Tom Cruise, Porsche 911, Heuer and Sinn, Fernando (not ABBA's), a blonde, Vzlan Air Forces ... and a cool watch.
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 12:19 pm
What the hell's everybody got to do with it?
I begin. But first, hit the play...
It all starts with Ferdinand Porsche. One of the most famous car engineers of the last century.
At the age of 23 he creates the great-great-grandfather of the Prius, the Lohner Porsche, the first gasoline-electric hybrid.
From there to Mercedes, where he created the mythical SSK with compressor, and later to AutoUnion, the current Audi. Hitler ends up commissioning him to make a car to motorize Nazi Germany. The result was the Kdf-Wagen, whose design was inspired from the Czech Tatras of Hans Ledwinka, and that today we know as beetle.
During the war he also developed several battle tanks, and the German jeep, the Kubelwagen.
After the war, and after two years in French prisons (where he would design the 4CV for the newly nationalized Renault) he ended up founding with his son and son-in-law Anton Piech the company that bears his name. The first car would be the 356, designed by his son, Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche, the 356.
Shortly after, Ferdinand Porsche, grandfather, would die, leaving son and son-in-law at the front of the signature.
Did I say son-in-law before? Oh, yes. Ferdinand had two children. Ferdinand and Louise, Anton Piech's wife. And he had two first-born grandchildren, Ferdinand and Ferdinand, who are in this photo with grandfather Ferdinand.
The stories of jealousy and envy among them would leave as amateur TV serials like "Falcon Crest" or "Dynasty". The bad karma began when Porsche grandfather put to direct to his son-in-law the factory instead of the son. And they continued when the two eldest grandchildren grew up... Both extremely bright. Two bulls in the same corral.
Ferdinand Piech developed the Porsche 906...
...and, with him began a saga of racing sports circuit, which would end up taking the Porsche 917, the LeMans movie car. By the way, creating the 917 almost ruined the firm.
F.A. Porsche, the other grandson, also created a racing car, the 904...
...but went on to develop what gave money to the firm, a street car. And in doing so, he signed the one that would be the icon of sports cars, not only of the firm. The 901. Well, 911, that the Peugeot said that the 0 in the middle of a three-digit car name was something they had registered. The same is true that the French were bitter, and did not forget that in the war they took machinery from their plant to that of VW... or that Porsche grandfather had his executives imprisoned.
However, Ferdinand "Ferry" (father) and Ferdinand Piech (cousin) also participated in the creation of this 911. Here they are with a prototype of the engine.
And here we have F. Piech (I'd say it's an Caliber 11 Heuer on his wrist), Ferdinand Porsche grandson and Hans Michel Piech, on the firm's board of directors.
But, as I said, personally there was always jealousy, quarrels and miseries between uncles and cousins. Perhaps the most scandalous was that Ferdinand Piech ran away, being married, with the wife of his cousin Gerard Porsche "just to annoy".
And, at Christmas dinner in 1971, they all ended up with a fist fighting. Ferdinand Porsche father said "so far". He bagged Porsche, and kicked his sons and nephews out of the automobile firm, which was to be run by outside professionals. That wouldn't stop the two branches of the family, one of the richest in Europe, from fighting and showing their differences until today.
Outside the family firm, Ferdinand Piech had a very brilliant career in the automobile world. He went through Mercedes, created the Audi Quattro and ended up running the VW group, taking it out of imminent bankruptcy and turning it into the largest European automobile group by acquiring prestigious brands. Curiously, one of the vehicles that marked his stage was... the reissue of his grandfather's car.
F.A. Porsche... created a design studio... PORSCHE DESIGN.
I begin. But first, hit the play...
It all starts with Ferdinand Porsche. One of the most famous car engineers of the last century.
At the age of 23 he creates the great-great-grandfather of the Prius, the Lohner Porsche, the first gasoline-electric hybrid.
From there to Mercedes, where he created the mythical SSK with compressor, and later to AutoUnion, the current Audi. Hitler ends up commissioning him to make a car to motorize Nazi Germany. The result was the Kdf-Wagen, whose design was inspired from the Czech Tatras of Hans Ledwinka, and that today we know as beetle.
During the war he also developed several battle tanks, and the German jeep, the Kubelwagen.
After the war, and after two years in French prisons (where he would design the 4CV for the newly nationalized Renault) he ended up founding with his son and son-in-law Anton Piech the company that bears his name. The first car would be the 356, designed by his son, Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche, the 356.
Shortly after, Ferdinand Porsche, grandfather, would die, leaving son and son-in-law at the front of the signature.
Did I say son-in-law before? Oh, yes. Ferdinand had two children. Ferdinand and Louise, Anton Piech's wife. And he had two first-born grandchildren, Ferdinand and Ferdinand, who are in this photo with grandfather Ferdinand.
The stories of jealousy and envy among them would leave as amateur TV serials like "Falcon Crest" or "Dynasty". The bad karma began when Porsche grandfather put to direct to his son-in-law the factory instead of the son. And they continued when the two eldest grandchildren grew up... Both extremely bright. Two bulls in the same corral.
Ferdinand Piech developed the Porsche 906...
...and, with him began a saga of racing sports circuit, which would end up taking the Porsche 917, the LeMans movie car. By the way, creating the 917 almost ruined the firm.
F.A. Porsche, the other grandson, also created a racing car, the 904...
...but went on to develop what gave money to the firm, a street car. And in doing so, he signed the one that would be the icon of sports cars, not only of the firm. The 901. Well, 911, that the Peugeot said that the 0 in the middle of a three-digit car name was something they had registered. The same is true that the French were bitter, and did not forget that in the war they took machinery from their plant to that of VW... or that Porsche grandfather had his executives imprisoned.
However, Ferdinand "Ferry" (father) and Ferdinand Piech (cousin) also participated in the creation of this 911. Here they are with a prototype of the engine.
And here we have F. Piech (I'd say it's an Caliber 11 Heuer on his wrist), Ferdinand Porsche grandson and Hans Michel Piech, on the firm's board of directors.
But, as I said, personally there was always jealousy, quarrels and miseries between uncles and cousins. Perhaps the most scandalous was that Ferdinand Piech ran away, being married, with the wife of his cousin Gerard Porsche "just to annoy".
And, at Christmas dinner in 1971, they all ended up with a fist fighting. Ferdinand Porsche father said "so far". He bagged Porsche, and kicked his sons and nephews out of the automobile firm, which was to be run by outside professionals. That wouldn't stop the two branches of the family, one of the richest in Europe, from fighting and showing their differences until today.
Outside the family firm, Ferdinand Piech had a very brilliant career in the automobile world. He went through Mercedes, created the Audi Quattro and ended up running the VW group, taking it out of imminent bankruptcy and turning it into the largest European automobile group by acquiring prestigious brands. Curiously, one of the vehicles that marked his stage was... the reissue of his grandfather's car.
F.A. Porsche... created a design studio... PORSCHE DESIGN.