Porsche’s Technological Innovations Part 1: The Genius of Ferdinand Porsche

Many know that the first automobile to exceed 100 kilometers per hour was electric and was named "Jamais Contente" due to the constant issues its brave creator had to face. Ferdinand Porsche, who had experimented with electric propulsion in racing with his Lohner-Porsche, convinced that he had solved all the technical problems of an electric vehicle, and confident in the solutions he had adopted, named his electric model "Toujours Contente". However, this proved to be a bold statement, as he soon had to address the excessive weight of the batteries and the limited range of the vehicle. His solution was to power them with electricity produced onboard by an internal combustion engine. The electricity was generated by a combustion engine and stored in a much smaller and lighter battery pack.

In 1900, Ferdinand Porsche created the electric racing model "Toujours Contente" with four 14 hp hub motors. It was the world's first all-wheel-drive vehicle.

In fact, he had invented the concept of the "hybrid car". Once again, it becomes clear that true innovations come from the past. Born in 1875, without a formal degree and with only experience as an apprentice electrician and a student of technical courses, he invented the hybrid car! And he did so with a clear vision of the end goal, demonstrating his genius: motors applied directly to the wheels, batteries positioned as low as possible to lower the center of gravity, and a relatively low steering wheel, forcing the driver to lean forward, improving aerodynamics!

The genius of Ferdinand Porsche, a self-taught engineer, immediately recognized the potential of the internal combustion engine.

To understand what true genius means, it's useful to see how he, a self-taught engineer, thought based on what the emerging market, born from the creation of the internal combustion engine, had to offer. Hired in 1905 at the age of thirty by Austro-Daimler as Technical Director, he focused his vision on the great potential of the internal combustion engine, drawing inspiration from what racing and aviation could suggest. Among his numerous technical proposals, in 1912, he developed a small four-cylinder boxer engine, air-cooled, for aviation. Four-cylinder boxer, air-cooled..the association is immediate: wasn’t this the origin of the engine that made the small Volkswagen Beetle immortal?

Ferdinand Porsche in a 1950 photograph with Harald Wegner, the historic Sales Director of the Stuttgart-based company, standing next to one of his most famous cars: the Beetle.

A Bohemian Austrian, Ferdinand Porsche quickly became a reference point for his ability to find technical solutions to complex problems with unconventional approaches. His trains, designed for war, became famous. The memorable "C Train" was created for transporting the gigantic Skoda cannon and massive quantities of ammunition. Trains, sometimes on rails, but often, like those designed for agriculture, equipped with twin or tracked wheels. His genius earned him the title of "Doctor of Technical Sciences" from the University of Vienna in 1917. His extraordinary and adventurous story had just begun.

Awarded the title of "Doctor of Technical Sciences" in 1917 by the University of Vienna, Ferdinand Porsche remains one of the unforgettable geniuses of the automotive world.