Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, Designer of the Porsche 911 Dies

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, designer of the incomparable Porsche 911, has passed away in Salzburg, Austria, aged 76 years.

Coming from the renowned engineering Porsche family, Butzi, as he was known, deviated from his heritage to focus on design rather than engineering.

His work is universally recognisable and formed the basis for one of the most enduring and admired marques in motoring. The classic 911 shape is still recognisable in the latest models, 50 years after the design was introduced to the world.

In addition to the 911 series, Butzi delivered the 904 racing car which, apart from being heart-achingly beautiful, produced stunning race results and punched above its weight at the illustrious Le Mans 24-hour race.

He left the car company in 1972 after the family decided to restructure the company and went off to form the Porsche Design Group industrial design company. Here, his work focused on high-end watches, sunglasses and pens before diversifying into all manner of household objects.

But it is the 911 series of cars that will remain his legacy.

Its place in history was acknowledged by placing fifth in the 20th Century’s Car of the Century awards, behind four ground-breaking and revolutionary vehicles in the Model-T Ford, the Mini, the unique Citroen DS and its own relative, the Volkswagen Beetle.

The 911 is equally at home on the race track and in the driveways of the rich and famous. There are Porsche-only racing categories the world over and they also feature prominently in GT racing categories.

Porsche’s design philosophy was “Design must be functional, and functionality must be translated into visual aesthetics, without gimmicks that have to be explained.”

Matthias Mueller, CEO of Porsche AG, said: 'We mourn the death of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche.

 'As creator of the Porsche 911, he founded a design company in our culture that shapes our sports cars today."