My thanks go first and foremost to two great, hardworking Porsche historians, Dieter Landenberger, head of Porsche Archiv, and Jens Torner, Manager of Porsche Visual Archiv. These two friends have encouraged my interviews, investigations, and reporting on this project with its several twists and turns. What’s more, both of them, as talented photographers, have images in this book for which I am very grateful.
As I have chronicled the Porsche 911 history over a period of years, a number of participants have shared their experiences and insights with me. I wish to thank: Dipl. Ing. August Achleitner Kurt Ahrens, racer Dipl. Ing. Herbert Ampferer Dipl. Ing. Jürgen Barth, engineer/racer, retired Dipl. Ing. Hans-Peter Bäuerle, retired Dipl. Ing. Tilman Brodbeck, retired the late Dipl. Ing. Helmuth Bott Dipl. Ing. Wolfgang Dürheimer, former executive vice president, Research & Development Vic Elford, racer Dipl. Ing. Peter Falk, retired Dipl. Ing. Helmut Flegl, retired George Follmer, racer the late Dipl. Ing. Ernst Fuhrmann Tony Hatter, Style Porsche Jacky Ickx, racer Dipl. Ing. Bernd Kahnau, retired Dipl. Ing. Stefan Knirsch Dipl. Ing. Eugen Kolb, retired Dipl. Ing. Hartmut Kristen, Matthias Kulla, Style Porsche Dipl. Ing. Roland Kussmaul, retired Harm Lagaay, Style Porsche director, retired Pinky Lai, Style Porsche the late Tony Lapine, Style Porsche Grant Larson, Style Porsche Herbert Linge, engineer/racer, retired Dipl. Ing Horst Marchart, retired Dipl. Ing. Hans Mezger, retired Steve Murkett, Style Porsche Klaus Parr, Historical Archive, retired Dipl. Ing. Walter Naher, retired Ed Peter, vice president U.S. Sales, retired Walter Röhrl, racer Dipl. Ing. Valentin Schäffer, retired Dipl. Ing. Michael Schlätzle Dipl. Ing. Gerhard Schröder, retired, and Irene Schröder Peter Schutz, chairman, retired Dipl. Ing. Norbert Singer, retired Dick Soderberg, Style Porsche, retired Dipl. Ing. Otto Soeding, retired Dipl. Ing. Dr. Heinz Soja Dipl. Ing. Rolf Sprenger, retired Dipl. Ing. Gunther Steckkönig, engineer/racer, retired and Dipl. Ing. Thomas Wasserbach.
I am deeply grateful to the late Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, Zell am See, and to his father, the late Professor Ferdinand Anton Porsche, Stuttgart, for taking the time more than a decade ago to speak with me for several hours about their work and philosophy. Several individuals played important roles in completing this book and I really want to thank Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager, Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway, as well as John Clinard, Sean Cridland, Dave Engelman/Porsche Cars North America, Warner Hall, Brian Hoeweler, Riley Kelley, Yvonne Knotek/Porsche Archiv, Richard Newton, Mark Schlacter, Freeman Thomas, Barry Toepke, Dipl. Ing. Christian Will/Porsche, and Jeff Zwart for access, courtesies, ideas, images, and information.
For decades, the “style” inside Style Porsche, the modern-day name for the company’s automotive design department, was to attribute credit for various cars to the department and its chiefs. Tony Lapine long received praise for the startling 928. Harm Lagaay was acknowledged for the 993, 986, and 996 siblings. But interviews with both men over a period of 20 years let the truth out, sometimes with a laugh attached.
“The 928?” Lapine said, always one to answer one question with another. “No, that was Wolfgang Möbius. My job was to stand at the door and not let anyone in to distract my guys from their work.” Lagaay released concept sketches showing Grant Larson’s name under Boxster concepts and production models, Pinky Lai’s name alongside 996 sketches, Tony Hatter with GT1 and Carrera GT ideas, and Steve Murkett with his vision of the Cayenne. He reiterated Lapine’s characterization as often being the door guard and staff protector.
Modern-day design chief Michael Mauer followed a similar path. After an initial “You know, it really is a team effort,” the name of 991 stylist Peter Varga slipped out. It was Varga’s aggressive rear character line that redefined the 911.
Harm Lagaay described other responsibilities of the design chief, such as maintaining his designers’ focus with a well-timed comment or a discussion here and there, keeping peace among them, providing them inspiration and motivation, and otherwise ensuring them a proper atmosphere in which to do their work. Each of these men did a great deal more, guiding and directing design through deft gestures and thoughtfully chosen words, through rhetorical questions and sometimes suggestions that minute adjustment of a single line might be worth a look. The ability to draw can be less necessary than possessing the skill to communicate, to articulate, to motivate.
Which prompts a glance back into history: was there a Wolfgang Möbius, a Grant Larson, or a Tony Hatter on Ferdinand Alexander Porsche’s design staff? Did F. A. Porsche serve one of those roles himself, working as designer under someone else’s supervision? Did this set a pattern and a precedent for those who followed him into the job of design boss at Porsche?
The direct answer to these questions is yes. What you read here may contradict what you know about Porsche 911 history. Some of this information simply was not available before now.