Porsche

Porsche is a German manufacturer of sports cars, founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche, the engineer who created the first Volkswagen. The company is located in Zuffenhausen, a city district of Stuttgart. Porsche has a reputation for producing high-end sports vehicles that, despite their high performance, are reliable and tractable enough to be used for daily driving, and of high manufacturing quality and durability. This reputation is contrasted with that of Ferrari, their main competitor, whose machines are famous for their greater design flair but without the reliability. As a company, Porsche is known for weathering changing market conditions with great financial stability, while retaining most production in Germany during an age when most other German car manufacturers have moved at least partly to Eastern Europe or overseas. The headquarters and main factory are still at Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, but for the Cayenne and Carrera GT there is a new plant at Leipzig, in the east of Germany. Some Boxster and Cayman production is outsourced to Valmet Automotive in Finland. Porsche has for many years offered consultancy services to various other car manufacturers. Studebaker, SEAT, Daewoo and Subaru have consulted Porsche on engineering for their cars. Porsche also helped Harley-Davidson design their new engine in their newer V-Rod motorcycle.

History

The first Porsche, the Porsche 64 from 1938, used many components from the Volkswagen Beetle. The second Porsche model, the Porsche 356 sports car of 1948, was initially built in Gmünd, Austria, where the company was evacuated to during war times, but after building 49 cars the company relocated back to Zuffenhausen. Many people regard the 356 as the first Porsche simply because it was the first model sold by the fledgling company. Ferdinand Porsche worked with his son Ferry Porsche in designing the 356 but died soon after the first prototype was built. Again, the car used components from the Beetle including its engine, gearbox and suspension. However, the 356 had several evolutions while in production and many VW parts were replaced by Porsche-made parts. The last 356s were powered by 100% Porsche designed engines. The sleek bodywork was designed by Erwin Komenda who had also designed the body of the Beetle.

In 1963, after some success in motor-racing, the company launched the Porsche 911, another air-cooled, rear-engined sportscar, this time with a 6-cylinder "boxer" engine. The car, which is still in production, has become their most well-known model, successful on the race-track, in rallies, and in terms of sales. Far more than any other model, the Porsche brand is defined by the 911. A cost-reduced model with the same body but 356-derived running gear (including its four-cylinder engine) was sold as the 912.

The company has always had a close relationship with Volkswagen, and as already mentioned, the first Porsche cars used many Volkswagen components. The two companies collaborated in 1969 to make the VW-Porsche 914 and 914-6, in 1976 with the Porsche 924, which used many Audi components and was built at an Audi factory. The Porsche Cayenne, introduced in 2002, shares the entire body with VW Touareg, which are built at the Škoda factory in Bratislava. Both Audi and Škoda are wholly-owned subsidiaries of VW.

Ferdinand Porsche's grandson, Ferdinand Piëch, was chairman and CEO of the Volkswagen Group from 1993 to 2002. With half of all voting shares, he also remains the largest individual shareholder of Porsche AG.

Porsche's 2002 introduction of the Cayenne also marked the unveiling of a new production facility in Leipzig, Saxony, which today accounts for nearly half of Porsche's annual output.

In 2004, production of the Porsche Carrera GT commenced in Leipzig, and at EUR 450,000.00 it's the most expensive Porsche ever built.

The Porsche 911 Turbo is alimented by twin turbos, which produce 16 psi or extra thrust, propelling the engine to a monstrous 445 hp.

Motor-racing

Porsche has been successful in many branches of motor-racing, scoring a total of more than 23,000 victories. Particular success has been in sportscar racing, notably the 24 hours of Le Mans where they have won 16 times (more than any other company), and in the Paris Dakar Rally. Many Porsche race cars have also been run successfully at Le Mans and in other races by "private" teams, financed and run without any factory support. Recently, 996-generation 911 GT3s have won in their class at Le Mans.