Porsche

Cars with Soul

Gui Bernardes

• Éditeur: Crowood
• Année: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781785003219
• Sujet: Technik & Maschinenbau
• Sous-sujet: Automobil- & Transportbranche

In Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, August 1939, the 60K10 project, under the supervision of one Professor Ferdinand Porsche, builds a car in anticipation of a race, Berlin to Rome, that will never take place. With this model, the idea for a light and aerodynamic car, with a small engine but remarkable performance was born. Nine years later this idea bore fruit and the company released their first automobile, the 356, created by Ferdinand's son, Ferry Porsche, which would launch the company into automotive history. Porsche - Cars with Soul tells the story of Porsche, from the unique perspective of the cars themselves, through the most significant events and races of the marque's celebrated history. It covers exhilarating accounts of races in which Porsche cars competed, from 1951 to 2015 and it tracks the development of Porsche models from the first model 356, to the defining model 911, and beyond. Beautifully illustrated with rarely seen full-colour and vintage photographs from the Porsche archives.

CHAPTER ONE

LOOKING FOR PORSCHE ‘DNA’ ORIGINS

19 JANUARY 2014, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

It is not particularly cold on that Sunday morning when I approach Autoworld’s building in Brussels, but the excitement of being about to see and touch some of the wonders created by Ferdinand Porsche and his successors almost makes me tremble with emotion as I cross the doorway crowned by the four Ferdinands. Having bought the ticket, I climb the metallic staircase that accesses the first floor where the expo is happening and what I see at a first glance confirms that the 1,250-mile (2,000km) trip that brought me here was well worth it. In a simple, but very well-achieved scenario, under soft and warm lighting, one can see a few dozen vehicles, which, for a lover of the Porsche brand, represent all of its history of genius, innovation, perseverance, style and success in automobile industry and motor sport.

The expo is divided into four zones, each one dedicated to its own Ferdinand. In the space pertaining to the founder, one can see magnificent examples of his technical expertise, in the diverse marques in which he worked before founding Porsche, such as a Lohner Mixte Hybrid model from 1901. This was the first hybrid car, with electrical engines on the front wheels powered by an electrical generator, which was in turn moved by a combustion engine.

There is a shining Austro-Daimler Prinz Heinrich model from 1910, in its immaculate white, which dominated the race for which it had been specially conceived, conquering the first three positions, with the victorious one being driven by Ferdinand Porsche himself.

Autoworld main entrance with posters announcing the exhibition.

Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid (1901).

From Electric to Electric. More than an hundred years separate the Porsche 918 from its hybrid ancestor.

Austro-Daimler Prinz Heinrich (1910).

Auto Union V16 Stromlinienwagen (1937).

Also on show is a fantastic Auto Union V16 Stromlinienwagen from 1937, a record-holding vehicle, which, with its aerodynamic lines and propelled by its enormous engine, sped up to 250mph (400km/h).

Several other interesting cars, like the famous KDF (Volkswagen), representing the innovative ideas and technical boldness of their creator, could be admired in this space, but it is not to them that I walk first. I want to see and contemplate immediately the one that was the first to embody what we call today the ‘Porsche DNA’. I look around and there it is, with its unmistakable silhouette and rounded shapes, not too thin but elegant, with a plunging hood between two outstanding headlights (like eyes peering at the roads from Berlin to Rome, the race for which it had been designed and built). It has a narrow and rounded cockpit, the better to slice through the air, and an accompanying unique profile of rear windows and descending aft section, all made up of smooth curves, with a lightness and at the same time a breathtaking dynamic.

Auto Union V16 Stromlinienwagen (1937).

I approach, enjoying the moment, while confirming the smoothness and beauty of its lines. I calmly pace around the mechanical sculpture so as to admire it fully. Its imperfect paint job, the rust that has taken over the rims of the headlights and the worn-out interior do not detract from its value. In fact, they are witness to the many miles driven over more than seventy years.

Porsche 60K10 at Autoworld.

If the 60K10¹ could speak, what fabulous tales it would have to tell! The impulse to touch and run my hand along that elegant shape is irresistible, and my hand rests softly over the metal … in that emotion-filled moment a vibrating wave runs up my arm, like an electric shock, and though it’s not uncomfortable, I feel dizzy … all the cars at the expo rotate around me in an inebriating ballet and all of a sudden I feel as if I’m in another time, another space, another dimension …

CHAPTER TWO

THE BEGINNING

19 AUGUST 1939, STUTTGART-ZUFFENHAUSEN, GERMANY

While passing from the twilight in the Reutter Karosserie building to the exterior patio, pushed by two mechanics, I feel for the first time the slight irregularities of the ground through the thin tyres, half hidden by the fairings that contour my wheel arches. Four men² have just stepped out the nearby door. They are around me now, concentrating on the shapes of my bodywork and on its similarity to the plans that left the drawing boards.

Porsche 60K10 in Werk I yard in September 1939.

The four men have already exchanged opinions amongst themselves. The one that appears to be the boss, with his piercing look, fierce moustache and hands in pockets, has already walked twice around me. He seems pleased with what he sees. In fact, this is not the first time we’ve been close to each other, because he has already visited Reutter’s³ facilities several times during t...