such as the 924, 944, and 928. Still, these models also made a very significant contribution to the success of the company, with every other Porsche built in the ‘80s being such a front-engined sports car.

Another issue always of great interest to Ferry Porsche was the future of the automobile, with the opinion he voiced in 1979 now more important than ever before: “Fuel consumption will be a particularly significant factor in future. The amount of fuel consumed by a motor vehicle will also depend on its weight and air resistance. And the sports car is at an advantage on both of these points.” So he always believed that “we must do things in our cars that help to reduce fuel consumption. And this is where we benefit from the developments we have already made in motorsport, such as the turbocharger. We can use the turbocharger not just to increase engine power, but also to improve the efficiency of the engine, reducing fuel consumption to a minimum in the process.”

In the last years of his life Ferry Porsche had to experience how his company entered a severe crisis threatening its very existence. But even when the Porsche company was seen as the candidate for a possible takeover, Ferry Porsche still emphasised his unflinching will to remain independent. And experiencing the economic turnaround led by Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking, he was able to see his lifetime achievement returning to the road of ongoing success.

The introduction of the Porsche Boxster in 1996 marked the continuation of his vision of a mid-engined roadster, and he never doubted the future of his sports car philosophy: “The last car ever built will be a sports car.”

The death of Ferry Porsche on 27 March 1998 also marked the end of another era, with the last air-cooled 911 coming off the production line in the same year.