F.A. Porsche (1935-2012)
1935 December 11: Ferdinand Alexander Porsche was born in Stuttgart, first child of Dorothea and Ferdinand Anton Ernst "Ferry" Porsche and grandson of Ferdinand Porsche.
1938 Brother Gerhard Anton “Gerd” Porsche was born.
1940 Brother Hans-Peter Porsche was born.
1942 Ferdinand Alexander started elementary school in Stuttgart. Even as a small boy, "Butzi” – as he was called by his family – accompanied his father and grandfather to the engineering design office in Zuffenhausen, a district in Stuttgart.
1943 Brother Wolfgang Porsche was born.
The war was going and to avoid bombing, Butzi moved to Zell am See in Austria together with her mother and brothers. Already at a young age, Butzi enjoyed designing - toys.
After the war his father and grandfather had to stay in jail for some period as their engineering office had some contribution to the war machines. Butzi's father was released in 1946 and his grandfather in 1947.
1948 Under the leadership of his father, Ferry Porsche, the first Porsche 356 no.1 was made in Austria (Butzi was 12 years old).
1950 Upon his return to Stuttgart, F.A. Porsche attended the Waldorf School.
1951 Grandfather Ferdinand Porsche died.
1953 Secondary school in Zuoz, Switzerland.
1954 Internship at Robert Bosch GmbH in Stuttgart for 2 years.
1956 Apprenticeship in the technical design office at Bosch for 1 year
1957 Studies at Ulm School of Design
1958 F.A. Porsche started working at the technical design department of Porsche KG. He involved in bodywork and engine construction as well as in prototype construction.
The decision was taken at the Porsche company to develop a new sports car, the successor to the 356.
1960 Ferdinand Alexander Porsche married Brigitte Bube. F.A. started the collaboration with the Porsche KG design studio.
1961 Son Ferdinand Oliver Porsche was born.
1962 F.A. became the manager of the Porsche design studios. His first car design to be shown publicly was the Porsche 804 F1 car.
1963 September 12, IAA Frankfurt motor show: the new Porsche 901 was shown to the public. In the end of the next year it was renamed to Porsche 911.
In November 1963, the new Porsche 904 Carrera GTS supercar/racecar was introduced. For some, it is the most beautiful car F.A. Porsche designed.
1964 Son Kai Alexander Porsche was born.
1965 was the year when the Porsche 912 was introduced. Its initial designation was 902. It was a 911 with the 4-cylinder engine from the 356. The 912 cost 25% less than the 911. In 1965, the Targa body version was introduced. It was basically a cabriolet with the safety bar.
1966 Porsche 906 coupé and 910 racing cars were introduced. Their body design was overseen by F.A. Porsche. The 906 was the only Porsche ever made with gullwing doors and the 910 was the only Porsche racing car with removable roof panel, basically a Targa.
1967 907 was the last Porsche car which's design was overseen by F.A. Porsche. The Porsche 907 LH took the triple victory at the 1968 Daytona 24 hour race.
1968 F.A. Porsche was appointed as Deputy Managing Director at Porsche KG. At the Paris motor show he was awarded with the "Automobile Industry International Trophy" for the "overall aesthetic concept in the creation of the Porsche bodywork."
1972 The Porsche and Piëch families of the Porsche dynasty decided that family members will not work anymore at the Porsche car company. F.A. Porsche established his own design studio under the name of "Porsche Design GmbH" in Stuttgart.
1975 Porsche Design Studio moved to Zell am See in Austria, where Butzi lived many years during his childhood.
During the decades that follow, the Porsche Design company designs men’s accessories such as watches, spectacles and writing instruments. F.A.'s team of designers also styled a host of industrial products, household appliances and consumer products for well-known international companies. Many of these products proudly wear "Design by F.A. Porsche".
1977 Son Mark Philipp Porsche was born.
1985 Mother Dorothea Porsche died (born 1911).
1990 Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG.
1992 Prizewinner of the year of the Industrial Design Forum Hanover (iF).
1993 Member of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG (was Chairman 1990-1993).
1995 December 11: for his 60th birthday, F.A. Porsche received a present from Porsche AG - a 911 993 Speedster. It was a one-off for a one-off man who designed the original 911. From F.A.'s head came a sports car design that has worked for decades and there is no end to see. No other car has been in production since 1964 and still is. Of course it has had several generations meanwhile, but the design language is still the same.
1997 F.A. joined the Supervisory Board of Porsche Holding GmbH, Salzburg.
1998 March 27: father Ferry Porsche died.
1999 Professor title from the University of Vienna, handed over by the president of Austria, Thomas Klestil.
2003 F.A. Porsche founded the Porsche Lizenz- und Handelsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG in Bietigheim-Bissingen together with other “Porsche Design” shareholders and Porsche AG. The aim of the company is to exploit the potential of the Porsche name in business areas unrelated to the auto industry.
2005 Ferdinand Alexander Porsche decided to resign from the supervisory board of Porsche AG and to withdraw from active professional life. His "chair" was passed on to his son Ferdinand Oliver Porsche. F.A. Porsche was appointed Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG and also as Honorary Chairman of the Advisory Council of Porsche Design Studio in Zell am See.
2012 April 5: Ferdinand Alexander Porsche died in Salzburg, Austria, at the age of 76. On the very same day, the new generation 911, the 991, was voted as the "2012 World Performance Car" at the New York International Auto Show. Although the 991 was already the 7th generation 911, the original F.A. Porsche design could still be clearly seen in the car.
As a designer, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche enjoyed the reputation of a functionalist. A strict and clear line is discernible in all of the product designs that had emerged from his studio. “Design must be functional and functionality must be translated into visual esthetics, without any reliance on gimmicks that have to be explained,” was the credo for his design work. The purism of “Porsche Design” demands authenticity and discards anything that is unnecessary or superfluous.
F.A. Porsche: “A product that is coherent in form requires no embellishment. It is enhanced by the purity of its form.” Form should be presented in a way that is easily understood and that does not divert attention from the product and its functional purpose. He has always been convinced that “Good design must be honest”, “A good product must be discreetly good". Later, he made this statement even more concise and clearer, emphasizing that “Design is not fashion".
Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche applied four fundamental principles in his work: “Reduce everything to its primary function. Focus on the clear and timeless form created in this way. Use the most suitable and progressive materials for this purpose. Choose quality of finish combining tradition in craftsmanship with high technology".
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