911 Designer Ferdinand Porsche Dies Aged 76

The designer of the world’s most iconic sportscar – the Porsche 911 – has died aged 76. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche developed the car in 1963 for the company founded by his grandfather. With its sloping roof, long hood and noisy rear-mounted engine, the Porsche 911 still carries distinctly recognisable elements from the first model introduced in 1963. Describing his design philosophy, Mr Porsche once said a product that was coherent in form required no embellishments.

His design career had a slow start, he was dismissed from the Ulm School of Design because of doubts over his talent. Undeterred, Ferdinand Porsche started practical training in the body design department of the family-owned sports car factory in Stuttgart. Read the rest of this entry »