How the 911 body developed
The 911 was already an automotive icon decades before ‘iconic’ became one of the most overused adjectives in the English language. For most people the 911’s high-ranking status was the result of its immediately identifiable shape. It’s one that, amazingly in a rapidly changing automotive landscape, Porsche has succeeded in retaining for 60 years.
Although no one ever imagined that the new Porsche would become such a perennial, Ferry did want a design that would last at least 10 years as the 356 had (ultimately it was in production for 15). His two fundamental criteria were a new six-cylinder flat engine, because the flat four lacked performance and refinement; and a larger car. From Porsche owners, the most salient complaint about the 356 was that it was cramped and lacked luggage space. When Porsche looked at what 356 ‘defectors’ were buying instead, the majority were opting for the Mercedes-Benz 220S; BMW’s Neue Klasse 1500 and Alfa Romeos also featured. Clearly, the new Porsche would need to be bigger (Ferry’s famous dictum that the boot had to be big enough for a set of golf clubs), but exactly how much bigger and whether it would be two- or four-door was the cause of protracted debate at Porsche.
Replacing the company’s only model was a major decision. Cautious by nature and aware of Porsche’s lack of experience in consumer design, Ferry turned initially to Albrecht von Goertz, who had drawn the BMW 507 that he so much admired. Interesting though they were, Ferry thought that Von Goertz’s interpretations weren’t appropriate for Porsche. The new model would have to be shaped internally.
By coincidence, his eldest son Butzi had recently joined the team at Zuffenhausen after dropping out of Ulm School of
