A Quick History - Porsche

 

Ferdinand Porsche began Porsche in German in 1931 as a motor vehicle development and consulting company. An early assignment came from the German Government, asking for a “car for the people”. The result was the Volkswagen Beetle. In 1939, the Porsche 64 was designed, using many components from the Beetle.

1939 Porsche 64

During World War II, Porsche designed heavy tanks but lost the contract to Henschel & Sons. The designs were instead used Elefant Tank Destroyer. Meanwhile, Volkswagen made military versions of the Beetle. The factory fell to the British and Ferdinand lost his position. Shortly afterward, he was arrested for war crimes but never actually tried.

His son, Ferry Porsche, built his own cars in an attempt to steer the company until his father's release from prison 20 months later. Many consider his design, the Porsche 356, the first Porsche since it was the first one that was actually sold by the company. During this time, parts were scarce in the post-war country and they were required to use many of the same parts used in the Beetle. However, over time, Porsche innovation began to replace the Volkswagen parts.

1955 Porsche 356

After racing success, the Porsche 911 was introduced in 1964, which is, by far, the most well known and iconic car Porsche has produced. The company actually originally planned to replace it in the 1970s with the 928 but obviously, that didn't work out very well.

1964 Porsche 911

In the 1990s and 2000s, they had an understanding with Toyota to learn their manufacturing techniques and hybrid technology. Porsche always had a close relationship with Volkswagen. In 2009, Volkswagen announced they were becoming an integrated automotive group with Porsche, under the name Volkswagen AG. By 2012, Volkswagen completely owned Porsche. 

2008 Porsche Cayman

Sources: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche; Good Logo, http://goodlogo.com/extended.info/porsche-logo-2645; Auto Concept Reviews, http://autoconcept-reviews.com/cars_reviews/porsche/porsche-type-60-k-10-berlin-rome-1939/cars_reviews-porsche-type-60-k-10-berlin-rome-1939.html; Top Car Rating, http://www.topcarrating.com/1964-porsche-911-2-0-coupe-901.php; Car Gurus, http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/1955-Porsche-356-Pictures-c7821