80 Years Porsche Engineering

Ferdinand Porsche also combined his battery-powered wheel hub motors with a petrol motor giving birth to the principle of the serial hybrid motor. As a full hybrid concept, the “Semper Vivus” was also capable of covering larger distances in purely electric operation until the combustion motor was started to charge the batteries.

The next milestone in Ferdinand Porsche’s career followed in 1906. At a mere 31 years of age, he assumed the position of the Technical Director at Austro Daimler in Wiener Neustadt and was in charge of products from one of Europe's leading automobile companies. The “Prince Henry Car” that led the Austro-Daimler plant team to finish in the top three at the widely known Prince Henry Trials was among the greatest achievements of this time. With Austro-Daimler’s “Sascha” model, he developed a small racing car that prevailed in the Targa Florio race in 1922 against competition with a greater engine capacity and notched up no less than 43 race victories.

On April 25, 1931, “Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, Konstruktion und Beratung für Motoren- und Fahrzeugbau” was entered in Stuttgart's commercial register. From the very beginning, the work of the team under Ferdinand Porsche, initially comprising 12 persons, covered the entire scope of automotive engineering. Legendary automobiles such as the Auto Union Grand Prix racing car and the Volkswagen Beetle would be created in the Stuttgart engineering office in the years to come. Porsche’s workshop advanced to become one of the most significant birth places for automotive engineering and at the same time paved the way for German mass motorisation.

In 1931, Ferdinand Porsche designed a six-cylinder middle-class sedan for Wanderer, a Chemnitz automobile manufacturer, and a new in-line eight-cylinder motor. A swing-axle for the Horch works in Zwickau and an air-cooled five-cylinder radial motor developed on behalf of the Phänomen works in Zittau, which was intended for use in trucks, followed.

The torsion bar suspension, whose patent was registered on 10 August 1931 and which was used for several decades in international automobile manufacturing, is considered a further milestone in automotive history.

In early 1933, Ferdinand Porsche was awarded a contract from the Saxon Auto Union to design a 16-cylinder racing car for the new 750-kg race formula. The Porsche team led by chief engineer Karl Rabe commenced work on the Auto Union P racing car (P for Porsche) with a mid-ship configuration directly after signing the contract. The racing car set three world records early on in January 1934, winning three international Grand Prix races in addition to several hill climb events. With drivers such as Bernd Rosemeyer, Hans Stuck or Tazio Nuvolari at the wheel, the Auto Union racing car was consistently enhanced to become one of the most successful racing cars in the pre-war era. Indeed, its mid-engine concept set the trend for all modern racing cars and is still applied today in Formula 1.

Ferdinand Porsche’s design of the Type 32 compact car marked the seventh such design of his career. A number of prototypes of this car type were created, which widely resembled the later Volkswagen Beetle with air-cooled, four-cylinder rear-fitted boxer motors and the Porsche torsion bar suspension.

The “Study on the Construction of a German People’s Car” proved to be a decisive breakthrough for Ferdinand Porsche’s compact car concept, which he presented to the "Reich Ministry of Transport" on 17 January 1934. Shortly afterwards, on 22 June 1934, he received the official order from the “Reich Association of the German Automobile Industry”, to design and build prototypes of the Type 60 Volkswagen or “People’s Car”, which was assembled in 1935 in the garage of his private villa in the north of Stuttgart.

Porsche did not only develop technical engine components for the Mercedes Silver Arrows, but also designed the Type 80 World Speed Record Car from 1937 to 1939. The Type 110 compact tractor for farm use developed on behalf of the “German Workers’ Front” (“Deutsche Arbeitsfront”) with its air-cooled two-cylinder power unit, set the foundation for the subsequent “People’s Tractor” and the Porsche diesel tractor built after World War II.

In 1938, the Porsche engineering office received a contract for the design of a racing car based on the Type 60 Volkswagen from the Volkswagen plant for the long-distance Berlin-Rome race. By early 1939, under the name Type 64 or Type 60K10, Porsche engineers developed three racing coupés for the “non-stop speed trial” in September. When the outbreak of World War II prevented the broadcast of the event, the Porsche engineering office used the completed racing car as a high-speed travel vehicle that reached average speeds of over 130 kph on trips from Stuttgart to Berlin.

Following the outbreak of World War II, the Porsche engineering office developed further models based on the Volkswagen. Apart from the Type 81 “VW Kastenwagen” or Jeep, the company, re-established in late 1937 as Porsche KG, also developed the Type 62 KdF Offroader, the Type 82, which had become known as the VW “Kübelwagen” (bucket car), the all-wheel-drive Type 87, and the Type 166 VW “Schwimmwagen” or amphibian car.

The Italian company Cisitalia, whose car-enthusiastic owner Piero Dusio contracted extensive designs up to the end of 1946, became one of the most important customers. Apart from a tractor and a water turbine, Dusio ordered a mid-engine sports car with a hydraulic torque converter and a Grand Prix racing car. The result was the Type 360 “Cisitalia” completed in 1948, which was ahead of its time in many respects. In contrast to the front-engined Formula 1 racing cars of the post-war years, which mainly featured rigid axles, the Type 360 was designed with a mid-engine construction. A 1.5-litre twelve-cylinder supercharged motor acted as its powerplant. Transmission was through a manually geared four-wheel drive.

In July 1947, the Porsche engineering office started work under its own steam on the Type 356 VW Sports Car. Based on previous designs like the Volkswagen or the Type 64 Berlin-Rome racing car, the design concepts with the internal construction number 356 was realized in spring 1948. After the prototype Porsche 356 bearing chassis number 356-001 completed its maiden trip on 8 June 1948, it was granted a special road permit from the state government of Carinthia. It marked the birth of the Porsche sports car brand.

For a tender by the German Army, Porsche developed the amphibious four-wheel type 597 Jagdwagen. Although the Jagdwagen was technically superior, the contract was awarded to automobile and motorcycle manufacturer DKW for reasons related to the labour market.

In 1961, Ferry Porsche laid the foundation for the Weissach Development Centre, 25 kilometres north-west of Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. He had a “skid pad” built for testing chassis constructed later on. The Weissach Development Centre underwent further expansion in the following years and became a central resource of Porsche Engineering.

The most famous partnership between Porsche and Volkswagen was the VW-Porsche 914 presented in autumn 1969. The central position for the engine was selected for technical reasons: On the one hand, it made optimal use of the space available in the compact car. On the other, it achieved excellent weight distribution with a low centre of gravity. Other advantages were the front and rear crunch zones: a clear reason to buy in combination with the integrated roll-over bars.

In 1971, the Porsche development division together with the construction, testing and design departments moved into the new Weissach Development Centre. Apart from the initial “skid pad” and a large test track, Weissach also became the home of further elaborate installations such as a wind tunnel, a crash test facility, the exhaust emissions test centre, and a wide range of drivetrain test stands for both in-house developments and customer assignments.

The Volkswagen engineering project EA 425 for a successor model to the VW Porsche 914 is not realised. However, Porsche is convinced of this development and decides to launch the front-engine sports car under the name Porsche 924.

Forging new paths is a tradition of Porsche Engineering Services. For example, Porsche designed the cockpit layout for widebody aircraft in cooperation with aircraft maker Airbus in the early 1980s, and set the trend through the use of monitors instead of conventional analogue instruments. The project's goal was to noticeably improve working conditions for pilots by optimising the cockpit style.

A milestone in the development of industrial vehicles was the beginning of the successful cooperation with Linde Material Handling, which continues today. After Porsche designed planetary and chain drives for Linde, the sports car manufacturer was assigned with designing the next generation of forklifts in the early 1980s. Porsche styling for Linde has now become a multiple-award-winning trademark. For example, Linde forklifts were again recently awarded the sought-after “red dot award for product design” from the renowned Design Centre in North Rhine-Westphalia: The electric counterbalance E20-E50 forklifts earned this distinction in 2011 and continue the award-winning tradition of over 20 design awards since the beginning of the cooperation. For Linde Material Handling, product design has become an integral part of the “Linde” brand and a clear competitive advantage. In addition to design, Porsche Engineering also assists Linde Material Handling with other development projects.

The "TAG turbo motor” developed by order of the British McLaren racing team and financed by a Saudi-Arabian entrepreneur Mansour Ojjeh premiered in the MP4 Formula 1 racing car. The 1.5-litre turbocharged V6 motor delivered up to 1,000 HP. With a total of 25 Grand Prix victories and three World Championships, the “TAG turbo made by Porsche” became a dominant Formula 1 engine in the years 1984 to 1986.

AvtoVAZ, the largest passenger vehicle manufacturer in Russia and East Europe, also relied on the technical expertise of Porsche Engineering Services. The Weissach engineers were assigned with revising the five-seat Lada Samara to achieve a competitive price and robustness for road conditions in the Soviet Union. With the exception of the styling, nearly all assemblies such as the motor, transmission, chassis, body, acoustics and electronics were optimised or redeveloped.

Daimler-Benz AG assigned Porsche Engineering Services with the design and testing of a W 124 sedan with a 5-litre V8 four-valve M 119 motor for series production. The assignment went well beyond standard design work. Series production including mounting of the bodyshell and final assembly also took place at Porsche’s works in Zuffenhausen. The Daimler-Benz plant in Sindelfingen was in charge of the paint and delivery.

Audi and Porsche designed a high-performance estate car under the name “Audi Avant RS2” as a joint venture. Numerous Porsche components such as the hubs, high-performance brakes and wheel rims were used. The Audi Avant RS2 was manufactured from October 1993 to July 1994 in the Zuffenhausen Porsche plant.

At the Beijing International Family Car Congress, Porsche presented the C88 study, which was developed especially for the Chinese market. The automobile constructed under the project name C88 catered to the needs of Chinese customers and was designed in three versions: In addition to an extremely affordable, two-door version, a standard and four-door notchback luxury version were also planned. The development goals also accounted for simple manufacturing methods, a high quality standard and high level of vehicle safety.

Porsche Engineering Group GmbH (PEG), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG with headquarters in Weissach, officially began operations on 1 August. PEG aims to manage and market Engineering Services on a global level.

Under the project name “Revolution Engine”, Porsche Engineering, as a development partner, designed a new V2 motor for the “V-Rod” model of the US motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson in 2002. With cooperation dating back to the 1970s, Porsche engineers constructed a water-cooled, 1,131 cubic-centimetre motor, based on a racing motor, to inspire sophisticated Harley-Davidson customers both in terms of performance and motor sound.

The battery-powered Seabob water scooter series delivers a new level of top performance. The engineers at Porsche Engineering designed three electrical components for the patented water scooter: the battery manager, engine control and the control unit with graphic display. As a result, Porsche Engineering provides environmentally friendly fun even in the water. Agile and as flexible as a fish in the water - on the surface as well as below - a ride on the Seabob makes it all possible.

Today, Porsche Engineering continues to take on engineering challenges of the future: Whether its extensive know-how in the field of electric mobility, which Porsche Engineering put into practice with the Boxster E research project in 2011, experience in the fields of lightweight construction and downsizing, or innovative thinking for the design of a premium outdoor grill in 2008, the engineers of Porsche Engineering approach every project with the same commitment to outstanding quality, innovative concepts and individual customer solutions.