Ferdinand Porsche: the engineer behind the Beetle and the Porsche name
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This record covers
- Where and when Ferdinand Porsche was born
- His major cars from the Lohner-Porsche to the Volkswagen
- His Nazi-era record and post-war imprisonment
- His family and his death in 1951
Short answerFerdinand Porsche (3 September 1875 – 30 January 1951) was an Austrian-Bohemian automotive engineer. He built the Lohner-Porsche electric and hybrid cars around 1900, led engineering at Austro-Daimler and Daimler, founded his Stuttgart design office in 1931, and designed the Auto Union Grand Prix cars and the Volkswagen Beetle. He joined the Nazi Party and SS, oversaw military vehicle design and used forced labour. French authorities imprisoned him from 1945 to 1947. He died in Stuttgart in 1951.
- Born
- 3 Sep 1875, Maffersdorf, Bohemiadocumented
- Design office founded
- April 1931, Stuttgartdocumented
- Nazi Party / SS
- 1937documented
- Died
- 30 Jan 1951, Stuttgartdocumented
Ferdinand Porsche is one of the most important engineers of the twentieth century and one of its most compromised. This page sets out his whole life in order. His relationship with the Nazi regime has its own detailed record on the Ferdinand Porsche and Hitler page.
Who was Ferdinand Porsche?
Ferdinand Porsche was an engineer who designed electric, hybrid, racing and mass-market cars across fifty years, and whose name became a car brand after his design office built its first sports car. He was largely self-taught, without a university degree, and received an honorary doctorate from the Vienna University of Technology in 1916, which is where “Dr. Ing. h.c.” in Porsche’s company name comes from.
Ferdinand Porsche timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1875 | Born 3 September in Maffersdorf, Bohemia |
| 1897–98 | Joins Jacob Lohner & Co. in Vienna |
| 1900–01 | Lohner-Porsche electric car; the Mixte petrol-electric hybrid follows |
| 1906 | Chief designer at Austro-Daimler; managing director from 1916 |
| 1923 | Technical director at Daimler in Stuttgart; supercharged Mercedes sports cars |
| 1931 | Founds his design office in Stuttgart in April |
| 1934 | Auto Union Grand Prix car; Volkswagen contract |
| 1937 | Joins the Nazi Party and SS |
| 1939 | Type 64 Berlin–Rome car |
| 1941–44 | Military vehicles and tank designs |
| 1945 | Arrested by French authorities, 15 December |
| 1947 | Released, 1 August |
| 1948 | Porsche 356 “No. 1” registered in Gmünd |
| 1951 | Dies in Stuttgart, 30 January |
What cars did Ferdinand Porsche design?
Ferdinand Porsche designed or led the design of cars that changed four different fields:
- Electric and hybrid: the Lohner-Porsche with electric wheel-hub motors, and the Mixte, often described as the first petrol-electric hybrid.
- Sports cars: supercharged Mercedes models of the 1920s, including the S and SSK lineage.
- Racing: the mid-engined Auto Union Grand Prix car (Type 22).
- Mass market: the Volkswagen (Type 60), later the Beetle, with tens of millions built.
His office also produced the Type 64 and the unbuilt Type 114, both steps toward the first Porsche sports car.
What was Ferdinand Porsche’s role in Nazi Germany?
Ferdinand Porsche worked closely with the Nazi regime from 1934. He joined the Nazi Party and SS in 1937 and reached the honorary SS rank of Oberführer in 1942. His office designed military vehicles and tanks, and the Volkswagen works he led relied on forced labourers and concentration camp prisoners. The full documented record, including the Tatra and Josef Ganz claims, is on the Ferdinand Porsche and Hitler page.
Why was Ferdinand Porsche imprisoned?
Ferdinand Porsche was imprisoned as a suspected war criminal. French authorities arrested him with his son Ferry and son-in-law Anton Piëch on 15 December 1945. He was held in Baden-Baden, Paris and Dijon for about twenty months and released on 1 August 1947 after his family paid a large sum, partly funded by the Cisitalia Grand Prix car commission. He was never tried.
How did Ferdinand Porsche die?
Ferdinand Porsche died in Stuttgart on 30 January 1951, aged 75, weeks after suffering a stroke. He lived long enough to see the first Porsche 356s built under his son’s leadership.
Who continued his work?
His children and grandchildren continued his work. His son Ferry Porsche built the 356/1 roadster and led Porsche. His daughter Louise Piëch ran the Austrian business, and her son Ferdinand Piëch later led Volkswagen. His grandson Ferdinand Alexander “Butzi” Porsche designed the 911.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Ferdinand Porsche?
Ferdinand Porsche was an automotive engineer who designed the Lohner-Porsche hybrid, Mercedes-Benz supercharged sports cars, the Auto Union Grand Prix cars and the Volkswagen Beetle, and founded the design office that became Porsche.
When and where was Ferdinand Porsche born?
Ferdinand Porsche was born on 3 September 1875 in Maffersdorf, Bohemia, then part of Austria-Hungary and today Vratislavice nad Nisou in the Czech Republic.
When did Ferdinand Porsche die?
Ferdinand Porsche died in Stuttgart on 30 January 1951, weeks after suffering a stroke, at the age of 75.
Did Ferdinand Porsche design tanks?
Yes. His office designed a Tiger tank prototype whose hulls became the Ferdinand (later Elefant) tank destroyer, named after him, and the super-heavy Maus tank.
Who were Ferdinand Porsche’s children?
Ferdinand Porsche had two children: Louise Piëch, mother of Ferdinand Piëch, and Ferdinand Anton Ernst “Ferry” Porsche, who built the 356 and led Porsche after the war.