Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the original designer of the celebrated Porsche 911, died Thursday in Salzburg, Austria at the age of 76.
Ironically on the same day that the Porsche 911 original designer died, his creation won the 2012 World Performance Car at the New York International Auto Show.
F.A. Porsche, the grandson of the company’s founder, headed the design studio of Porsche since the early 1960s, when he came up with a new design for Porsche 911 to replace the previous Porsche 356. Now in its seventh version, the Porsche 911 is loved by sports car drivers.
"We mourn the death of our partner, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. As the creator of the Porsche 911, he established a design culture in our company that has shaped our sports cars to this very day,” said the company’s CEO Matthias Mueller in a tribute.
“His philosophy of good design is a legacy to us that we will honor for all time,” said Mueller.
Born on Dec. 11, 1935 in Stuttgart, Germany, F.A. Porsche spent his youth in the company’s workshops and design facilities where his father Ferry Porsche was the chairman and grandfather Ferdinand Porsche was the founder. F.A. Porsche joined the company’s engineering office in 1958 and took over the design studio in 1962.
In 1972, F.A. Porsche left the company to open a new design studio that produces mostly accessories that also bears the name “Porsche”. But even after leaving the company, F.A. Porsche still remained as a close associate of Porsche AG Company. From 1990 until 1993, F.A. Porsche served as President of the the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG.
During his lifetime, F.A. Porsche received numerous honors, including the "Comité Internationale de Promotion et de Prestige" in 1968 and Industrial Forum Design Hannover’s “Prizewinner of the Year" n 1992.
The company said F.A. Porsche will be buried in the family grave at Schüttgut in Zell am See in Austria. An official memorial service will be held in Stuttgart.
Click here to watch the photos of F.A. Porsche, in memory of the legendary 911 designer.
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