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Category Archives: Ferdinand Porsche

New Book Release: “Professor Porsche’s Wars: The Secret Life of Legendary Engineer Ferdinand Porsche” by Karl Ludvigsen

10 Nov
Professor Porsche's Wars- The Secret Life of Legendary Engineer Ferdinand Porsche Who Armed Two Belligerents Through Four Decades

Professor Porsche’s Wars- The Secret Life of Legendary Engineer Ferdinand Porsche Who Armed Two Belligerents Through Four Decades

Received this book in the mail this week from Pen & Sword Military books in the U.K., compliments of the author Karl Ludvigsen. I am so excited to get into reading it thoroughly. Have to read the book before making any conclusions or review. However, from reading the first chapter last night about the young automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche car company, so far sounds very interesting and well documented about him creating the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle (Lohner-Porsche).  There will be more to review later on. Definitely an in-depth and richly illustrated account of Ferdinand Porsche‘s little-known career as a military engineer embracing both World Wars. Providing insights into the creative thinking and working methods of one of the greatest automotive engineers.

It’s a hardback book, containing 272 pages worth, 250 black and white historical images, size of book is 11 x 1 x 8.8 inches (276 x 215 mm), 3.1 pounds. Imprint/publisher is: Pen & Sword Military

About the new released book & the author  

Regarded as one of the great automotive engineers of the twentieth century, Ferdinand Porsche is well remembered today for his remarkable automotive designs including the Volkswagen Beetle and Auto Union Grand Prix cars. Yet there is another side to his extraordinary career, for he was an equally inventive designer of military vehicles and machinery. In this field too he excelled. Indeed the sheer versatility of his contribution is astonishing. Karl Ludvigsen’s study is the definitive guide.

He tells the complete story, focusing on Porsche’s relations with the German armed forces and on the stream of advanced designs he was responsible for. Included are Austro Daimler’s pioneering aero engines, the Kübelwagen, Schwimmwagen, Type 100 Leopard tank, Ferdinand or Elefant tank destroyer and the astounding Type 205 Maus tank. He also describes Porsche’s creative work on aero engines, tank engines and even a turbojet for the V-1 flying bomb.

Karl Ludvigsen ‘s account confirms the pre-eminence of Ferdinand Porsche as a brilliant and prolific engineer, one of the most remarkable of his generation.

About the Author

Karl Ludvigsen

Karl Ludvigsen

Karl Ludvigsen is a world-renowned and prize-winning historian and author with over fifty books to his credit. He has made in-depth studies of the cars and histories of Volkswagen, Corvette, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz as well as the careers of leading Grand Prix drivers and designers. A former vice-president of Ford of Europe, Ludvigsen has had a life-long interest in engineering and military history. Among his most notable publications are Porsche: Excellence Was Expected, Battle for the Beetle and Colin Chapman: Inside the Innovator.

In addition to his motor industry activities as an executive (with GM, Fiat and Ford) and head of a consulting company, Karl Ludvigsen has been active for over 50 years as an author and historian. As an author, co-author or editor he has some four dozen books to his credit. Needless to say, they are all about cars and the motor industry, Karl’s life-long passion.

Since 1997 Ludvigsen has been drawing on the photographic resources of the Ludvigsen Library to write and illustrate books on the great racing drivers. His first title in this series was Stirling Moss ‘ Racing with the Maestro. He followed this with Jackie Stewart ‘ Triple-Crowned King of Speed and Juan Manuel Fangio ‘ Motor Racing’s Grand Master. Fourth in this series for Haynes Publishing was Dan Gurney ‘ The Ultimate Racer and fifth was Alberto Ascari ‘ Ferrari’s First Double Champion. Next came Bruce McLaren ‘ Life and Legend of Excellence and Emerson Fittipaldi ‘ Heart of a Racer.

Also in the field of motor sports Karl Ludvigsen has written about road racing in America, the cars of the Can-Am series, the AAR Eagle racing cars, the GT40 Fords and Prime Movers, the story of Britain’s Ilmor Engineering. His introduction to At Speed, a book of Jesse Alexander’s racing photography, won the Ken W. Purdy Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism. Other motors-sports titles include Classic Grand Prix Cars, a history of the front-engined G.P. racer, and Classic Racing Engines, Karl’s personal selection of 50 notable power units.

Four of Karl Ludvigsen’s books concern the Chevrolet Corvette, one of them an industry best-seller. He has written three times about Mercedes-Benz, twice about its racing cars. His books on the latter subject have won the Montagu Trophy (once) and the Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot Award (twice), both recognising outstanding automotive historical writing. In 2001 he again received the Cugnot award from the Society of Automotive Historians for his book about the early years of the Volkswagen, Battle for the Beetle, a Robert Bentley publication.

Karl Ludvigsen’s Porsche history, Excellence was Expected, is considered by many to be a model of the researching and writing of the history of an auto company. He has updated it twice in a three-volume format for Bentley Publishers for the new Millennium. He is the author of a series of monographs on great Maserati cars. His book BRM V16 for Veloce Publishing tells the story of one of the most controversial racing cars of all time. In The V12 Engine for Haynes he describes the creation and consequences of all the cars ever powered by the iconic vee-twelves.

In 1997 Ludvigsen researched and wrote the catalogue for a special exhibition of Ferrari technological innovations on the occasion of the company’s 50th anniversary and contributed a major section to the company’s official 50-year history. He has updated this for the company’s 60th anniversary. Karl’s understanding of the Ferrari world combined with his Library’s holding of the Rodolfo Mailander photo archive to produce Ferrari by Mailander in 2005, a Dalton Watson publication. In 2006 with Dalton Watson Karl has published The Incredible Blitzen Benz, the story of six great record-breaking cars.

In co-operation with publisher Iconografix, Ludvigsen has established the Ludvigsen Library Series of 128-page books drawing on the holdings of the Ludvigsen Library. The series now numbers 19 titles, including books on Indy racing cars of 1911 to 1939, the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the Indy Novis, Chevrolet’s Corvair and Corvette, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL of 1952 and 1954-1964, the 300SLR of 1955, Porsche Spyders, Porsche 917, Jaguar XK120, XK140 and XK150, Land Rover Defender the Ferrari factory and American sports-racers: the Cunninghams, Chaparrals and Can-Am racing cars. More titles are in preparation.

 
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Posted by on November 10, 2014 in Autos & Vehicles, Ferdinand Porsche, Karl Ludvigsen, Porsche Books, Professor Ferdinand Porsche

 

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The world’s very first Porsche design – the return of the “P1” …World premiere on the fifth anniversary of the Porsche Museum

27 Jan

 

 

World premiere on the fifth anniversary of the Porsche Museum: the return of the “P1”

World premiere on the fifth anniversary of the Porsche Museum: the return of the “P1”

Stuttgart. Since the construction of the first sportscar to bear the Porsche name – the Type 356 from 1948 – Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG has been regarded as the world’s leading sportscar manufacturer. Yet the company’s history dates back to a much earlier period: In 1898, Ferdinand Porsche presented the “Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton model” (known as the “P1” for short) – the world’s first Porsche design.

Porsche engraved the code “P1” (standing for Porsche, number 1) onto all of the key components.

Porsche engraved the code “P1” (standing for Porsche, number 1) onto all of the key components.

After 116 years, the original and unrestored vehicle has been recovered and is set to enrich the Porsche Museum’s collection as a technical and historical worldwide sensation.

Five years since it opened in January 2009, the addition of this design sees the Porsche Museum reorient its permanent exhibition. Alongside a restructuring of the layout for the area dedicated to product and motorsport history, the “P1” now forms a centrepiece used to introduce visitors to the first part of the exhibition – the “prologue”.

The highly compact electric drive, weighing just 130 kg, offered an output of 3 hp.

The highly compact electric drive, weighing just 130 kg, offered an output of 3 hp.

The innovative vehicle concept of the “P1” will bridge the gap between the past and present-day developments such as the Porsche 918 Spyder. As a technological benchmark, the 918 Spyder follows a long tradition that first started 116 years ago with the “P1”.

The draft of "Egger-Lohner electric vehicle C.2 Phaeton".

The draft of “Egger-Lohner electric vehicle C.2 Phaeton”.

The “P1” – designed and built by Ferdinand Porsche – was one of the first vehicles registered in Austria, and took to the streets of Vienna on June 26, 1898.

In 1898, Ferdinand Porsche presented the "P1".

In 1898, Ferdinand Porsche presented the “P1”.

Porsche engraved the code “P1” (standing for Porsche, number 1) onto all of the key components, thus giving the electric vehicle its unofficial name. The sheer volume of ideas realised within this vehicle remains remarkable even today. The highly compact electric drive, weighing just 130 kg, offered an output of 3 hp. For short periods, up to 5 hp could be achieved in overloading mode, allowing the P1 to reach up to 35 km/h. When driven in this manner, the vehicle speed was regulated via a 12-speed controller. The overall range of the vehicle could span up to 80 kilometres, a considerable feat for a vehicle of that period. A further innovation was the Lohner alternating vehicle body, which allowed the vehicle to be used in both summer and winter.

The overall range of the vehicle could span up to 80 kilometres.

The overall range of the vehicle could span up to 80 kilometres.

The first practical test awaited the “P1” in September 1899 at the international motor vehicle exhibition in the German capital of Berlin. Even as early as 1899, the competition to produce the best drive systems was already fierce. A race for electric vehicles over a distance of 40 km was announced in Berlin for September 28 to test the performance of the vehicles, with a prize to be awarded to the winner. The route demanded a great amount of skill from the participants, who had to tackle challenges such as gradients. With three passengers on board, Ferdinand Porsche steered his “P1” across the finish line 18 minutes ahead of the next competitor. More than half the participants failed to reach the finish line due to technical difficulties. Ferdinand Porsche also came out on top in the efficiency test, as his “P1” recorded the lowest energy consumption in urban traffic.

On Friday, January 31, 2014, Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, and Matthias Müller, President and CEO of Porsche AG, will unveil the “P1” before an audience of invited guests. The following weekend, on February 1 and 2, the “P1” can be viewed free of charge as part of the celebrations to mark the fifth anniversary of the Porsche Museum.

On February 1st, 2014 for the very first time on display at the Porsche Museum: The first design of Ferdinand Porsche from 1898.

On February 1st, 2014 for the very first time on display at the Porsche Museum: The first design of Ferdinand Porsche from 1898.

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 18:00. For more information, please visit http://www.porsche.com/museum.

SOURCE

Communication Porsche AG
Porsche Museum

 
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Posted by on January 27, 2014 in Autos & Vehicles, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Eger-Lohner electric vehicle C.2 Phaeton, Ferdinand Porsche, Porsche, Porsche Museum

 

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