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September 20, 2008
Colorado Porsche fans may be interested to know something about the early history of Porsche. The following timeline details some of the origins of the company.
1875:
On September 3, Ferdinand Porsche is born in the Bohemian town of Maffersdorf. In 1889, after attending grammar school there and the Staatsgewerbeschule (State Vocational School) in Reichenberg, he enters his father’s business as an apprentice plumber.
1900:
The Lohner-Porsche electric car is presented at the World Fair in Paris. The wheel hub engines of the young engineer Ferdinand Porsche bring him international attention. In the same year, he develops an all-wheel-drive racecar, as well as a hybrid petrol/electric vehicle – a world first.
1906:
Ferdinand Porsche becomes Technical Director at Austro-Daimler in Wiener Neustadt. At the age of only 31, he is responsible for the model range of one of Europe’s largest automotive concerns.
1909:
Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche, later known as ‘Ferry’, is born on September 19 in Wiener Neustadt.
1910:
The Austro-Daimler touring car designed by Ferdinand Porsche scores a triple victory in the Prince Henry Trials. At the wheel of the winning car sits none other than Ferdinand Porsche himself.
1923:
As Technical Director and Board Member of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Stuttgart, Ferdinand Porsche designs the legendary Mercedes Compressor Sports Car. The following year, the 2-litre racecar developed under his aegis wins the Targa Florio. The Mercedes-Benz S-Type models dominate international motorsport from 1927.
1931:
Crowning his career, Ferdinand Porsche opens an office for ‘engineering and consultation on engine and vehicle design’ in Stuttgart on April 25. Created for such renowned manufacturers as Wanderer, Zündapp and NSU are not only entire vehicles, but such trend-setting detail solutions as the Porsche torsion bar suspension.
1933:
For Auto Union, Porsche develops a Grand Prix racecar with a 16-cylinder engine in mid-ship configuration. The rear-engine vehicle concept designed for the compact car (Type 32) developed for NSU is ultimately incorporated in the Volkswagen Beetle.
1934:
The company Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche KG receives an official order for the design and construction of a German Volkswagen. Only one year later, the VW prototype is test driven. The ‘Ur Beetle’ is assembled in the garage of the Porsche villa in Stuttgart.
1935:
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche is born on December 11 in Stuttgart as the eldest son of Ferry Porsche.
1936:
Parallel to road trials of the Type 60, production facilities are erected under the direction of Ferdinand Porsche for the Volkswagen renamed the ‘KdF-Wagen’.
1939:
Under the designation Type 64, three racing coupés are developed at Porsche in Zuffenhausen. Built for long-distance endurance competition, the ‘Berlin–Rom-Wagen’ are considered the forefathers of all later Porsche sports cars.
1944:
Owing to wartime conditions, the Porsche KG engineering office moves to Gmünd in the Austrian province of Carinthia.
1946:
Under the direction of Ferdinand Porsche’s son Ferry, design of an all-wheeldrive Grand Prix racecar – the ‘Cisitalia’ (Type 360) – is begun for Italian industrialist Piero Dusio.
1948:
The 356 is the first sports car to bear the Porsche name. ‘No. 1’ is road certified in June. Only one month later, the lightweight mid-engine roadster wins its first class victory at the Innsbruck Stadtrennen.
Today:
Prestige Imports in Denver is a short drive from any point in the Denver metropolitan area. The Colorado Porsche dealer is open Monday through Saturday. Additional information about Prestige Imports and its inventory of Audi automobiles is available at the company’s website at www.prestigeimports.net or at www.prestigeimportsblog.net.
About Prestige Imports
Prestige Imports is an established Audi and Porsche dealership located in Lakewood, Colorado in the Denver area. The dealership provides a professional and courteous environment for purchasing and servicing Audi and Porsche automobiles. As one of the largest dealerships of its kind in the United States, Prestige Imports maintains a large selection of new and pre-owned vehicles. Prospective customers are invited to contact the dealer’s knowledgeable staff of Audi Brand Specialists or Certified Porsche Brand Specialists with any questions or to arrange a test drive.
Contact
Name: Don Adis
Email: donadis@prestigeimports.net
Phone: (303) 238-8101
Prestige Imports
9201 W Colfax Ave
Lakewood, CO 80215
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