Ferdinand Porsche was born in Reichenberg. At the time that area was known as North Bohemia and later changed to Czechoslovakia. At the age of 18 Ferdinand Porche was recommended for a job in Vienna with Bela Egger, due to his remarkable mechanical aptitude. While in Vienna, he sneaked into some night classes at the Technical University. This is the only formal (though rather informal) training he ever received.
After spending five years in Vienna, he procured his first job within the automotive field. This job was with Jacob Lohner who in 1900 partnered with Porsche to create the ‘System Lohner-Porsche’ electric carriage which made it’s debut at the World’s Fair in Paris. This marvelous machine began making a name for itself by setting several Austrian land speed records at over thirty-five miles per hour. Porsche then began using the Daimler’s and Panhard’s internal combustion engines in order to power ‘wheel mounted electric motors. The new system was called ‘System Mixt’ and it set more speed records. In 1905 Porsche won the Poetting Prize recognizing him as Austria’s outstanding automotive designer. Porsche was now well on his way, gaining recognition in Europe. In 1906, Porsche took a position with Daimler as a chief designer and in 1910 produced an 85 horsepower slick and sexy car for the Prince Henry Trial. The car was dubbed Prince Henry as three different models won the top three places in the trial.
In 1916, after focusing for almost a full decade on war machines and aircraft engines, Porsche became the managing director. The very next year, Porsche received his most cherished honor; a doctorate from Vienna Technical University. Meaning so much to him because of the time he spent sneaking into classes in order to learn. In the 1920s Porsche moved more and more towards lighter cars and racing, competing in hill climbs, speed trials and rallies. Ferdinand Porsche was known for a strong flash temper and it was the cause of his parting ways with Austro-Daimler in 1923. During the great depression, Porsche was 55 years old and despite his brilliance in car designing, was jobless.
It was during this time that his son ‘Ferry’ Porsche, whom was exemplary with math, joined his father in a consulting firm. This firm became involved in creating a small, light efficient car for the masses, this car was the direct ancestor of the Volkswagen.
In December of 1945, Ferdinand Porsche, Ferry Porsche and Anton Piech were arrested as war criminals. Ferry was released soon after, but Ferdinand Porsche and Anton Piech remained imprisoned with no charges, no trial scheduled but a 500,000 francs bail amount each. Ferry Porsche went about securing a contract with Piero Dusio, a wealthy industrialist and used the money in order to win the freedom of not only his father but also of Anton Piech on August 1, 1947, having spent almost twenty months in captivity in deplorable conditions. Ferdinand’s health was poor. While Ferdinand Porsche was imprisoned, his namesake company produced the very first car to carry his name.
In 1950 Ferdinand Porsche celebrated his 75th birthday and in November, Ferry took his father for one last look at the Wolfsburg Volkswagenwerk where the VW Beetle was in full production. Late in November, Ferdinand Porsche suffered a stroke that he never recovered from and he succumbed to his health conditions January 30, 1951. He left behind a multitude of legacies in his name.