Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the man behind the captivating and distinctively styled, the classic Porsche 911, one of the oldest nameplates in the German automaker Porsche’s global portfolio expired yesterday at the age of 76 in Salzburg, Austria.
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche aka Butzi, the grandson of Porsche Founder, Ferdinand Porsche and son of Ferry Porsche, descended from a family of engineers but chose to move out of stream to be known as a technically talented craftsman.
He became an indispensable part of Porsche Design Studio in the early 1960s for designing the iconic sports car 911 as a replacement for the two-door sports car, Porsche 356. The Porsche 911 was intricately designed to incorporate best in class features and six-cylinder engine with ample boot space and was official unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1963.
When the company went public in early 1970s, Porsche along with his family left to establish a separate Porsche Design Studio in the year 1972. However, he was also appointed as the Chairman of Porsche AG from 1990 to 1993 and remained in the supervisory board until 2005, when he announced his retirement.
On the demise of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, Matthias Müller, Chief Executive Officer at Porsche AG, said, “As creator of the Porsche 911, he established a design culture that molds our sportscars still today. His philosophy of good design is for us a legacy that we will also honour in the future.”
The automaker has stated that the stunning design of Porsche 911 that has recently won the title of World’s Performance Car of the Year 2012, has set the styling standards of all the models comprised in its sports car segment.
