Porsche is a world-renowned car manufacturer that focuses on producing a high-end sports car. They are a German automobile producer that released sports car that has a reputation for its high-quality performance, reliability, durability, and sleek design. Porsche is also known for creating luxury cars that can be used for everyday living. That’s why, in this article, we are going to know more about this iconic luxury car brand.
History of Porsche
Porsche was founded by Ferdinand Porsche in 1931, and back then, he called the company “Dr. Ing. H. c. F. Porsche GmbH.” At first, the company offered its services mainly for motor vehicle development work and consulting. They did not manufacture any cars under their own name. One of their first projects was from the German government, wherein they were asked to design a car for the people, which resulted in the creation of the “Volkswagen.” Porsche released the Volkswagen Beetle, which became one of the most successful car designs of all time. In fact, when Porsche developed the Porsche 64 in 1939, they mostly used components from the Beetle.
When World War II came, Porsche halted the production of the Volkswagen and started to create the military version of the Volkswagen Beetle they called the Kübelwagen and Schwimmwagen. They also produced and designed several designs for heavy tanks during World War II. Still, they lost the bidding to Henschel & Son. But all their work did not go to waste because the chassis they used to design their tanks were used to make the Elefant tank destroyer, which was also used during World War II by German Wehrmacht Panzerjager. Porsche also developed a super-heavy tank they called the Maus during the closing stages of the war. According to Ferdinand Porsche’s biographer, Porsche had forced thousands of people to work at their factories during the war, and they all wore the letter “P” on their clothes every time. But the letter P did not stand for Porsche but for Poland.
At the end of the second world war, the British obtained the Volkswagen factory located at KdF-Stadt. This resulted in Ferdinand Porsche to lose his position as the Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen. In December 1945, Ferdinand Porsche was arrested for two war crimes, but he was not tried. During his 20-month stay in prison, his son, Ferry Porsche, decided to create his own car because he could not find the one that suits his taste. He was also the one who steered the company through some of its tough times until his father was released from jail in 1947.
One of the first models they created was the 356, which they were able to develop in a small sawmill that was located in Gmund, Austria. They showed the prototype of the cars to German auto dealers. When they earned money from the pre-orders, they started the production of the vehicles. They renamed their company Porsche KonstruktionenGesmbH, and it was founded by Ferry and Louise Porsche.
What does their logo mean?
Porsche’s logo was derived from the coat of arms of the Free People’s State of Wurttemberg which capital is Stuttgart. Since it is the place where Porsche was founded, its coat of arms was placed in the middle as an inescutcheon. You can find the words Porsche and Stuttgart on the logo, which shows that it is not a coat of arms because the heraldic achievements never showed the name of the armigers.
Interesting Facts About Porsche
- Ferdinand Porsche made the first hybrid electric vehicle – The eponymous founder of Porsche made the Lohner-Porsche “Semper Virus” in 1899 which was an electric car that has an internal combustion motor that acts as a generator. The said car was also the first-ever car to have brakes on all four wheels.
- Porsche race cars have won a total of 24,000 races all over the world
- Porsche built all their 356 models in an old sawmill for two years – These cars were also better because they are made with aluminum bodies compared to steel bodies that later German cars were made of. They were also lighter.
Ferdinand Porsche proved that smaller cars are faster than large cars with powerful engines – He was the one to develop the car called “Sascha” for Austro-Daimler. It is noticeably smaller compared to its competition, but is still able to win about 43 races, including the Targa Florio in 1922.
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