The Creator of Volkswagen would be rightfully be the holy saint, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. A genius of engineering and automotive designer. Responsible for both an automobile of dependability and simplicity, as well as an automobile of speed and technology.
Porsche was born in 1875 in Mafferdorf in Bohemia. Ferdinand Porsche designed all manners of machines and cars. He designed the primary plans for the Volkswagen Beetle, the largest selling car in history and still in production in Mexico. As well, Porsche designed for other auto manufactures such as Austo Daimler, Mercedes-Benz, Zûndapp, and Auto Union(Audi). During the war not only did he design the Beetle but also designed other war prototypes. In France, after the war, Ferdinand, his son Ferry and his daughter Louise Piech's husband Anton were arrested for having assisted the German war effort. Their capture was aided by the French auto maker Renault. It took Louise Piech six month to free Ferry and two years to free Ferdinand and Anton. Louise and Anton had a son, Ferdinand. Ferdinand Piech is now the president of Volkswagen. Yet another Porsche and Volkswagen connection. Louise Piech led the establishment of the Porsche design company in Austria in 1946. They started with a fee-paying design for the Cisitalia grand prix car. While working on this car, the team started sketching it's own car in July 1947, based on the Volkswagen Beetle. This car had the code-name Type 356. He wouldn't see the Beetle in mass production until he visited Wolfsburg near the end of his life. When Porsche witnessed the large number of Beetles driving about the Autobahn, he begun to cry tears of joy. His dream was a reality.
Porsche died on January 30th 1951, at the age of 75. The Beetle would live on as well as his own company. Porsche was a true automotive legend of a supreme level.
Ferdinand Porsche's son, Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche Jr. became chairman of the Porsche company's supervisory board in 1972 when the firm became a publicly traded company. He died on March 27th, 1998 at the age of 88. Also Dr. Porsche's grandson, Dr. Ferdinand Piech, became chairman of Volkswagen AG.
So the new 911 could be seen as the great great grandson of the original Beetle.
They started out from the same roots. Both have excelled in thier markets. As far as sports cars go, the 911 will always be my unobtailable dream. Pretty soon VWs will be to though the way thier pricing is going
:p