Ferdinand Alexander Porsche
Encyclopedia
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (born December 11, 1935, in Stuttgart
, Germany
), nicknamed "Butzi", son of Ferry Porsche, grandson of Ferdinand Porsche
, is a German designer whose best known product is the first Porsche 911
.
Being born the first son of sportscar company founder Ferry Porsche F.A. Porsche was nearly destined to be involved in the development of cars. His grandfather and his father were engineer
s, but he got more involved into working out the looks of a product. He never thought of himself as an artist like a designer could be considered, but more as a technically talented craftsman in shaping.
he began studying industrial design in Ulm
, Germany
but after a year was dismissed by the examination board, because his talent was doubted. In 1957 he started practical training at the body design department of the family owned sportscar company under design director Erwin Komenda
.
for the company's so far most successful car, the Porsche 911
, Ferdinand Alexander was heavily involved as it was family tradition that every generation of the Porsche family took part in the genesis of a new car generation. It was Ferry Porsche wishing the successor of his 356 should provide more space and comfort in the cabin (though he was also cited: "Comfort is not what makes driving fun, it is more on the opposite."). Especially the boot
should have provided more space. Ferdinand Alexander made first drafts which were accepted very well. But Komenda did not walk in line and made, as F.A. and Ferry complained, changes on his own which had not been approved. Ferry set the main attributes concerning wheelbase
, power figures and suspension
and after Komenda still did not cooperate he took F.A.'s drawings to the bodyshell manufacturer Reutter across the street. They gave the actual shape to the 901 (The original project code 901 was changed to 911 after intervention of Peugeot
who had a trademark
protection on three-number-combinations with '0' in the middle.) as it was presented at 1963's Frankfurt Motor Show. Production began in 1964.
. He states the 904 was his favorite work for Porsche. Its bodyshell was made of fibreglass-reinforced resin at the aircraft company Heinkel
. The car was to be approved by racing homologation
officers until a set date in order to attend the same year's racing season. Thus the development team was under extreme time pressure. F.A. likes the design of the 904 best as there was no time for anyone to demand or initiate changes, so it is his most original draft.
, 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 came up with was a chronograph
wristwatch made by Swiss
watchmaker company Orfina
. Its design started during 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 accessoire for Porsche drivers and sold by the Porsche dealers. It operated the then new movement
Valjoux
7750 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 glassblasted 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.
In 1978 F.A. teamed up with Swiss watchmaker International Watch Company
(IWC
) to develop a wristwatch combining a non-magnetic automatic movement and a compass, the so-called Kompassuhr. The movement was housed in a hinge-attached upper case that could be flapped to give sight on the compass in the lower part of the case. Its cases and bracelet was made out of PVD
coated aluminum (matte black or matte olive). Late versions had the cases and bracelet made out of titanium
. IWC pioneered use of titanium in watch cases/bracelets together with F.A. in the development of the Titan Chronograph launched in 1980. The Titan Chronograph was the first watch to use titanium in wristwatches. IWC had to develop working processes paying attention to titanium's specific attributes. The unique design aspect of the Titan Chronograph were the pushers to operate the stopwatch functions being integrated in the case's contour.
F.A.'s appeal to using unusual materials showed in the very rare Chrono II made by IWC. Its case was made of glassblasted aluminum with bracelet made out of fibre-reinforced resin. This watch also employed integrated pushers.
Watches are still a main business of Porsche Design. In 1996 the Swiss watchmaker Eterna
, which invented the ball bearing for the winding rotor used in automatic movements, was bought by F.A. holding company.
The Porsche Design product suffering most often from plagiarism
is probably the sunglasses
with drop-shaped lenses, which was issued during the 80s in a lot of weird color combinations e.g. purple lenses with golden or white frame. F.A. designed many more spectacles. Most often they had some unique attributes — e.g. a saddle shaped cushion adapting to the nose shape automatically and opening symmetrically through an internal cam mechanism. The drop-shaped spectacle had a quick release mechanism to provide quick lens changes. One sunglass even had magnetically held lenses. Another one got its shape from the intended production method: its shape was accommodated to a sandcasting process of titanium. The production issue was actually not made of titanium, but the shape remained.
Transportation design remained an issue on F.A. Porsche. He made several studies for metropolitan trains, a motorcycle, several bicycles and a slightly dolphin-shaped racing boat called Kineo.
As the company grew the product categories diversified. There are three possibilities how designs made by Porsche Design can appear: the Porsche Design brand products made exclusively for Porsche Design, products bearing the manufacturer's name and the writing 'Design by F.A. Porsche' and products with no hint of Porsche Design at all. Porsche Design came up with several bathroom designs, a washing machine, furniture, knives, TVs, desk lamps e.g. one with 3 telescopic radio antennas attaching the light bulb holder to the base and one employing design aspects of a guillotine in its pull-out mechanism, tobacco pipes with air-cooled-engine-inspired cooling fins, pens made out of wire-cloth used in oil hoses for racing engines, computer monitors, computer external hard drives, coffee makers, and even a grand piano for an Austrian manufacturer Bösendorfer
. The Design by F.A. Porsche mark is no more used, with the exception of the professional kitchen knives of CHROMA Cnife
.
The formerly completely private owned Porsche Design company belongs in the meantime to a cooperation company between F.A. Porsche and the Dr.-Ing. hc F. Porsche AG of which F.A. holds roughly 13%. F.A. Porsche retired in 2005 due to his state of health. He was given the title honorary chairman of the supervisory board, a title that was originally invented for his father when he retired.
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), nicknamed "Butzi", son of Ferry Porsche, grandson of Ferdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian automotive engineer and honorary Doctor of Engineering. He is best known for creating the first hybrid vehicle , the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK, as well as the first of many Porsche automobiles...
, is a German designer whose best known product is the first Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
.
Being born the first son of sportscar company founder Ferry Porsche F.A. Porsche was nearly destined to be involved in the development of cars. His grandfather and his father were engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s, but he got more involved into working out the looks of a product. He never thought of himself as an artist like a designer could be considered, but more as a technically talented craftsman in shaping.
Education
After attending the Waldorf School in StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
he began studying industrial design in Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
but after a year was dismissed by the examination board, because his talent was doubted. In 1957 he started practical training at the body design department of the family owned sportscar company under design director Erwin Komenda
Erwin Komenda
Erwin Komenda ex Dr Ferdinand Porsche employee, helped in the design of the bodies for the VW Beetle and various Porsche sports cars....
.
Porsche 911
When it came to the designworks of the bodyworkCoachwork
Coachwork is the body of a horse-drawn coach or carriage, a motor vehicle , a railroad car or railway carriage. Usually reserved for bodies built on a separate chassis, rather than being of unitary or monocoque construction...
for the company's so far most successful car, the Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
, Ferdinand Alexander was heavily involved as it was family tradition that every generation of the Porsche family took part in the genesis of a new car generation. It was Ferry Porsche wishing the successor of his 356 should provide more space and comfort in the cabin (though he was also cited: "Comfort is not what makes driving fun, it is more on the opposite."). Especially the boot
Trunk (automobile)
The trunk or boot of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as...
should have provided more space. Ferdinand Alexander made first drafts which were accepted very well. But Komenda did not walk in line and made, as F.A. and Ferry complained, changes on his own which had not been approved. Ferry set the main attributes concerning wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
, power figures and suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
and after Komenda still did not cooperate he took F.A.'s drawings to the bodyshell manufacturer Reutter across the street. They gave the actual shape to the 901 (The original project code 901 was changed to 911 after intervention of Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
who had a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
protection on three-number-combinations with '0' in the middle.) as it was presented at 1963's Frankfurt Motor Show. Production began in 1964.
Porsche 904
Ferdinand Alexander also shaped another important car, the Porsche 904Porsche 904
The Porsche 904 is an automobile which was produced by Porsche in Germany in 1964 and 1965. It was officially called Porsche Carrera GTS due to the same naming rights problem that required renaming the Porsche 901 to Porsche 911.- History :...
. He states the 904 was his favorite work for Porsche. Its bodyshell was made of fibreglass-reinforced resin at the aircraft company Heinkel
Heinkel
Heinkel Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe in World War II and for important contributions to high-speed flight.-History:...
. The car was to be approved by racing homologation
Homologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
officers until a set date in order to attend the same year's racing season. Thus the development team was under extreme time pressure. F.A. likes the design of the 904 best as there was no time for anyone to demand or initiate changes, so it is his most original draft.
Porsche Design Group
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 DesignPorsche Design Group
Porsche Design Group , based in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany, was founded in November 2003 by 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.Originally, there were five independently...
, in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
which was later moved to Zell am See
Zell am See
Zell am See is the capital city of the Zell am See district in the Austrian state of Salzburg. The city has about 10,000 inhabitants.Zell am See is a tourist destination and a transportation hub for the region...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
where the Porsche family owns an estate called Schüttgut. The first product Porsche Design came up with was a chronograph
Chronograph
A chronograph is a timepiece or watch with both timekeeping and stopwatch functions as well as other functions. Pocket watch chronographs were produced as early as the 18th century but did not become popular until the 1820s...
wristwatch made by Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
watchmaker company Orfina
Orfina
Orfina is a watch manufacturing company, known for its Porsche Design range. The company was founded in 1922.-Notable Appearences:* Lewis Collins' character in Who Dares Wins wears a Porsche design Orfina.* Tom Cruise wears an Orfina in Top Gun...
. Its design started during 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 accessoire for Porsche drivers and sold by the Porsche dealers. It operated the then new movement
Movement (clockwork)
In horology, a movement is the internal mechanism of a clock or watch, as opposed to the case, which encloses and protects the movement, and the face which displays the time. The term originated with mechanical timepieces, whose movements are made of many moving parts...
Valjoux
Valjoux
Valjoux is a Swiss manufacturer of mechanical watch movements. It is known primarily for chronograph ébauche movements that are used in a number of mid- to high-range mechanical watches: The company has been a part of ETA for a number of years and is a member of the Swatch Group...
7750 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 glassblasted stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
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.
In 1978 F.A. teamed up with Swiss watchmaker International Watch Company
International Watch Company
International Watch Co, also known as IWC, is a high-end Swiss watch manufacturer located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. IWC is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH....
(IWC
IWC
IWC may refer to:*International WaterCentre, provides education and training, applied research and expert services in integrated water resource management*International Wrestling Cartel, a professional Wrestling company...
) to develop a wristwatch combining a non-magnetic automatic movement and a compass, the so-called Kompassuhr. The movement was housed in a hinge-attached upper case that could be flapped to give sight on the compass in the lower part of the case. Its cases and bracelet was made out of PVD
Physical vapor deposition
Physical vapor deposition is a variety of vacuum deposition and is a general term used to describe any of a variety of methods to deposit thin films by the condensation of a vaporized form of the desired film material onto various workpiece surfaces...
coated aluminum (matte black or matte olive). Late versions had the cases and bracelet made out of titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
. IWC pioneered use of titanium in watch cases/bracelets together with F.A. in the development of the Titan Chronograph launched in 1980. The Titan Chronograph was the first watch to use titanium in wristwatches. IWC had to develop working processes paying attention to titanium's specific attributes. The unique design aspect of the Titan Chronograph were the pushers to operate the stopwatch functions being integrated in the case's contour.
F.A.'s appeal to using unusual materials showed in the very rare Chrono II made by IWC. Its case was made of glassblasted aluminum with bracelet made out of fibre-reinforced resin. This watch also employed integrated pushers.
Watches are still a main business of Porsche Design. In 1996 the Swiss watchmaker Eterna
Eterna
Eterna is a Swiss luxury watch company founded in Grenchen, Canton Solothurn on the 7th of November 1856 by Dr Josef Girard and Urs Schild. They initially specialised in producing pocket watches with alarms. In 1906 the company name changed from U. Schild to Eterna. In 1908 they became the first...
, which invented the ball bearing for the winding rotor used in automatic movements, was bought by F.A. holding company.
The Porsche Design product suffering most often from plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
is probably the sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
with drop-shaped lenses, which was issued during the 80s in a lot of weird color combinations e.g. purple lenses with golden or white frame. F.A. designed many more spectacles. Most often they had some unique attributes — e.g. a saddle shaped cushion adapting to the nose shape automatically and opening symmetrically through an internal cam mechanism. The drop-shaped spectacle had a quick release mechanism to provide quick lens changes. One sunglass even had magnetically held lenses. Another one got its shape from the intended production method: its shape was accommodated to a sandcasting process of titanium. The production issue was actually not made of titanium, but the shape remained.
Transportation design remained an issue on F.A. Porsche. He made several studies for metropolitan trains, a motorcycle, several bicycles and a slightly dolphin-shaped racing boat called Kineo.
As the company grew the product categories diversified. There are three possibilities how designs made by Porsche Design can appear: the Porsche Design brand products made exclusively for Porsche Design, products bearing the manufacturer's name and the writing 'Design by F.A. Porsche' and products with no hint of Porsche Design at all. Porsche Design came up with several bathroom designs, a washing machine, furniture, knives, TVs, desk lamps e.g. one with 3 telescopic radio antennas attaching the light bulb holder to the base and one employing design aspects of a guillotine in its pull-out mechanism, tobacco pipes with air-cooled-engine-inspired cooling fins, pens made out of wire-cloth used in oil hoses for racing engines, computer monitors, computer external hard drives, coffee makers, and even a grand piano for an Austrian manufacturer Bösendorfer
Bösendorfer
Bösendorfer is an Austrian piano manufacturer, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha. The brand is known for producing pianos with a uniquely rich, singing, and sustaining tone...
. The Design by F.A. Porsche mark is no more used, with the exception of the professional kitchen knives of CHROMA Cnife
CHROMA Cnife
CHROMA is a kitchen knife-maker based in Demorest, Georgia. The company was found by Christian Romanowski in 1989. CHROMA also sells knife sharpening stones, kitchen shears and other cooking accessories...
.
The formerly completely private owned Porsche Design company belongs in the meantime to a cooperation company between F.A. Porsche and the Dr.-Ing. hc F. Porsche AG of which F.A. holds roughly 13%. F.A. Porsche retired in 2005 due to his state of health. He was given the title honorary chairman of the supervisory board, a title that was originally invented for his father when he retired.