Porsche KG receives a major development assignment from US car maker Studebaker. During this two-year period of cooperation, Porsche develops Type 542, a modern four-door saloon regrettably never to enter series production due to a shortage of funds on the part of the US customer of Porsche.
As part of a tender from the German Army, Porsche develops the amphibian all-wheel-drive Type 597 “Jagdwagen” or “Hunting Car”. And although the “Jagdwagen” is acknowledged to be technically superior, the assignment is awarded for labour-market and political reasons to DKW, the German manufacturer of cars and motorcycles.
The prototype of the Studebaker Type 542 in front of Schloß Solitude in Stuttgart (1954)
Working on behalf of Volkswagen AG, engineers at Porsche develop Type 672, a compact concept car with rear-wheel drive. This prototype is powered by a flat six-cylinder underfloor engine.
Porsche presents a complete range of aircraft engines at the German Industrial Fair in Hanover. Engine output ranges from the 65-bhp Type 678/1 all the way to Type 678/4 developing no less than 75 bhp takeoff power.
Conceived as the potential successor to the VW Beetle in both notchback and fastback design, Type 728 (engineering project EA 53) is completed in spring 1960 on behalf of Volkswagen.
Following the assignment in 1958 to develop a battle tank, construction of the Type 814 Leopard tank starts in 1961, with a total of 2,400 units subsequently going to the German Army. Development of the Type 807 rescue tank extends from 1961 to 1966.
In the summer, the Development division complete with the Construction, Testing, and Design departments starts to move from the Zuffenhausen plant to the new Development Centre in Weissach. In the years to follow, the Weissach Development Centre completes not only numerous design and construction concepts for Volkswagen, but also projects such as a compact four-cylinder power unit for Spanish car maker Seat or a complete small car for Russian state car manufacturer AvtoVAZ (Lada).
The Type 914/6 on the Hockenheimring in 1970
Porsche presents the Longlife Car Research Project at the Frankfurt Motor Show, a concept car designed for twenty years of reliable use.
Work on the second construction phase of the Weissach Development Centre is concluded on 20 September, and the test areas, workshops and laboratories are opened for regular use. Now all Development Departments are at one central location handling all customer orders.
The SAVE (Rapid Ambulant Pre-Clinical Initial Treatment) project for the development of an innovative ambulance system is made up of a rescue vehicle complete with a mobile rescue unit and is consistently enhanced in an ongoing process and various project phases until 1984.
The SAVE (Rapid Ambulant Pre-Clinical Initial Treatment)After engineering project EA 425 conducted on behalf of Volkswagen for a successor to the VW-Porsche 914 is discarded, Porsche decides to launch this front-engined sports car already developed to production standard under the name Porsche 924.