1909-1998

Austrian Automobile Designer

The family name of Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche long ago became a household word, even if very few households could afford to have a Porsche in the garage. Less well-known is Porsche's role in creating a far more popular car—perhaps the most popular vehicle in history—the Volkswagen Beetle.

Born in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, Porsche was the son of Ferdinand and Aloysia Kaes Porsche. His father was an automobile designer who worked for the Austro-Daimler company, destined to become Daimler-Benz. In the year prior to his son's birth, the elder Ferdinand designed a car that traveled at 85 mi (137 km) an hour—a speed almost unbelievable in 1908. By 1923, when the family moved to Stuttgart, Germany, the Porsche's father was a board member with Daimler-Benz, and in 1930 he opened his own shop to build race cars.

When he was just...