'Butzi' is dead: long live the king of the 911
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, designer of the 911, died in Austria last week aged 76Father of the 911, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, died on April 5 in Salzburg, Austria. Nicknamed 'Butzi' (roughly translated as 'elegant design'), F.A Porsche was aged 76.
"Even his childhood was shaped by cars, and he spent much of his time in the engineering offices and development workshops of his grandfather Ferdinand Porsche," said Porsche AG in its statement.
F. A took over as head of Porsche's design studio in 1962, after working on the design of the successor to the 356 model. A year later the design for the new Porsche coupe -- the 901 (or 911) -- was unveiled. F.A is also known for the design of the Type 804 F1 car and striking 904 Carrera GTS.
Under his command the Porsche Design outfit began to develop and offer high-end products including watches and pens to Porsche's exclusive customers. Ferdinand also designed industrial products including household appliances "for internationally renowned clients" under the 'Design by F.A Porsche' brand.
According to Porsche, F.A's design credo was that "design must be functional and functionality has to be translated visually into aesthetics, without gags that have to be explained first... A coherently designed product requires no adornment; it should be enhanced by its form alone... Good design should be honest."
F.A is credited with helping implement Porsche's economic turnaround after troubles in the 90s. In 2005, Ferdinand stood down from his Supervisory Board role in favour of his son Oliver and was made Honorary President of the Supervisory Board.
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche will be buried in the family grave at Schüttgut in Zell am See, attended by his immediate family. An official funeral service will be held in Stuttgart at a later date to be advised.
Only two days after F.A's death, the seventh-generation 911 was voted International Performance Car of the Year at this month's New York Auto Show.
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