Beginning.Ferdinand Porsche established his car manufacturing company in 1947. The company's founder was active in the automotive sector previously — in 1931 he established a design office. In 1949, the 356 model left the assembly line. It inherited a lot of parts from the Volkswagen Beetle (including the air-cooled engine, four-cylinder boxer and the suspension). The body style of both cars was designed by Erwin Komenda.
Development. A breakthrough occurred in 1963 — the Porsche 911 model was presented. Today's icon of the automotive industry then boasted a six-cylinder engine designed by the company and placed at the back. From the beginning of the 1970s to the mid-1990s, Porsche models were divided into small (with a four-cylinder engine), medium-sized (with a six-cylinder engine) and large (with an eight-cylinder engine). The history of Porsche is intertwined with that of Volkswagen. A lot of Volkswagen parts are still used in Porsche cars. The Cayenne model shares the floorpan and some engines with the Touareg.
Present. It is the appearance of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S (2002) and Porsche Carrera GT (2004) that influenced the company's present fortunes. The latter model was equipped with the strongest engine in the brand's history — a 605 HP engine was hidden under the hood of the Porsche Carrera GT. In May 2006, Porsche won the title of the most prestigious automotive brand. This title is awarded by the New York-based Luxury Institute. In mid-2009, Volkswagen finally decided to take over 42% of Porsche's shares, paying 3.3 billion euros for the transaction. Full integration of both companies took place at the end of 2011. Porsche will be the tenth car brand owned by Volkswagen. It is worth noting that the company Dr. Ing. h.c. Ferry Porsche AG is the main Volkswagen shareholder, holding 50.76% of shares of the company.
Contribution to the automotive industry. The company has won lots of titles and awards in motorsports. By 2000, Porsche cars had won over 24,000 rallies and races. Porsche specialised mostly in long-distance races.
Trivia. Ferdinand Porsche was the manufacturing supervisor of the Volkswagen Beetle. At the beginning of 2009, Porsche introduced the diesel engine to its offering. It was installed in the Cayenne diesel model and had a capacity of 3 litres and a maximum power of 240 HP. This engine is manufactured by Volkswagen AG and it is installed, amongst others, in Audi cars. The PorscheDesign company produces gadgets for drivers and the marque's fans. The Porsche logo is used by other companies (Adidas shoes, Eterna watches, AGD Siemens accessories or interior equipment e.g. Franke). At 450,000 euros, the Carrera GT is the most expensive Porsche model ever produced.
Popular Porsche models: Porsche 911, Porsche Carrera GT, Porsche Boxster, Porsche Cayman, Porsche Panamera, Porsche Cayenne.
Tyres. Porsche is a brand which cooperates with all leading tyre manufacturers in the world. Porsche-approved tyres are marked N0, N1, N2, N3 and N4. Michelin supplies tyres for the Porsche Cayenne (Michelin Diamaris tyres). Dunlop supplies tyres for the Porsche 911 Boxster and for the Porsche Cayenne (Dunlop SP Sport 9090 and Dunlop Grandtrek WT M2). Bridgestone can boast of fruitful cooperation with Porsche — the following Bridgestone models are used in Porsche cars: S02, RE050, RE050 A, S02A, ER30 and Dueler HP Sport, with sizes ranging from 205/50 R17, through 255/40 R18 to sizes such as 275/40 R20. These are used in cars such as: Porsche Boxter, Porsche 911, Porsche Cayman and many other models. From among the well-known brands, Yokohama (Advan Sport V103, AVS S1-Z, AVS Sport models), Pirelli (P Zero Rosso) and Goodyear tyres with the Run On Flat technology can also be mentioned.