial products, household appliances, and consumer goods – even streetcars for the city of Vienna – were designed under the "Design by F.A. Porsche" brand. In 1994 the merchandising division of Porsche AG finally acquired the name "Porsche Selection", which was changed to "Porsche Driver's Selection" in 2004. In the year 2012 Porsche Design opened several concept stores all around the world.
Porsche Design
4339252#0
Porsche Design ("Porsche Lizenz- und Handelsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG"), based in Ludwigsburg, Germany, was founded in November 2003 as a majority-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG to combine Porsche AG's and Porsche Design Group's accessories and licensing business into one single company. The company's activities are focused on the Porsche Design Studio (since 2015 "Studio F. A. Porsche") in Zell am See, Austria, which works also for other companies in the field of industrial and product design, and the "Porsche Design" and "Porsche Driver's Selection" brands.
Porsche Design
19944726#1
Porsche Holding GmbH, headquartered in Salzburg, Austria, was founded by Louise Piëch and Ferry Porsche (daughter and son of Ferdinand Porsche) in 1947 as Porsche Konstruktionen GesmbH in Gmünd, Austria. After Porsche 360 Grand Prix racing car was designed by Ferry Porsche with help from the engineers of his father's design office for Cisitalia in 1947, the company started manufacturing Porsche 356, starting with the prototype Porsche 356/1 and then 356/2 in 1948 at the factory located in a saw mill in Gmünd, and later at a factory in Salzburg.
Porsche Holding