Ferdinand Porsche

By : Peter Wendelin

• Born September 3, 1875• Birthplace Mattersdorf, Czech Republic• Died January 30, 1951• Location of Death Stuttgart, Germany• Cause of death- Stroke•

Porsche and his family moved to Stuttgart, Germany in the spring of 1923, where he took a job with Daimler Motor Works (no connection with Austro-Daimler) as its technical director. He was responsible for designing the famed Mercedes-Benz roadsters, the SS and SSK, both supercharged racing cars with very loud engines. In 1926, the company merged with another German automaker to become Daimler-Benz. Once more, Porsche encountered difficulties in convincing company executives of the feasibility of a small, mass-produced car.

Porsche decided to resign. He returned to Austria in early 1929, where he took a post with another automaker, Steyr-a comeback greatly heralded in the Vienna papers. During his brief stint at Steyr, Porsche developed an eight-cylinder engine for a model called the "Austria," which featured an innovative rear suspension that yielded superlative handling. He would later copy this design for use in the forerunner to the Volkswagen Beetle. Porsche left Steyr when a merger made it part of Austro-Daimler, and returned to Stuttgart. There, in December 1930, he founded his own firm with his friend Karl Rabe, another engineer. His son Ferry, who had inherited his father's passion for car design, was also on staff.

The Porsche company's first design contract came for a large touring car for Wanderer, a German automaker in Chemnitz. They also did engine and suspension work for various European automakers. In 1932, Porsche visited the Soviet Union at the request of Josef Stalin, who offered him a post as chief construction director, complete with generous compensation, a villa, and the transfer of his entire Stuttgart staff. He was also promised unlimited development funds to build a small car. Porsche, who still loved to race his own cars on the track, declined the offer since the European Grand Prix circuit did not extend to Communist Russia.

Work cited

http://www.answers.com/topic/ferdinand-porsche

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