Austria:Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the designer of the original version of the iconic 911 sportscar, has died in Salzburg, Austria. He was 76.
The grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who created the original Volkswagen Beetle, he designed the first 911 in 1962. He went on to develop race cars for the German car-maker until leaving the company in 1972 with other family members when Porsche was transformed into a joint stock company. The 911 remains the epitome of the Porsche brand.
“He was a very special man, and the company Porsche was his life and what he stood for,” said Günther Molter, who co- authored his father’s Ferry Porsche autobiography. “He carried on the work of his father in his own way. He realised the Porsche 911, which was his idea.”
After leaving Porsche, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche founded the Porsche Design Studio, where he devoted himself to developing watches, eyeglasses, writing utensils and other design projects. He will be interred among close family members at a ceremony at Zell am See in Austria. – (Bloomberg)