The name Porsche is synonymous with performance. Yet it means different things to different people. For some, it's the quintessential sports car that stands for pure driving pleasure, for others it means Germanic precision and attention to detail, while for some owners it could simply mean image and striking looks, which they hope, by association, will rub off onto whoever's in the drivers seat at the time.
For me, it conjures up images of a passionate group of racers and engineers who've been able to create, over the years, one of most iconic names in history. It started with a small group of people with the aim of building great cars, both for the road and the racetrack. They built their reputation by winning on the world stage – in the early days, against larger teams with much more powerful cars. They went on to defy the laws of physics by perfecting the rear engined 911, which appeared to be a fundamentally flawed design with its flat six motor seemingly suspended behind the rear axel.
Porsche founder, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, deeply believed that the engine ought to be placed behind the driver. With the 16-cylinder Auto Union Type C of 1936, which was several decades ahead of its time, he was the first engineer to design a mid-engined Grand Prix car. At the complete other end of the spectrum, prior to World War II, he also conceptualized and designed the veritable peoples car – the rear engined VW Beetle. The Beetle, in its original design, has sold in more numbers than any other car in history. In fact, it was produced in Mexico, largely in its original guise, till as recently as 2003.
The first Porsche to be made in large numbers, in 1948, was essentially an evolution of the Beetle – it was a rear-engined sports car named the 356, which initially used a great deal of VW parts. It was conceived by the son of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche – Ferry Porsche.
The 356 was extremely well received, and got a tremendous response from across the world, including the all-important US market. There's been no looking back for Porsche since, though they have had some tumultuous times in their history, most notably in the early 90's when they were in deep financial trouble. Today, Porsche can claim to have the highest profit margins in the business, and posted record revenues in the last fiscal year.
This tremendous financial success over the past few years has allowed Porsche to acquire a majority stake in Europe's largest automaker – Volkswagen. Ironically enough, Porsche is now the largest shareholder in VW – they own a 31% stake, which could reportedly be increased to a majority 51% in the near future. Porsche claim a closer relationship with VW would allow them to develop new technologies in a more feasible manner, since the benefits – and the costs – could be shared by Porsche, VW, and its subsidiaries, which include the likes of Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti.
The current Porsche CEO, Wendelin Wiedeking, recently said in an interview that they would continue to make “very sporty luxury cars” – lets just hope that sporty continues to trump luxury, and the brand doesn't loose its historic appeal to become merely a present day status symbol. For the moment though, there's nothing to suggest that's happening – the current 911 range is better than ever before, and continues to set the standard that sports car makers across the world, as always, strive to match.
